THE STILLWATER TRAGEDY.

Auckland Star, Volume XXII, Issue 305, 24 December 1891, Page 6

THE STILLWATER TRAGEDY.

By Thomas Bailey Aldrich. Author of " The Queen of Sheba," "Marjorie Dair," "Prudonca Palfrey," etc.

VOL. II

CHAPTER XXVII,

Mr Taggett, in spite of the excellenb subjection under which he held his nerves, caught his breath at thoae words and a transient pallor overspread his face as ho followed the pointing of Richard's finger. If William Durgin had testified falsely on that point, if he had swerved a hair'sbreadth from the truth in thab matter, then there was bub one conclusion ho be drawn from his perjury. A flash of lightning is not swifter than was Mr Tagaetb's thought in grasping the situation. In an instanb he saw all his carefully-articulnted case fall to pieces on his hands. Richard crossed the narrow room, and stood in front of him.

' Mr Tagjjetb, do you know why William Imrt/in lied'? He lied because it was life or death with him ! In a moment of confusion he had committed, one of those simple, fatal blunders which men in hia circumstances always commit. He had obliterated the spots on his clothes with red painfc, when he ought to have used blue !' ' That is.a very grave supposition.' * It is not) a supposition,'cried Richard. • Tho daylight i≤ nob a plainer fact.' • You are assuming too much, Mr Shackford .

' I am assuming nothing. Durgin has convicted himself ; he has fallen into a trap of hi 3 own devising. I charge him with bhe murder of Lemuel Shackford ; I charge- him wibh taking the chisel and the matches from my workshop, to which he had free access, and I charge him with replacing those articles in order to divert suspicion upon me. My unfortunate relation? with my cousin gave colour to this suspicion. The plan was an odroib plan, and has succeeded, it seem?. .

MrTaggetitdid nob reply ab once, and then very coldly : ' You will pardon me for suggesting ib, bub ib will be necessary to ascertain if th' 3is the cask which Durgin hooped, and also if the head has not been repainted since.'

-' I understand what your doubl; implies. It is your duty to assure yoursolf of these facts, and nothing car: be easier. The person who packed the meat—ib was probably a provision dealer named Stubbs— will of course be able to recognise his own work. The other question you can settle with, a scratch of your penknife. You see. There has besn only one thin coat of paint laid on—the grain of the wood is nearly distinguishable through ib. The head is evidently new ; but the cask itself is an old ono. It has stood here these ten years.' Mr Taggett bent a penetrating look on Hichni'd. ' Why did you refuse to answer tho aubpeena, Mr Shackford?' ' But ]. ha%'on'6 refused. I was on my way to J us! ice Beomis , when you knocked. Perhaps I am a trifle late,' added Richard, catching Mr Taggett's distrustful glance. ' The summons said two o'clock,' remarked Mr Taggett, pressing the spring of his watch. 'It is not after three.' ' Alter three !' ' Ho w could you neglect ib—with evidence of such presumable importance in your hands ?' ' It; was only a moment ago that I discovered this. I had come here from Mr Perkins' office. Mr Perkins had informed me of the horrible chargo which was to bo laid iib ray door. Tho intelligence fell upon roe like a thunder-clap. I think ib unsettled my reason for a while. I was unable to put two ideas together. Ab first he didn't believe I had killed my couein, and presently he seemed to believe it. When I got out in tho street the eidowalk lurched under my feet liko tho dock of a phip ; everything swam before me. I don't know how 1 managed to reach this house, and I don't know how long I had been sitting in a room upstairs when the recollection of the .snbpcena occurred to me. I was standing here dazed with despair ; I saw that I was somehow caught in the toiU, and that it was going bo bo impossible to prove my innocence. If another man had been in my position, I should havo believed him guilty. I fetood looking ab the cask in the corner there, scarcely conscious of ib; then I noticed the blue paint on the head, and then William Durgin'a 'testimony flashed ncrosn ray mind. Where is he ?' cried Richard, turning swiftly. 'That man should be arrested !'

'lam afraid he i 3 gone,' said Mr Taggebb, biting his lip. ' Do you mean he has fled ?' * If you are correcb —he has fled. Hβ failed to answer the summons to-day, and tho constable sent to look him up has been unable to find him. Durgin was in the barroom of the tavern ab eight o'clock last night; ho has nob been ceen since. , * Hβ was not in the yard this morning. You have let him slip through your fiiigei-s !' ' So it; appears, for the moment. ' You still doubb mo, Mr Taggebt?' 'I don't let persons slip through my lingers !' , Richard curbed an impationfc rejoinder and said quietly, ' William Durgin had an accomplice.' Mr TasArorfc flushed, as if Richard had read his secret thought. Dnrgin's Bight, if he rftftily had fled,'iifv.l a fresh possibility to Mr Taggett. What if Durgin were "merely bhe pliant instrument of the cleverer man who ivaa now using him as ft shield ? This reflection was precisely I in Mr Taggett's line. I" absconding Durpin had no"; only secured his own personal safety, bub had exonerated his accomplice. Ib was ;\ desperate-step to take, but it was a skilful ono. ~-,.„ 'He had an accomplice? repeated Mr Taygott, after a moment. ' Who was it? 7 " ' Torrini !' 'Tho man who was hurt bhe obher day ! ' Ye?.' * You have grounds for your assertion ?' ' lie and Durain wera intimate, and have been mufih together hifcoiy. I sab up with Torrisii flic night before last ; he acted and talker! very strangely ; the man was oub ot his he.'ifl"ji.irt of the time, bub now, as 1 think if over, I am cmu-inced that ho Had this matter on his mind, and was hinting ab ifc. I believe ho would have made dis- j closure:-if I had urged him a little. Bej wit< cvMe-ntly in ymife dread of a visit from some person, and that person was Durgin. Torrini ouphb bo bo questioned without de'v.': ho i» very low, and may die at any moment. Ho ia lying in a house ab the further end of the town. If it. is nob imper.aiva r.fjut I should report myself to thi.xfcioo Boomi?, we had better go there at once.' Mr Tuggetb, who hnrl been standing with hi- , beu'l half bowed, lifted it quickly as he Mi the question, ' Why did you withhold Lctnuol K-hacki'ord's letter?' ' It -.'/a?? novor in my ]io«. ; <e:!i?ion, Mr Tag , ..'-;!-!,' unuj Ui.-hnrd, .sbiirtinlf. 'That paix): , ;- ; -om-'t.hi'i;; 1 onniiot explain nt prosenr. J c-.i;, ij.w-.ily bulieve in its existence, thois;/!) Mr Pei-kitiii duciarcs that he has had it in his hands, and it would bo impossible

for him to make a mistake in my cou3in'a writing.' ' The i.' • ■ was found in your lodgings. , 'So I ■ .old. I don't understand it.' 'Tin:' olatation will not satisfy the proseci; . . ; attorney. , •I have only one theory about it, , said Richard slowly. ' What is that ?' • I prefer nob to state it now. I wish to stop ab my boarding-house on the way to Torrini's ; ib will nob be oub of our course.' Mr Taggett gave silent acquiescence to this. Richard opened the scullery door, and the two passed into the court. Neither spoke until they reached Lime Street. Mr 3 bpooner herself answered Richard's ring, for he had purposely dispensed with the use of hia paS3-key. ' I wanted to see you a moment, Mrs fapooner, , said Richard, making no motion to enter the hall. 'Thanks, we will nob come in. I merely desire to ask you a question. Were you at home all day on that Monday immediately preceding my cousin's death ?' " ' No, ! replied Mrs Spooner wonderinMy, with her hand still resting on tho knob. ' I wasn't ab home ab all. I spent the day and part of the nicrht with mv daughter Maria Ann ab South Millville" Ib was a boy,' added Mrs Spooner, quite irrelevantly, smoothing her amp2e apron wibh the disengaged hand. ' Then Janet was at home,' said Richard. ' Call Janet.' A trim, intelligent-looking "Nova Scotia girl was summoned from the basement kitchen. ' Janet,' said Richard, ' do you remember the day, about three weeks ago, that Mrs Spooner was absent at South Millville?' _ 'Yes,' replie-l the girl, without hesitation. 'It was the day before ' and then she stopped. 'Exactly; ib was the day before my cousin was killed. Now I want you to recollect whether any letter or note or written message of any description was left for me at fchie house on thab day.' Janet reflected. 'I think there wa3, Mr Richard—a bit of paper like. , Mr Tagsrett riveted hie eyes on the girl. 'Who brought thab paper?' demanded Richard. 'It wa3 one of the Murphy boys, I think.' ' Did you hand it to me ?' ' No, Mr Richard, you had gone out, Ib was just after breakfast.' ' You gave it to mo when I came home to dinner, then ?' 'No,' returned Janet, becoming confuted, with a dim perception that something had gone wrong, and she was committing herself. 'I remember, I didn't come home. I dined ab the Slocuir.s'. What did you do with that paper ?' 'I put ib on the table in your room upstairs.' Mr Taggetb's eyes gleamed a little at this. ' And that is all you can say about ib ?' inquired Richard, with a fallen countenance. •Janet reflected. She reflected a long while this time. ' No, Mr Richard ;an hour or so afterwards, when I went up to do the chamber-work, I saw that tho wind had blown the paper ofl' the table. I picked up the note and put it back, but the wind blew ib oil again. , ' What then V 'Then I shut up the note in one of the big books, meaning to tell you of it, and— and I forgot it. O, Mr Richard, have I done something dreadful ?' 'Dreadful!' cried Richard. ' Janet, I could lni;,' you !' i ' 0, Mr Richard,' said Janefc, with a \ little coquettish movement natural to } every feminine thing, bird, flower, or I human being, ' you've always such a pleas- ' ant way with you. , > Then there was a moment of dead silence. Mrs Spooner saw thab the matter, whatever it was, was settled. 'You needn't wait, Janet,' she said, with a severe, mystified air. ' We are greatly obliged to you, Mrs Spooner, not to mention Janet/ said Richard ; ' and if Mr Taggett has no questions to ask we will nob detain you.' Mrs Spooner turned her small, amiable orbs on Richard's companion. That silent little man Mr Taggebb ! ' He doesn't look like much,' was the landlady's unuttered reflection : and indeed ho did nob present a spirited appearance. Nevertheless Mrs Spooner followed him down the street wibh her curious gaze until he and Richard passed out of sight. Neither" Richard nor Mr Taggetb was disposed to converse as they wended their way to Mitchell's Alley. Richard's ire was slowly kindling ab che shameful light in which he had Doon placed by Mr Taggett, and Mr Taggett was striving with only martial success to reconcile himself bo bhe icloaof youngShackford's innocence. Young Shackford's innocence was a very awkward thing for Mr Taggebb, for he had irretrievably" committed himaelf ab head-quarters. Wibh Richard's latent ire was mingled a feeling of profound gratitude. ' The Lord was on my side,' he said presently. 'Kβ was on your side, as.you remark ; and when the Lord is on a man's side a detective necessarily comes oub second be.^b.' 'Really, Mr Taggebt,' said Richard, smiling, ' thab is a handsome admission on your parb.' 'I mean, sir,' replied the other slightly nettled, ' thab ib sometimes seeing as il the Lord Himself took charge of a case.' ' Certainly you are entitled to the credit of going to the bottom of this one.' ' I havo skilfully and laborioussly damfigod my reputation, Mr Shackford.' Mr Tagjjotb said this with so heavy an ] air thab Richard felb astir of sympathy in i his bosom. _ ! 'I am very sorry,' ho 3aid good-naturedly. ' No, I beg of you !' exclaimed Mr Taggo tt. ' Any expression of friendliness from you would rinish me ! For nearly ten days I have looked upon you as a most cruel and consummate villain.' 'I know,' said Richai'd. 'Ib musb be quibo a disappointment to you in a small way.' '» Mr Taggetb laughed in spite of himself. ' I hope I don'b take a morbid view of ib,' I he. t>;.\c). A few steps further on he relaxed his Raib. 'We have taken the Hennessey girl into custodj*. Do you imagine she was concerned?' ' Have you questioned her ':' 'Yes ; she denies everything, except bhab she told Durgin you had quarrelled with the old gentleman.' 'I think Mary Hennessey an honeet girl. She's little more than a child. I doubt if she knew anything whatever. Durgin was much too shrewd to trust her, I fancy.' As the speakers struck into rhe principal street, through the lower and busier end of which they 'were obliged to pass, Mr Taguebb caused a sensation. The drivers of carts and the pedestrians on both sidewalks stopped and looked at him. The part he had played in Slocum's Yard was now an open secret, and had produced an excitement that was not conlined to the ■■ clii'-nide of Snelling's bar-room. Ib was known that William Durgin had disappeared, and that t;ho constables were search- ■ i ing for him. The air was thick with flying conjectures, but noriG of them precisely hib : the mark. One rumour there was which seemed almost like a piece of poetical i -; u? tico a whisper bo the ell'eet that Rowland • Slocum was suspected of being in some way mixed up with bhe murder. The fact, thab i Lawyer Perkins, with his green bag screaming in bhe wind, so to speak, had been seen i darting into Mr Slocum's private residence i afc two"o'clock thab afbernoon was sufficient • J to srive birth to the horrible legend. ■! ' Mitchell's Alley,' said Mr Taggett, • ' thrusting hia arm through Richard's, and , i hurrying , on to escape the Stillwater gaze. I 1 ' You went there directly from the station 3 i the night you got home.'

• How did you know that?' s I was cold by a fellow-traveller of yours, —and a friend of mine.' 'By Jove! Did ib erer strike you, Mr Taggebt, that there is such a thing as being too clever ?' ' It has occurred to me recently.' • Here is the house.' Two sallow-skinned children, with wide, wistful black eyes, who W6re sitting on the stone steps, shyly crowded themselves together against the door jamb to make passage-way for Richard and Mr Tagsetfc. Then the two pairs of eyes veered round inquiringly, and followed the strangers up the broken staircase and saw one of them knock ab the door which faced the landing. Richard's hasty tap bringing no response, he lifted the latch without further ceremony and stepped into bhe chamber, Mr Taggett a pace or two behind him. The figure of Father O'Meara slowly risinsr from a kneeling posture at bhe bedside was the first object that met their eyea ; the second was Torrini's planid face, turning a little on the pillow; the third was Brigida sitting at the foot of bho bed, motionless, with her arms wrapped in her apron. 'He is dead, , said the prio.sb softly, advancing a step towards Richard. ' You are too late. He wanted to see you, Mr Shackford, but you were not to be found. , Richard sent a swifb glance ovor the priest's ehoulder. 'Ho wanted to toll me what part he had played in my cousin's murder V said Richard. ' God forbid ! the wretched man had many a sin on his soul, but not that.' • Not that!' 'No ; he had no hand in it—no more than you or I. His fault was that he concealed his knowledge of the deed after it was done. Ho did nob oven suspect who committed the crime until two days afterwards, when William Durgin ' Richard's eyes lighted up as they encountered Mr Taggett's. The priesb mistook bhe significance of the glances. ' No," said Father O'Meara, indicating Brigida with a quick motion of his hand, ' the poor soul does not understand a word. But even if she did, I should have to speak of these matters here and now, while they are fresh in my mind. I am obeying the solemn injunctions of the dead. Two days after the murder William Durgin came to Torrini and confessed the deed, offering to share wibh him a largo sum in gold and notes if he would hide the money temporarily. Torrini agreed to do so. Later Durgin confided to him his plan of turning suspicion upon you, Mr Shackford ; indeed, of directly charging you with the murder, if tho wor3b came to the worst. Torrini agreed to thia also, because of some real or fancied injury ab your hands. Ib seems that the implement which Durgin had employed in forcing the scullery door—tho irnplomenb which he afterwards used so mercilessly—had been stolen from your workshop. The next morning Durgin pub bhe tool back in its place, not knowing what other disposition to make of it, and it was then thab bhe idea of shouldering the crime upon you enbered his wicked hearb. According to Torrini, Durgin did nob intend to harm the old gentleman, bub simply to rob him. The unfortunate man was awakened by the noise Durgiu made in breaking open the safe, and rushed in to his doom. Having then no fear of interruption, Durgin leisurely ransacked the house. How ho came across the will and destroyed ib, with the idea that lie was putting the estate out of your possession —this aisd other details I shall give you by-and-by.' (To be Continued.)