Rensselaer Semi-Weekly Republican, Volume 35, Number 96, Rensselaer, Jasper County, 7 August 1903 — WHO WAS GUILTY [ARTICLE]

WHO WAS GUILTY

A VICTIM OF CIRCUMSTANTIAL EVIDENCE

CHAPTER XXI. .¶ “I will endeavor not to make it long,” said the detective, drawing a chair to the table, which he placed in such a position that I could not leave the room without passing him. “In our profession it is as well to waste as few words as possible. When you gave your commission to my comrade I had just left the force, with the intention of starting a private business of my own, and I was in London and in my comrade's office at the time you called upon him. I heard all you had to say, and the description you gave of your wife’s personal appearance aroused my curiosity. You left a portrait of her with my comrade, and when you were gone I looked at the picture, and was surprised to find that it was a woman whose face I was acquainted with. She had occupied a position as a kind of governess and companion in the house of a rich gentleman in Sevenoaks, where I was stationed when in government service, and I understood that she was a single woman. She went by the name of Mile. Rosalie. Your statement to my comrade that she was your wife, and an Englishwoman, proved to me that in Sevenoaks she had been sailing under false colors. I made a proposition to the officer you engaged, and we agreed to go partners in this affair. There was more depending upon it than you were aware of at the time. In the house in which Mile. Rosalie, your wife, was employed, a murder had been committed. An old gentleman, Mr. Wilmot, was found strangled in his bed, and a large sum of money was missing. Now, there was a mystery in connection with this murder. A man whose name was Samuel Fleetwood, who all his life had borne the best of characters, and had keen employed in the service of Mr. Richard Pardon, the gentleman in whose house the murder was committed, had disappeared on the night of the murder. Suspicion naturally fell upon him. We could not catch him, but eventually he gave himself up and confessed to the murder. He died in the police station a few hours afterward.

“On the following morning the town waa startled, not only by the publication of the news of this confession, but *y the mysterious disappearance of Mr. Pardon and {Mile. Rosalie. They had both been seen the night before by Mrs. Pardon, the lady of the house. Mile. Rosalie at about 11 o’clock, and her hustand at 1 or 2 o’clock in the morning. Her husband was then in his study, and *y cunning questioning I learned from Mr*. Pardon that when she last saw her lusband in his study, at that late hour iu the night, he appeared to be greatly disturbed in his mind. She ascribed this to his having been completely upset by the dreadful murder which had taken place in his house; I did not agree with her, but I did not tell her so. I was greatly put out»by Mr. Pardon’s disappearance, because he had offered a large reward for the apprehension of the murderer of Mr. Wilmot, and he had promised me, notwithstanding that Samuel JTeetwood had voluntarily given himself op, that this reward should be paid. Up to this moment it has not been paid, tat I live still in hopes. “The natural conclusion was that those two had run off together. I did not agree with the general verdict pronounced up•n the missing pair. However, I kept my opinions to myself, for the reason that 1 had an idea that the reward offered by Mr. Pardon for the discovery •f the murderer of Mr. Wilmot would •oe day find its way into my pocket. ‘How is that?* perhaps you will ask, *when Samuel Fleetwood had confessed to the crime, and the gentleman who •ffered the reward had disappeared, partly because he wished to save his money?’ Well, now, you will think it strange when I tell you that 1 had my doubts as to the genuineness of Samuel "FleetwoM’s confession. It seems that he had given the

clergyman a private letter, which he implored would be conveyed to his master, and that lie had placed a mostyextraordinary and unnatural importance upon the safe delivery of this document. The clergyman informed me that Mr. Pardon had called upon him in the evening in a state of great agitation, and said that the letter had not reached his hands. Now, the clergyman was positive that ie had inclosed it in a packet, coutainfag. besides, a letter from himself and a copy of Samuel Fleetwood's confession, which he had delivered to Mile. Rosalie. “I kept thinking to myself, What could he in this missing letter? and I was not •t all satisfied with things as they stood. 1 was confident that there was a mystery which it might pay me to clear up. Another Circumstance led me to this conclusion. A man of the name of Redwing, who had been taken on by Mr. Pardon for a few weeks to assist the gardener, had also disappeared. What was there singular in that? you will ask. Well, begging your pardon again, Mr. Stanmore — I had seen enough to convince Be that Mile. Rosalie and Redwing were lovers. This, gentlemen, is how matters stood on the day of the disappearance of Mr. Pardon, Mile. Rosalie and Redwing. The first thing to be done was to track them. “But here I found myself at fault. The fact is, I did not feel myself quite justifed in spending a large sum of my own Boney in the search, and’it was, I dare oay, because of this that I did not succeed. After some time had passed I gave ■p the idea, and left the force, as I have toM roa> with the intention of starting business on my own account. “Then came your visit to my comrade. The suspicion of some strange mystery in connection with the murder of Mr. Wilmot revived. Yon supplied my comrade with funds, and with these funds we set to work. I’ll not make my story too long by telling yon till about our operations. It will be satisfactory to you to know that we tracked two of the three missing persons—Mile. Rosalie and Redwing. She had not gone away with Mr. Pardon; she had gone away with Redwing. They had passed some time on the continent, in France and Italy, and it was when they returned to England that we got fairly on the scent From that moment we never let it escape [unsure]. We accompanied them everywhere

in various disguises; we slept in the next rooms to theirs wherever they put up. We overheard their conversation, and took it down in writing. Putting all we heard intelligibly together, it makes a strange story. Your divorce is all right, Mr. Stanmore, but there is something much more serious behind all this than you can imagine.’’ CHAPTER XXII. The detective paused impressively. Then he resumed: “From the day MWe. Rosalie entered Mr. Pardon’s service under false colors she commenced to plot and plan. She tried to inveigle him into making love to her, but she failed. An artful woman, gentlemen, is this Mile. Rosalie, otherwise Mrs. Stanmore, They don’t make them much artfuller in these days. Failing, she took great pains to entangle him, so that for her own purposes by and by she might make it appear that he was her lover. The unlucky gentleman was a sleep walker; had been so from childhood, and it was an infirmity he could not cure himself of. Well, one night Mile. Rosalie happened to see him in this state. What did she do? Why, she slyly slipped her pocket handkerchief into his pocket; and on the next day, when he found it there, he couldn’t for the life of him remember how it came upon him. That was her first move. “Her second move was the introduction of her lover, Redwing, into the temporary service of Mr. Pardon. Only one person 'knew that she was acquainted with Redwing; that person was Samuel Fleetwood. Correctly divining that Fleetwood had communicated his suspicions to Mr. Pardon, she sought that gentleman in his garden in the dead of night, and worked so artfully upon his feelings that she succeeded in destroying the unfavorable impressions which he had gained. She informed Mr. Pardon that Redwing was her brother. Chance played into her hands. The interview, by her conniving, took place after midnight and in the dark. She and her master were surprised by Samuel Fleetwood, who passed them without speaking. Thus, in Fleetwood’s eyes, Mr. Pardon was seriously compromised. “There is no doubt that Mile. Rosalie introduced Redwing into Mr. Pardon’s house for the purpose of robbery; but before the plan they were devising was ripe, higher game presented itself. Mr. Wilmot paid a visit to his nephew, Mr. Fardon. He brought with him a sum of five thousand pounds. Mile. Rosalie, always on the watch, ascertained that thero was discord between the old gentleman and her master with respect to the marriage of Miss Pardon. Mile. Rosalie and Redwing decided to murder Mr. Wilmot and rob him. To reach the bed chamber of Mr. Wilmot they had to pass through that of Samuel Fleptwood, upon whom they intended to cast the suspicion of the murder; if he awoke they resolved to kill him also. In silence the deed was done. The old man was weak, and with swift cruelty he was strangled, and scarce a murmur came from his lips. ‘•They found the keys of the'”dispatch box in his pocket; unlocking if, they took out the five thousand pounds, relocked the box, replaced the key in the dead man’s pocket, and were about to leave the chamber when they were startled by the sudden appearance of Mr. Pardon. He was in one of his sleep-walking trances. Quick as thought they changed their plans, and resolved to throw the suspicion of the murder upon him. Mile. Rosalie slipped a diamond ring off the murdered gentleman's finger and slid it into Mr. Pardon’s waistcoat pocket. Then she took the cord from Mr. Wilmot’s neck, and glided with it to Mr. Pardon’s bedroom. The door was ajar, liis wife was asleep. In a moment the cord was slipped under the pillow of a sofa which was in the room. The murderers reached their own npnrtments in safety and bidet} the issue of events. “After they were gone from Mr. Wilmot’s room, leaving Mr. Pardon there, Samuel Fleetwood, it appears, awoke, and, seeing his master standing by the murdered man, instantly came to the conclusion that he had committed the murder. This man was suffering from heart disease, and was awSire that he had but a short time <o live; he was deeply, passionately devoted to his mistress and her young daughter; he knew that the arrest of Mr. Pardon would bring incredible misery upon them, and he resolved upon a course which doubtless many persons admire. He fled, and thus the suspicion of-the murder fell upon himself. What afterward happened to him I have already f.-lated, and is public property.”

The detective paused, and fixed liis eyes upon me. In breathless amazement and gratitude I had followed his words. I was innocent —innocent! Once more I could clasp my beloved wife and child to my heart! Once more, thank God! Once more I could kneel by their sides in prayer, and lift up my voice in thankfulness to the Giver of all good! In the* silence that ensued the terror was lifted from my soul, and involuntarily 1 slid to my’ knees and lifted my hands to heaven, while the tears rolled down my face nnd beard. Then, when my passion of gratitude was in some measure abated, I rose to my feet and said: “I am Richard Pardon!" “I knew it, sir,” said the detective, “not from your appearance, which completely deceived me, but from your voice when you asked Mr. Stanmore whether you should leave us together. It is a true telltale, the voice; a man may change himself from white to black, but he eannot disguise his voice. All that I have related to you as gained, at odd times, by me and my partner, from the conversation we overheard between Mile. Rosnlie and Redwing. He U with her now at the Bull and Mouth, and the handcuffs are in my partner’s pickets. I will tell you something more, sir. I know where Redwing purchased the cord with which Mr. Wilmot was strangled. I will tell you even something more. They have spent the fire thousand sovereigns; but at this very moment they have upon them the four thousand five hundred pounds in Bank of England notes, which as yet they hive been afraid to attempt to pass. I have

the numbers of these notes in my pocketbook here; I obtained them from the bank at which Mr. Wilmot’s check was cashed. We have the net tight round them. The rew-ard you offered is all right, I suppose, sir?” “It shall be trebled,” I said, “and all the expenses you have been put to repaid.” “That is my affair,” said Stanmore; “the detectives were engaged upon my business.” • “Nay,” I said, “they were engaged u{>on mine. Do not argue with me. lam like a man newly risen from the grave.” Indeed, I was trembling so that they had to assist me into a chair. Presently I said: . “I know now, Stanmore, where I saw copies of those sketches which I recognised in your portfolio last night. Your wife had them.” “It does not surprise me,” said Stanmore. “When she ran away from me she robbed me pretty freely. Heaven have mercy upon her!” To which I said, “Amen.” I could prolong my story, bnt it would be only repeating what is already known. Redwing and Mrs. Stanmore were tried and condemned. He expiated his crime upon the scaffold. She was sentenced to imprisonment fSr life. Months have passed since then, and I have recovered my peace of mind. My darling wife is by my side as I write these concluding words. Eunice and Harry Clanronald are in the garderi below. They are soon to be married. We have left Boscombe Lodge for good. We shall never return to it. Humbly do I thank God for the pern I escaped. Over the grave of Samuel Fleetwood bright flowers are blooming. We shall meet him in the hereafter. (The end.)