My Strangest Case

imself, but in another and totally different one. That mysterious power, "force of circumstances," is doubtless responsible for this, and no better illustration for m

e into partnership. But I would have none of these things. My one craving was for the sea. If I could not spend my life upon salt water, existen

go to sea, go to sea you certainly shall. But you mustn't blame me if you find that the life is

this type. It was my lot, however, to undergo the experience. We carried three apprentices, including myself, each of whom had paid a large sum for the privilege. I was the youngest. The eldest was the son of a country parson, a mild, decent lad, who eventually deserted and became a house-painter in the South Island of New Zealand. The next was washed overboard when we were rounding the Horn on our homeward voyage. Poor lad, when all was said and done he could not have been much worse off, for his life on board was a disgrace to what is sometimes erroneously called, "Human Nature." In due course, as we cleared for San Francisco, and long before we crossed the Line, I was heartily tired of th

e is still a considerable portion of your apprenticeship to be served, and it will

etermined to spend no more of my life on board that hateful ship. Accordingly, one day having obtained shore leave, I purchased a new rig-out, and leaving my sea-going togs with the

at my request, after being backed up by my Inspector, was granted. The case was a particularly complicated one, and at one time I was beginning to think that I should prove no more successful than the others had been. Instead of deterring me, however, this only spurred me on to greater efforts. The mere fact that I had asked to be allowed to take part in the affair, had aroused the jealousy of the detectives of the department, and I was aware that they would receive the news of my failure with unqualified satisfaction. I therefore prosecuted my inquiries in every possible direction, sparing myself neither labour nor pains. It would appear that the victim, an old man, was without kith or kin. He was very poor, and lived by himself in a small villa on the outskirts of the city. No one had been seen near the house on the night in question, nor had any noise been heard by the neighbours. Yet in the morning he was discovered lying on the floor of the front-room, stabbed to the heart from behind. Now every detective knows - indeed it is part of his creed - that, in an affair such as I am describing, nothing is too minute or too trivial to have a bearing upon the case. The old gentleman had been at supper when the crime was committed, and from the fact that the table was only laid for one, I argued that he had not expected a visitor. The murderer could not have been hungry, for the food had not been touched. That the motive was not robbery was also plain from the fact that not a drawer had been opened or a lock forced, while the money in his pocket was still intact. The doctors had certified th

about to commence his meal, when the murderer entered very quietly by the door behind him. He re

d, and in a very dilapidated condition, while that at the bottom was almost new, and was armed at the top with a row of bristling nails. Bringing the powerful magnifying-glass I had brought with me for such a purpose, to bear upon it, I examined it carefully from end to end. The result more than justified the labour. A little more than half way along I discovered another small smear of blood. There could be no doubt that the man had cut his finger on a nail as he

ful, however. No one recollected having seen such a man. From the hotels I went to various chemists' shops, but with the same result. Next I tried the shipping-offices connected with the lines of steamers leaving the port, but with no more

their inability to discover the murderer, and more than hinted at the inefficiency of the Detective Force. When I had been engaged upon the matter for about a fortnight, and with what success I have already informed you, the Commissioner sent for me, and told me that he did not think my qualifications were sufficiently marked to warrant my being employed longer on the task in hand. This facer,

me the opportunity, I will guarantee to catch the murderer

e Bush there and then. The fact remains, however, that I was

und, so the doctors informed me, was an extremely deep and narrow one, such as might very well have been made by a stiletto. Assuming my supposition to be correct, I returned to the house, and once more overhauled the dead man's effects. There was little or nothing there, however, to help me. If he had laid himself out to conceal

uched upon the one absorbing topic, "whether the

lieve he was a sailor at one time, and I have often heard

him say whether he had li

"If it was a fine morning he would sometimes remark that

nd move away when she stop

the postman what country it came from. He told me it was from Italy, and that the letter was for the gentleman next door. 'The next time I see him,' I said to myself, 'I'll ask him for that stamp for Willie.' I had my opportunity that self-same minute, for, just as I was going down the garden there to where my husband was doing a little cabbage-planting, he came into his front verandah. He took the letter from the postman, and as he looked at the envelope, I saw him give a start of surprise. His face was as white as death when he opened it, and he had no sooner glanced

look more hopeful. I thought I cou

detectives when they were making inquiries after the c

to tell the truth I had forgotten all about it. It was only when you began to talk of Italy and of his having been

ly likely it may have had some connection with it. At any rate we shall see. Now will you thi

r a few moments b

ning, and Willie, that's my little boy, was very much upset because I would not let him stay away from school to h

-six days later. With all speed I set off to the office of the Royal Mail Steamship Company, where I asked to be shown their passenger-list for the vessel that arrived on the nineteenth of July. When it was handed to me I scanned it eagerly in the hope of discovering an Italian na

his gentleman, I suppose?" I said to the clerk wh

nly this morning,

looked up from their books at me in astonishment. "Do you mean to t

s return passage to Italy. He only underto

now?" I asked, not however with much hope of success. "I

man answered. "He is staying at the

I can say," I returned. "You ha

I am very glad to have been able to g

d himself to be sufficiently acute to make me careful how I went to work with him. I had no time to lose, however. The next boat sailed for Europe in two days' time, and he had booked his passage in her. For that reason alone, I knew that I must be quick if I wished to accumulate sufficient evidence against him to justify the issue of a warrant for his

ive me some information concerning one of your guests. I believe I am right in

e admitted. "I hope there

"I am suspicious of the man - and I want

ever, that I know very much about him. He has been up

occasion on which h

a month ago for a couple of nights, and he had

f he slept here on the nig

then crossed the room to go into an outer office. A few moments later he returned

ou happen to notice that night, or before he le

"He had cut his left hand rather badly with a broken glass, so

ess you have already done me by letting me see the gentleman in question. I do

to study him to your heart's content, without his being any the wise

upon the subject, I suppose I can rely upon your sayin

ely likely to do so, for my own sake. I trust the matter is not a ve

ther a serious affair. But you may be sure I will do all I c

At that adjoining me, a tall, swarthy individual, with close-cropped hair, an Italian without doubt, was seated.

t. If I wanted to bring the crime home to him, it would be necessary for me to connect him with it more closely than I had yet done. But how to do this in the short space of time that was at my disposal I could not see. The murderer, as I have already said, was no ordinary one, and had laid his plans with the greatest care. He had taken away the knife, and in all

ar the centre of the yard, and another in the hall of the house itself. Now it was definitely settled, by a careful comparison of these imprints, that the murderer, whoever he might have been, wore his boots down considerably on the left heel, and on the inside. Now, as

placed the evidence I had gleaned before him. He was good enough to express his approval of my endeavours, but was doubtf

rrest," he said, "and that had better be done with as little

case I should need his assistance. When we reached the Continental Hotel I inquire

companion. "His suspicions are aroused, a

will find that he is on board the steamer. Y

r was lying. On arrival on board I inquired for the head-steward, and when

ted his cabin about three o'clock," that off

re in for a long spell, for it was not until nearly nine o'clock that our man reappeared on board.

d with you, Se?or

eaking with only a slight foreig

at, if possible, the other passengers, who were stan

of murdering one, Joseph Spainton, on the night of July the nineteenth of this year

noticed that a queer expression had suddenly made its appearance upon

t I was going to evade suspicion and get away safely. Yo

s and said something und

shore with y

red, marvelling that he

dark eyes upon

ured one. What I am accused of, and what I admit doing, was no crime. The dead

TH A CRASH

Who he really was, or to what Secret Society he belonged - for his last words to me warranted the belief that he was a member of some such organization - we were never able to discover. He was dead, and there was an end to it. Such is the story of the first big case in which I

xtraordinary cases. The experience gained there was invaluable, and led me, after one particularly interesting piece of business in which I had the good fortune to be most successful, to entertain the notion of quitting Government employ altogether, and setting up for myself. I did so, and soon had more work upon my hand than I could very well accomplish. But I

n for my old home. My father and mother had long since died, and now all that remained to me of them wa

orld. Nobody knows me in England, but it won't be my fault if they don't hear of

tless it can be done fairly quickly if one is prepared to spend large sums of money in advertising, and is not afraid to blow one's own trumpet on every possible occasion, but that is not my line, and besides, even had I so wished, I had not the money to do it. For a multitude of reasons I did not

ad been robbed of some valuable gems between London and Amsterdam in a singularly audacious manner. My second was the case of the celebrated Russian swindler, who called herself the Countess Demikoff. This case alone took me nearly six months to unravel, but I did not grudge the time, seeing that I was well paid for my labours, and that I managed to succeed where the police had failed. From that time forward I think I may say without boasting that I have been as success

it has ever been my good, or evil, fortune to encounter. It showed me a side of human nature I had n