| Show CHAPTER 11 II on the of july the cook coola mn young toung was the first person to come downstairs she called the maids by rapping on their bed room wall as was waa her custom and then knocked it at the door of the room where edward dart lett the footman slept mrs young came down at halt past six she was not in the habit ot of calling the butler as he be vas mas generally very punctual in rising on this particular morning however he be happened to be unusually late after having lighted the kitchen fire mrs young to open the library shutters upon doing so BO she noticed at once the extreme disorder llanesa ot of the room A chair lay broken on the floor and m alth ith it a tablecloth table cloth heaped with ith books aal other articles as if it had bad been dragged suddenly off the writing table upon closer investigation ti she found near the chair a large pool ot of blood and alecea of what looked like human hair horror stricken she bhe searched on more traces of blood were upon the oak boards and the stone flags of the hall outside they seemed to lead across to the drawing room opposite while upon the library door nere mere the tha smeared marks of a man a blood stained d hand band terrified nearly out of her senses mrs A oung had not the courage to let the light into the drawing room but rushing to the foot of the staircase she screamed loudly for help and the then n fainted when she recovered consciousness she be found all the servants running bout about wildly and she learned that her masters body had bad bedim betim found in the drawing room ft with ath the back of ills his skull beaten in and his throat cut luke upon hearing mrs youngs screams had rushed down stairs partially dressed and without hla his hoots boots it was waa he be who first opened the shutters hutters fl in the drawing room find and in doing so had bad broken a pane of glass upon the arrival of the police luke appeared so BO dull and confused contused cont used so unable to give an account of himself and hla his doings at the time he had gone to bed on the previous night that he was waa arrested on suspicion moreover there was blood upon his shirt and trousers and also upon hla his socks lie ile declared afterwards that his socks were stained fro from ill his a h having a v I 1 ng t I 1 odden in the blood when he alist taina came down stairs and aad the other marks roust must have come from the cut in his hand when he broke boke b oke the window in the drawing room ills hla confused cont used state he owned was caused by his bla drinking off a bottle erf cit sherry which he be had purloined tho the night before after the guests had left the din ing inc room tle the cabinets in which the coins had been placed mere ere found bicken open and ransacked and no traces of mr hughes treasures were to be found near the body of the murdered man lay a short new Ze zealander alanders s club with blood upon it thim usually hung la in the hall ball with similar wea eacona ea pona which composed compO Bwl a trophy but the fact which told most moat against luke was a urge large clasp knife which was waa known to have belonged to him burled buried la in the dust heap out in the back baid the stains upon this also bore to the purpose tor for bich it had bad boon been used at the trial william luke plea pleaded dett not guilty but pointed very against him IrAl attard mard bartlett the footman gave evidence which told greatly against the pir prisoner though tho ih the young follow fallow showed a aj i evident vi wish ish to say alt all ho he could in hla his favor under cross examination bartlett had bad to own that he be had several times heard luke cay that it was waa qute time the old beggar hid master wm was kno olied in the copti and that it ha be had ft heap eap of coins like mr all he be would not be long before he ula them and went vent off to australia the day before the murder I 1 luke uke had been much put out by hla his master it a finding fault at the te way vay in which the silver was as koft and he be said mid to bartlett in the pantry that he had had enough of mr hughes nonsense non bense and ht he did not dot intend to put up with it much longer bartlett Birt Mirt lett swore aware that luke was much upset throughout the day on which the dinner party had bad tallen taken place and had beer drinking freely though he be had bad act taken enough to make hla his behavior noticeable the two malda sarah arl anne dodson ddson also gave el evidence dence but there as was nothing particular to he be elicited from them the jury after prolong prolonged d trial brought in a i verd erd et ct of guilty and william luke was condemned to death A week belore the execution was to take place however howeler it was rumored that the police had fresh suspicious suspicions and that there was as reason to believe that luke was not the guilty marx man after all so tar far did these rumors prove correct that lulie lule was reprieved but detained during her pleasure much to the worlds arid a astonishment suspicion seemed to have fallen upon the aoun oung g footman rdward idward bartlett Dart lett and still more were people surprised when it was reported that neither he be nor anne dodson the under house mald was waa to be toun foun I 1 the day after the conclusion of the trial they had left their respective lodgings in lewes and nothing moro was known of them U beeks p posed assed by and still the police were unable to discover the slightest trace tiace of the missing man and woman sarah dodson the elder sister wat was arrested on a charge of complicity but she ehe waa soon eoon set at liberty again its there was waa not the slightest evidence against her she pers sled sied in her original statement that she was in total ignorance of I 1 the he of edward B and tier her sister anne and also dented denied any knowledge of there ever eer having been any more than ordinary ordin arv friendship between the pair lied had there been auy any love making be tween them anne she declared would have been sure enre to confide in her meanwhile the pubic c grew clamorous for the pardon of william bulke as frebo evi evidence deice of his innocence came to light and circumstances which had bad been avei looked during the trial and which pointed most suspiciously towards the guilt of the missing couple mere now brought forward luke was accordingly pardoned and his hie man mans sympathizers raised money enough to purchase tor for him the goodwill ot of a small business in london 0 much ft mas as said and much mas ft as written to the papers about the inefficiency of the police how two people could suddenly disappear without leaving a irace them vica ray mystery astery which caused not only perplexity to the chiefs at Sot laud yard but un eit alness to society in general A reward of one thousand pounds was at last offered foi any information which might lead to tasir anest and a m minute was given or of them and posted up lit in every town and seaport of the kingdom edward bartlett ma aaa de bribed as being nineteen years of age with fair hair good features and gray eyes and five leek feet five inches in height anne dodson was twenty one eat eais a of age of a dark complexion with A ith large hazel eyes dark brown hair and a clearly cut profile her expression ft as described as pleasing and her stature as aa I 1 tall she bhe being flie die feet leaen inches or thereabouts in height but neither the tempting one on thousand poll pounds ads nor the gibes of the press at the of 0 the police brought forward any information regarding the missing couple edward bartlett Dart lett and anne dodson had disappeared as completely as if the earth had opened and swallowed them up to be continued |
