| Show THE KING versus W ARGRA VIE VIEB I B S S. S Copyright 1924 by Alfred A A. Knopf Inc By J. J y J FLETCHER Published January 1924 Se Second ond printing February 1924 Continued from yesterday Did you find anything t to help hep you I I found absolutely nothing There was literally nothing of what one could call a personal nature in inthe inthe inthe the room beyond a few v trinkets of no value a pra prayer er book with the name Gemma on on the flyleaf and anda a rosary of Venetian glass beads There were no letters and there were no no scraps of destroyed letters In fact as I have just said there was nothing I I mean nothing that could give me any clue Did you notice anything In the room which would have given one the impression that the girl had meditated flight Nothing at all The room was quite tidy quite orderly I came to the conclusion that whatever Miss Graffis Graffi's connection with the death of her grandfather was vas or was not she had gone of off in a hurry without without without with with- out making any preparation I accordingly accordingly accordingly ac ac- ac- ac cordingly questioned Mrs 1 Acock and her husband with a view to finding out if the girl was likely to tobe tobe tobe be provided with money I found out from them that It was most unlikely unlikely unlikely un un- un- un likely that she could possibly have more than a few shillings In her possession It appears that Signor Signer Graffi who had lived entirely alone until he brought his granddaughter to live lve with him was a man of very simple tastes and of frugal manner manner manner man man- ner of living Although he presumably presumably presumably ably earned a considerable Income he was very careful though he must have spent largely on books pictures and scientific Instruments It appears that It was his custom to hand to Mrs Acock every Friday evening a certain sum of ot money which she laid out In certain provisIons provisions provisions pro pro- visions for him other provisions he always purchased himself visiting i an Italian warehouse in Soho for forthe forthe I the purpose for he kept up his Italian tastes He was very absent absentminded absentminded absentminded minded in some wa ways s 's and Mrs Acock had more than once to suggest suggest suggest sug sug- gest to him after he brought his granddaughter to London that the girl Kirl needed certain things and that he ought to give her pocket money He invariably bought the things butas butas but butas as regards the pocket money an an- that young young people were better better better bet bet- ter off without money Therefore I concluded that Miss 1 Graffi Graff could not I possibly have had much money on her when she left Mr appears to have I been thinking hard he puts in a question which has already occurred already occurred to at least one man roan amongst the jury Did you see anything did you ou gather anything that would lead you to suppose that Miss Graffi was carried away by force Xo No That I am confident Is absolutely out of the question Might she not have been drugged Well Vell I considered ered that but I quickly dismissed the Idea No I Iam Iam am absolutely certain that she simply sim sim- ply ply left Very well vell What steps did you take V I went back to headquarters It seemed best after consultation to find the girl as quickly as possible and a full description of her dressed as I have Indicated was got ready printed and put into the widest circulation It was In fact specially circulated within a very few hours A special watch was put cm dh at all the the- railway stations we communicated with all the seaports seaports seaports sea sea- ports In fact the news that the girl was wanted was known all allover allover allover over England and a n c considerable part of the continent before evening that day And so far there has not been the slightest result V Not the slightest We have not heard a word of her Up to now she has utterly vanished Have you considered the possibility possibility of her having committed d suicide suicide sui sui- sui- sui cide Yes After hearing what Mr Graye had to tell me about her dislike dislike dis dis- dis like of England and her sullenness and her appeal to him I did think of that It may be that she has All I can say at present is that thae we have had no Information on the point an any more than we have had any information on an any other point respecting her whereabouts V I Investigations are of course proceed proceeding I ng They are proceeding day and night They are being carried outmost outmost out outmost most thoroughly Unfortunately I Signor Signer Graffi Graff appears to have had scarcely any friends amongst his own compatriots In London I have made the closest inquiries and I Ican Ican Ican can find very few people beyond I his Ills English pup pupils lis who knew him Those who did know him knew him only very slightly as little more than a mere acquaintance lie He did am amnot not belong to any club circle or association In fact he seems to have been a sort of hermit That makes matters more difficult You heard Mr Grayes Graye's evidence He told us of a mysterious stranger who visited SIgnor Graffi on the night of the latter's lattes death Did you come to any conclusion about that visit I did I came to the conclusion that the man was furnished with not only a ke key to Mr Grafl's Graffis flat but to the front door of Austerlitz Mansions and that he was probably a frequent visitor after the front door was closed for tor the night Have you tried to find that man 7 We Ve have tried V d and are trying Mr Graye gave me the same description of him which he has just lust given here Unfortunately Mr Grayes Graye's description would apply to hundreds of men In the foreign quarters of London Day before yesterday the day after the murder murder murder mur mur- der and again yesterday I took Mr Graye round several of those quarters quarters ers and into a great many places V clubs clubs restaurants cafes frequented frequented frequented fre fre- by foreigners and es especially especially especially es- es by Italians Italians Italians-In In order to see seef if f be he could find this man but without without without with with- out effect We Ve have heard nothing of him It strike you that If this man mart this mysterious visitor were a friend of Signor Signer Graffis Graffi's he would have lave come forward on hearIng hearing hear- hear Ing ng of his death V The witness hesitates hesitates for for the first time Well he might and he might riot not ot come forward There may be he very ery good personal reasons why he doe not wish it to be known that h he visited 1 Mr Ir Graffi Grafi I I 1 believe there is some inner m mystery In this case which whIch- The witness gets no further because because be be- be cause of a sudden interruption A uniformed policeman has his way in at the door With him comes a laboring man fingering his cap The policeman forces his way further In glancing at the coroners coroner's coroners coroner's coroners coroner's cor cor- oner's officer There is whispering between them the policeman covertly cov coy ertly hands something to the of of- of The officer goes up the st steps ps to the coroners coroner's dais The proceedings proceedings proceedings proceed proceed- ings are in subtle fashion stayed The coroner listens looks beckons to the legal gentlemen to the de detective detective detective de- de to the foreman They group around him to look at something And suddenly a whisper runs round the packed cO The laborIng labor labor- Ing lag man has found something perhaps perhaps per per- h haps ps the something which sent the theold theold theold old Italian to swift death CHAPTER VII The Stiletto and and the Jury Jury Presently from the little group on the dais which breaks up into the Its original units the thing appears The coroner in speaking to one or other about It necessarily holds it up The lights on his desk make play upon It glittering and coruscating on on- its surface The folk at the back of the court so far do not know can cannot cannot cannot not tell telI even by straining their eyes precisely what it is 15 It is a knife kniCe a dagger a poniard a stiletto to Never Kever mind it Is already definitely definitely settled in th their ir minds that It wa was That that did it Fascination creeps over th them m seizes upon them This was Indeed worth coming for To be able to look at even to catch a momentary glimpse of that with which a murder was committed is almost as good as a visit to the Chamber of of Horrors at Madame Tussaud's where every now and then most of these spectators re repair repair repair re- re pair to have new vigor put into their mental constitution which has grown vitiated by diligent reading diligent reading of the Sunday newspapers If only the coroner would allow them to handle That for a moment But the coroner Is addressing his twelve good men and true and In- In cocking his eye at Mr Chrisenbury The last witness or I should say the witness for I presume Mr ChrIsenbury has not yet done with him was interrupted gentlemen by bythe bythe the arrival of a constable who brought In a man who within the thelast thelast thelast last quarter of an hour found an instrument with which It seems probable that the crime we are In Investigating Investigating In- In was committed It has I at any rate been already identified as having a very close connection with the flat Hat at Austerlitz Man Man- I think Mr Chrisenbury we had better have the man who found it put in the witness-box witness and then hear what the caretaker and his Wife have to say about It Mr Chrisenbury assents readily The man who has come in under escort of the constable and who has ever since stood near the witness witness witness wit wit- ness box twiddling his cap In his hands and wondering If there Is going to be as much as the price of a pint out of all this steps steps' up to the place which Mr vacates Name of William Nokes Kokes Resides In Corporation street Harrow Harrow Harrow Har Har- row Road Is a masons mason's laborer Mr 11 Chrisenbury is In possession of the weapon by this time He holds It up Everybody can now get some glimpse of It in the yellow light Those who know anything about such things recognize in Ia It Ita Ita ita a stiletto of a kind which used to be carried a good deal in the south of Italy The blade triangular Is some seven se Inches in length The haft halt Is of a dark material horn or ebony ornamented with silver sliver The folk tolk in the back benches exercising a fervent Imagination declare that they can see blood on both blade and haft V We Ve understand that you have just found this Nokes When Then did you find It Bout half an hour ago sir Where Close by here sir between here and Austerlitz Road Just tell us how you rou came to find It Nol Nokes es who has carried his cap In Into Into into to the witness box with him twists it in his hands as if he meant to wring imagination from it He Is obviously not prepared to make malce wh what t we would call a speech and would infinitely prefer to answer questions but under Influence of a whisper from the coroners coroner's officer who admonishes him to say it straight out he lifts him chin and find plunges boldly into the heart of things thinKs like this here Well Weli bir bir it was me and my mates is doing a bit o 0 0 repairing work at the garden walls of a house at the corner of Austelitz Aus- Aus Road there Cause of having other work to do this morning we was late coming to that Job When we got Into the garden I was shifting shifting shift shift- 1 ing a lot of leaves and stuff what I had gathered and I uncovered that dagger I says to Jim Smith that was working with me Look here Jim I says a nice sort of thing to find I says So he looks at atit atit it it too Av he says I shouldn't wonder if it that's what done the old In what was found murdered murdered mur mur- dered In them very mansions as mur-I mur YOUcan you youcan youcan can See ee there he says He was stabbed he says and they aint found the knife what done It he sa says s 's and Ill I'll lay a pint to nothing that's It he says to be bedone bedone bedone done says I. I You go and look for forthe forthe forthe the nearest copper he says and hand It over to him him he says I believe belleve they're holding of a inquest on that there old this very day he says and It might be what they call important evidence might that dagger he says So I went up to the end of the street sir and found the what's a standing there and told him al all all about it and we come on here That Thatis is all sir Mr V Nokes' Nokes tale is a str straight tale and there is no need to question or question cross-question him about It Mr Chrisenbury is obliged to him the coroner is obliged to him Mr Nokes steps down feeling that this grey workaday world has not yet ret lost losi Its romance His visions of a pint now run into something more sub sub- He begins to think that he may possibly make half a dollar out of this here business especially as he is bidden to wait walt And now as a result of a whispered whispered whispered whis whis- consultation between Mr Chrisenbury the coroner anc and Acock the caretaker a new witness is produced in the shape of the caretakers caretaker's wife It appears that thai 1 Mrs Acock has been In court althe all al the time She has in fact been one of the most interested of the deeply Interested folk on the public bench bench- es It puts her all of a tremble when her name is called but like all al strong-minded strong females of her sor sort she comes bravely forward only re regretting regretting regretting re- re gretting that she Is not waring her Sunday finery and especially a new hat which she bought last Saturday as ever was In Edware Road Possibly Possibly Pos Pos- sibly never again In her life Ilfe will she ever have such a chance of filling the stage as that which now presents presents pre pre- itself and itself and before lawyers and such like too Emma Acock leastways Acock-leastways leastways Emma Madeline Acock as really is Married woman Wife VUe of Mr Acock Acock Mr Charles Acock Lives at Austerlitz Mansions Is in fact housekeeper there Look at this stiletto Mrs Acock Take It In your hands Mrs Acock turns the stiletto In her hands gingerly She looks at It She puts It down on the ledge of the witness-box witness and regards It with horror Ever seen that before Mrs Acock Oh yes sir sir many many a time sir Where On Miss Gemma's dressing table sl si Miss Graffi's Graffis dressing table Yes sir Did it belong to her Yes sir leastways sir leastways she brought it with her when she come from Italy with her poor grandpa Continued tomorrow |
