SEVEN MEN'S SINS

Auckland Star, Volume LXVI, Issue 159, 8 July 1935, Page 15

SEVEN MEN'S SINS

By Stuart Martin.

("The O. Henry of Crime").

SYNOPSIS OF PREVIOUS EPISODES. To-morrow a m.in Is to be banged in Dartpark prison. "He's the sixth whom I have oxecutfid, the sixth whom you have administered to," the new hangman tells the new chaplain. An odd, meditative fellow, this hangman, lie reconstructs the stories of the six men —and of the notorious- 810-oilptono, a diamond. The chaplain's fiancee, daughler of the Homo Secretary, is another listener. The Bloodstone was stolen. A Scotland Yard man in change of the case disappeared, his health 'broken. A certain TREVOR was suspected. Two men seeking the gem were hanged for murder. MACHIX killed the wrong Trevor —a Hangman Trevor (". . . whose job I got, explains the chaplain's visitor), and MATT DENT paid the penalty after an unidentiliable body was found in the sea. BEMBRIDGE, wily "fence," was believed to have the stone. He was shot dead by a young policeman, husband of Bombridge's mistress. The stoue Was still missing. Next victim was the woman herself. Her wounded body was found in the Thames. She.had hired a punt, and evidence implicated FREDERICK COPPEN, a local "rake." GEORGE TOKK, a. farmer's son, told of seeing an apparently empty punt. The local inspector said Tork was reluetanl to speak* because of CU'tain trouble he had had. A priest, taking part in the inquiries, suggested that lie might be of use. EPISODE SEVEN. "Oh, it Js not quite a family quarrel," said the inspector. "The fact is, George has been in prison. He explained it all to me, and we about here, knowing his family, you see—well, it was this way. "George spent some years in London in business, but he got entangled in some crooked business, and, not knowing the law, he was sent to prison in connection with it. He's a watchmaker and jeweller by trade. "A country lad may be caught that way, but he had no defence. Anyway, his* business went bust, of course, and he came back here after his sentence. Knowing him, we have not made any difference with him. He is of use to us, for if ever there was a caeo of heredity it is George Tork and his father." "What do you mean?" '■I'm not referring to his trade or his misfortune to be in prieon," laughed the inspector. "IDs father was a great cricketer in his day, and George is the best bowler we have locally." "That will do," interrupted the detective somewhat sharply. "I" think I'll see this man Coppen and then go over the ground." They found Frederick Coppen awaiting them at the police station. He was a man of perhaps thirty years of age, but lie had the .appearance of an older man, for his reckless life had left its marks upon him. He had the featured of a rake, the excessively fashionable clothes of one whose worldly knowledge was beyond his years. His statement was short, but vague. He had known the dead woman, having met her in town some weeks previously at a smart club. He never knew her name, but she told him she was a widow, and she had come up the river with him on more than one occasion. He had an appointment with her on the fatal day. She had told him that she was hard pressed financially and wanted to sell some of her jewellery, and lie, knowing George Tork was in that trade, had mentioned the matter to him, asking him if he would value the goods. "After you got the jewellery from her what did you do?" asked the detective. "That's just the point. I never got anything from her. I never met hotthat day. I had been on the spree the night before and had some of the hair of"the dog that bit me next morning. I was a bit fuddled, I was late getting out my lugsail, and she wasn't at the rendezvous on the bank by the boathouse. "Why did she take out a punt lf.sne was to meet you in your lugsail?" "She liked punting. I have more than once towed the punt up to the lock higher up the river. Then we'd go through the lock on the punt. The lugsail wouldn't go over the runnens of the lock, so I'd moor it there, and we'd punt farther up. On this day I sailed up, but she wasn't at the lock. I turned back after nearly wrecking my boat against the bridge. The rest is very hazy." The clergyman took Coppen's hand between his and spoke in a low tone on the evils of insobriety. But he suddenly broke off and pointed to Coppen's right palm. Extending from the thumb to the top of the forefinger was a long cut, just healing. The detective looked at the mark. „ , . "Can you explain that cut?" he demanded. "No," answered Coppen, shaking Ins head dismally. "Or the blood on your cap? "Aw, I don't remember. I wasn t sober." The detective turned away grimly. "Let's go over the ground," he muttered. They went out, leaving Coppen staring in front of him, his face very white. The narrow backwater in which the body was found was one of the several inlets off the main stream, overgrown by willows. The local inspector indicated the spot. "The bank on this side is public property; that on the other, belongs to Farmer Tork. There is the notice board.' . Across the inlet several fallen trees formed a rough path. The detective stood with his companions for a moment, contemplating the gravel bank, then he picked his way over the fallen trees. The othere followed. He kept to the river's edge until he came within view of the historic bridge that arose like a gigantic hump across the Thames. Its arches were much higher than they were wide, dark underneath, and tho stonework above was frayed with age. "It was when he was trying to negotiate these arches that Coppen nearly came to disaster," explained the inspector. "His boat swung towards the tank, and he had great difficulty in getting it off again." The detective descended the rather steep bank until he was near the water and slowly made his way along, keeping his eye on the ground. The clergyman followed him. The priest had plucked something from the ground. He looked up the bank, smilingly. "Merely a reed, inspector, and a bruised one. Let us obey the Biblical injunction and not break it." "It was there we found the bloodstained cap," said the inspector. The-detective glanced at the reed and the triangle of straws which the clergyman carried." No one spoke, and they walked towards the historic bridge, coining gradually to the top of the bank,

On both sides of the Thames flat meadows lay like patches of dull gold. The harvesting had ended. The Tork farm was half a mile to the right. The .stubble fields stretched to right and left on both sides, and were cut off from the road that crossed the bridge by hedges of hawthorn. The detective and the clergyman led the way through a gap in the hedge and reached the roadway. The party turned towards the old bridge, the * detective leading. He explained that he wanted to observe the banks' from an elevation, but when the clergyman reached the centre of the high bridge he stopped, leaning with folded arms on the rough stone parapet, and gazed down at the slow-moving stream as if lost in meditation. A tug towing a line of barges laden with timber was puffing up against the current. "I think," said the inspector, approaching the detective, "there is nothing else we need examine here, sir." Th detective hatl been looking towards the banks. He merely nodded, and was about to turn , back when the clergyman raised his voice. There was a rebuke in tho words; but tho priest banged his fist on the stone parapet. "That's just the point," ho cried. "Wo mi«*s important items in many crimes because we don't look at the scenery around the crimes. Murders are dark and disturbing affairs, and murderers know that if they are disturbing enough they will kick up a cloud that will obliterate their trails, just as that tug is making an unholy obliteration of tho placidity of this river. I'm going to stick - hero until I get the solution of this crime!" The detective was looking keenly at the other. The priest did not move, and as the othere turned away from him his voice rang out again. "I may be dense, but I'm a born fool if you ever hold Frederick Coppen for murder in this instance." He was gazing along the flat roadway. The hum of a motor vehicle could be heard, and presently a large red bus was seen coming round a corner towards them. At the same time a horse-drawn cart laden with hay appeared out of a field on the opposite side of the bridge. The inspector saw the cart first. "If you want a word with George Tork, sir," ho said to' the detective, "you have the chance now. Ho is carting hay again." The bus, however, would reach the bridge long before the cart, and the clergyman began to walk towards it, signalling for it to stop. The others saw him board it, but he did not go inside. Ho remained on the platform talking to the conductor. No one took nny notice of the priest just then, for George Tork was coining towards tho bridge with hie cart of hay. lie stopped as the inspector and the detective approached him, throwing his reins on his horse's neck. Tho detective asked him a few questions about the punt, which Tork answered as ho had already informed the inspector. Tho clergy man turned and walked to the parapet. "If you all come over here," ho said, "I will show you why I don't think Coppen can be held for the murder." They crowded round while he laid the two straws he had been carrying on the flat coping of the bridge. He tilted one straw upward, and gave it a gentle shake as if emptying , something from its hollow interior. Out of the tube of straw fell a tiny insect that wriggled on its back weakly, then began to crawl painfully along the stone. "An ant!" crictl the inspector. "Yes, an ant/ , agreed the clergyman. "And just as. a mouse saved the life of a snint, ko this ant has saved the life of Frederick Coppen. Listen to me, all of you. You three gentlemen saw me take this straw from the strap of the dead woman's shoe. The straw had been in the water with the body, and the nut had been inside the straw. "Now, it is a scientific fact that an ant cannot live in water more than seventy hours. Therefore, this ant had not been for that period imprisoned in tho straw in the water. And, therefore, tho woman had not been in the water seventy hours. 80 it follows that she was not thrown into the river four days ago by Coppen. She was thrown there at a later time." No one uttered a word. "Further, I have indisputable proof that the woman was alive after Coppen returned from the river. I have it here." (To be continued.)