Year: 1873

j have worked up many hard cases,
and have cornered many notorious Grim
inals, but never, before or since, have |
engaged in case SO complicated, or one
which was so hard to clear up, as that
Stuart-Firstone murder case.


You know the Stuarts were verv
healthy, and the old man had only two
sons, Cecil and Gilbert; outlandish names
they had, to be sure, but they were very
proud of them, at least the younger one.
As [ said, he had only two to bother him,
and to these, of course, he gave the bulk
of his property. Cecil was n cripple,
the result of being dropped by careless
nurse in infancy


Gilbert, the younger of the two, was
early known to all the sports as Jolly
good fellow, partly because he would al
ways stand treat, and would play bill
hards and such games; and yet he was
never known to win when playing for a
wager. In this manner he sustained his
reputation of being a free-and-easy fel-
low. But i'll the meantime his property
was steadily decreasing until, at last, his
share-which, i'll the first place, would
have been more than enough for men
like you and me-dwindled down to an
insignificant sum, and he had to look in
some other direction for money to pay
his gaming debts. He had often ap-
Piled to his brother for aid, and had Of
ten obtained it, together with good adj
vice, which he promised to heed. but
never did.


Cecil was always very studious, and had
surrounded himself with all the old
fashioned books that he could hear of or
obtain. And on account of his lameness
this kind of company had charm for
him that we in good health would not
feel


Cecil was always very lenient toward
his erring brother; but at last hearing
from every source of his scrapes, he was
compelled, by sense of duty, to re-
solve to refuse his application for aid.
And it was not long before he had to test
his resolution, for Gilbert, after an call
night y of it at a gaming saloon, came to
him and begged for more money. Cecil
reasoned with him, and with tears in his
eyes begged that he would quit his wild
habits. But all was of no avail, and he
was compelled, much against his broth
erly feelings, to refuse him the aid he
sought. At this Gilbert flew into a
frenzy OF rage and left the house, swear
ing that he would get the money in some
manner.


As he was walking homeward, feeling
anything but pleasant, he saw his dead
liest enemy riding with a young lady. to
whom he had been paying attention for
some time, but who now gave him the
"cut direct" Maddened at this, he
rushed into saloon near by, and calling
for whisky he swallowed glassful in an
instant, then went home and called his
bosom friend and counselor to him.


Albert Firstone, the friend, was a bro
ken-down gambler; a man who had spent



Il fortune on the turf, and was now NOM
inally acting as a jockey for Gilbert Stu
art, but was in reality his confederate in
schemes of robbery, and, as the sequel
will show, of murder These two friends
were closeted together for long while,
and time showed the result of their con-
ference, though l would not spoil my
story by revealing too soon their nefari-
GUS designs.


OF course you remember the excite
ment i'll the uptown circles when the
news of Cecil Stuart's murder was cir
cualted, and the astonishment of every
one when it was known that his body
had been found in the coal cellar of
Roger Lyons brown-stone palace. AS
tonishment was increased manifold by
the intelligence that Roger Lyon had
been arrested and charged with the crime
of murder.


Although but few were Intimately ac-
quainted with Cecil Stuart, and scarce.
ly large circle barely knew him as a