TRAGEDY IN THE VILLAGE

Evening Star, Issue 22252, 1 February 1936, Page 3

TRAGEDY IN THE VILLAGE

A SERIAL STORY ' BY HILDA NINE INSTALMENT FOUR - THE STORY SO FAR. Mr TURPIN, the Rector of Bodithiel, has been found dead in a gasfilled room. He is paralysed and bedridden. Dr PAUL CALLINGTON, the pathologist, is called in, and two facts stand out very clearly. One is that Mr PETHBRICK, the dissenting parson and bitter enemy of the rector, was the last person to see him alive. The other is that Miss AGATHA WHITE, the deadman’s niece and housekeeper, knew that he intended to cut her out of his will I. Dr Callington appreciated what Dr Godhart had meant in calling the curate “ a supercilious young devil,” as he ■watched him taking the oath; Tall, dark, and handsome, he looked at his surroundings with an expression which fell just short of a sneer. “ You are the Reverend Richard Hanhury Gurney, clerk in holy orders?” asked the coroner. “ Yes.” “ Can you identify the body of the ’deceased?” „ , _ , “Yes; it is that of the Reverend Lionel Turpin, rector of this parish.” “How long had you known him? “I should have known him three years on tho 22nd of next month if his life had been spared.” “ Did you ever hear him threaten to take his life?” . “ Certainly not. He was a priest and (regarded the crime of self-murder with abhorrence,” “I believe he had been confined to his bed all the time you knew him?’ “ Yes; it was in consequence ot ins illness that I came down to this parish to undertake his duties for him. “ During the time you have known him do you think he was at any time capable of leaving the bed and returning to it by his own unaided efforts? “I have never had the least reason to believe so.” . , “ May we take it as your opinion, from what you know of the physical capacity and mental habits of the deceased, that if he was found dead in his room with the gas taps turned on, they must have been turned on by some other hand than his own ?” “ Most certainly.” “Had the deceased, to your knowledge, any enemies?” . “ Only among the enemies or tne church.” , “You never heard anyone threaten his life?” “No, sir.” ' . t . “ I think that is all_ I need to ask you, Mr Gurney,” said the coroner. “ Would any member of the jury like to ask the witness any questions?’ " Mr Ismael Pengelly responded with alacrity. , , • “ Will ’« tell us,” he asked, whether it be true that passon and you gets money from Rome?” Regardless of tho coroner’s previous warning, applause again broke out in a corner of the schoolroom. The witness smiled contemptuously. • “ That,” said the coroner, “is a totally irrelevant and improper question, and I repeat, for the last time, that if there are any. demonstrations by persons who are here as spectators I shall exercise my right to clear the court. Agatha White!” 1 IL The excitement was intense as Miss White, dressed in deep mourning and looking very self-possessed, rose from her seat and stepped forward to take the oath. ... “ Your name is Agatha Bessie White, and you are a spinster, living at the Rectory, Bodithiel?” “ Yes, sir.” “ Yon are a niece of the deceased, the Reverend Lionel Turpin?” “ Yes, sir. His sister was my mother.” “ Do you know how old he was?” “ He would have been 62 years old next November.” “ How long have you been living with him?” “ I came down about three years ago, When he was taken ill.” “ Before then?” “He had » housekeeper from the •village, but after his paralysis it was clear that he would want a lot more attention. 1 am a nurse, and he said he would like me to look after him.” “ Very good. Now there are some questions 1 shall want to ask you about that presently, but first let us know exactly what happened on Tuesday. I have' a plan here of the Rectory. Will you look at it and tell the jury if this accurately represents the house.” The witness examined it. “Yes; that is correct.” “ Now will you show mo where the lived?” The witness pointed to one of the rooms on the plan. “ That is an. upstairs bedroom. Do we take it that he was there all the time, ever since his illness?” “ Yes, sir.” “He never left the room at all?” “ No, sir.” “ Now, I nnderstond that he was paralysed on the left side, and you had to do everything for him?” “Yes, sir.” “ Do you think it is possible that he could leave the bed and return to it without help?” The witness hesitated. I don t know, sir.” “ Do you really mean that.'' “ Yes, sir. I have had the idea once or twice that, if he were shocked and forced to do so, he might move.” “ Have you any solid reason for saying that?” “ I’m afraid not, sir.” “You are a trained nurse? “ Yes, sir.” “But not a doctor?” “ No, sir.” “ Now tell us about the gas in the Rectory.” “There is gas lighting throughout the house, and a gas heating stove in Mr Turpin’s bedroom.” “ When wore they last turned on?” “ Before this affair they had not been turned on for months.” “ Months?” “ Yes, sir. In the summer we are not up late enough to want the gas, and, of course, we don’t need the fire.” “ But you are up after dark?” “ Oh, I beg your pardon, sir. I was speaking of the Rector’s room. I have had the gas on in the sitting room downstairs to read sometimes.” And your bedroom?”

“No; 1 use candles.” “ Now tell us about how you discovered the deceased.” ‘ “ At halt-past 9 last Tuesday, 1 went up to Mr Turpin’s room, taking his usual night-cap.” “ His what?” “ I beg your pardon, sir, I call it his night-cap. He always had an ounce of whisky in half a pint of hot milk at that time.” At the mention of whisky a snigger went round tho nonconformist section of the audience. No more evidence was required among the militant teetotalers of Bodithiel to set the Rector down as a dipsomaniac. “ Well, what happened?” “As I got near the room I smelt gas, so I put the tray down on the top stair and opened the door. I found the room was full of gas. I rushed over to the window and opened it wide. Then I turned off the gas taps, which were all on. I ran downstairs, went out into the street, and called in Mr Millman, who happened to be passing.” “ How many gas taps were on?” _ “ There were two gas lights with incandescent mantles and there were two taps—one a control tap—to the gas fire. It’s a large fire, because the room gets Very cold in the winter.” “ What about Mr Turpin. Did you look at him?” ■■ “ Not then, sir. I wanted to get out of the room until it was emptied. Mr Millman went up with me and looked at the Rector,” . “ You seem to have acted with great presence of mind, Miss White.” “A nurse has to have presence ot mind, sir.” “ When you smelt the gas outide the room was it very strong? “No, sir, nothing like what it was inside.’ It’s a well-made door and there’s not much room for anything to come out.” “Yet you put down the tray on the floor outside, and rushed over to the window, just as though you were quite prepared for what you found. I suppose you were taken completely by surprise?” “Absolutely, sir.” “ Now, let us see if we can get to the bottom of this affair. Who was the last person to go to the room before you made this tragic discovery?” “ The last to go to it, sir, or the last to leave it?”. ~... “ Tell us bo “ “ I was person to go in, sir. I went up at half-past four with some tea and brown bread and butter for Mr Turpin. I put the tray on the floor and knocked at the door, because Mr Turpin and Mr Petherick, from the chapel, were talking in a loud voice.” “ I see. You put the tray on the floor then, too.” “ I always do. sir, because I carry it in two hands and I want one to open the door with.” “ You left Mr Petherick there then?” “ Yes, sir.” “What about the gas taps?” “ I didn’t notice Diem. You wouldn’t in the ordinary way. I didn’t smell anything, though.” “ When did Mr Petherick leave?” “ He came down about twenty minutes later.”

“Did he say anything to you?” “Yes. He said: ‘Good-bye, Miss White. I’ve no feeling against you, and I shall leave the man of* wrath to his Maker,’ or something like that.” “He was angry.” “ Very angry.” “ Would you say that he and the deceased were quarrelling when you went into the room ?” , “ Yes. I offered Mr Petherick a cup of tea, and the Hector said: ‘ You won’t give that man food in my house,’ and Mr Petherick said he wouldn’t feed with sinners.” “ Were those the exact words?” “I’m not sure. I was flustered and I’ve been more flustered since.” “ Do you know' what the quarrel was’ about?” “ Only from the common talk.” “ Well, perhaps there’s no need to trouble you with that. We may take it that Mr Petherick was the last person other than the deceased to be in that room between half-past four and halfpast nine, that he was quarrelling with the deceased, and left in anger?” “Yes, sir.” “Do you think it is possible that anybody else can have gone to the room in that time without your knowledge ?” “No, sir. They would have had to pass my door.” “ Was the gas ever turned off at the main?” “ Never, sir.” “ There is a main, of course?” “Yes; it’s out in the scullery. I didn’t know where it was, and Sergeant Blarney found it was so tight that ho couldn’t turn it.” “Now, it hardly seems to be directly relevant to tiie death of Mr Turpin, but there are a number of other questions I must ask you. You will exercise your own discretion in answering them. You heard my opening remarks to the jury? _ “I will answer any questions, sir. I have nothing to hide.” “ Very good. Now, I believe the deceased had a visitor last Tuesday morning.” “ Yes, sir. Dr Godhart, from Trevarthen, called. He used to see Mr Turpin about once a month.” . “ Did he, too, have an unpleasant interview with the deceased?” “I didn’t hear anything, sir, but the doctor came down looking very annoyed.” “Did he make a statement to you?” ‘‘Yes, sir.” J ‘ Tell the jury, as far as possible in the words actually used, what be said to you.” “He said: ‘ Miss White, I think it’s my duty to tell you that Mr Turpin is behaving very badly towards you. He’s a most ungrateful old man. It’s none ” my business as his medical attendant, but he has asked me to ask Twining to call and see him. He means to after bis will. I said at first he could do his own dirty work, but then it occurred to_me that he’d probably order you to do it, and I can save you that indignity. I know, though, what this means to you, and although he’s your uncle, I think you will be justified if y°u think of your future.’ ” What do you take that to mean? ” I understood that he thought I should return to London and my work.” “ Did this come as a surprise to you? ” The witness hesitated. “ Yes and no. Mr Turpin’s temper had been very uncertain lately and he was tiresome in many ways, but I didn’t think he would go to those lengths.” “Now, I want to put this quite frankly. This would have made a serious difference to you? ” “ Naturally.” “Are you prepared to tell the court the circumstances of your engagement with your uncle? ” “ Certainly. He paid me one hundred pounds a year in addition to a housekeeping allowance. This was considerably less than I was earning at my profession, and, as a matter of fact, in order to take over this work I threw up an appointment with an invalid lady for which I should have received double the amount with my keep. He said, however, that he bad no dependents and did not expect, as he put it, to cumber the earth very long. All he had, he said, would come to me.” “Was this in a letter?”-

“No, .sir; he told me.” “ Then the situation really was that if be altered his will you would be left at his death with no resources beyond what you may have saved from your salary? ” “ That is so.” “ Now, Miss White, I am going to ask you a direct question: Have yon any knowledge of whose hand it was that turned on the gas taps in the deceased’s bedroom?” “ No knowdedge whatever, sir.” “ From which we may take it that it was not your hand? ” “It was not. Until 1 entered the room at half-ipast nine, 1 had no knowledge whatever of the matter.”. “Do you know of anyone except Mr Petherick who might be considered an enemy of the deceased ? ” “ A lot of people disliked him, but I don’t know of anybody in particular.” “ I think,” said the Coroner, “ that is all I want to ask you,. juryman any question to ask?” The foreman consulted with one of his colleagues. “ Do we understand that, as things are, Miss White inherits all her uncle’s money ? ” ■ “ The will has not yet been proved, said Miss White, “ but I understand that is so.” “ I’d like to know,” said Ned Hawke in his habitually aggressive manner, “ whether Miss White ’ave saved anything from ’er salary, or whether ’er be dependent on ’er uncle’s money.” “That is not a proper question, ruled the Coroner. “ I’ve not the least objection to answering it,” said Miss White firmly. “ I think it is generally known that I maintain an invalid cousin. I have a few pounds on deposit in the hank, but for all practical purposes I am deon the money left me by my uncle.” "

“ Thank you,” said the Coroner. “That is very frank.” “ What arrangement was there, asked the foreman, “ for the deceased to call Miss White if ho wanted her? ” “There was a bell on his right hand side,” the witness replied, “on a table. As a matter of fact he had never used it.” “It was within reach of his arm? ” “ Oh, yes.” . . “ Was it as a matter of fact, within reach of him. when you found him dead?” Miss White hesitated for a moment. “ I’m afraid I didn’t notice,” she said. 111. The next witness was George Millman, general labourer, who deposed that he was passing the rectory at about 9.30 on the previous Tuesday when Miss White rushed out of the door and said; “ Come in quick; there s been a terrible accident.” He followed her into the house, where there was a strong smell of gas, which was most pronounced in the upstair bedroom where deceased lay on the bed. In general, ho corroborated the evidence of the last witness. 1 “ How did Miss White’s demeanour impress you when you saw her?” asked the coroner. “ What zackly de ee mam by that?” asked the witness. “ I mean did she give you the impression that she had been taken by surprise, that she was acting as a person would act who had found something she did not expect?” “Sure nuffl ’Ow should ’er look? ’Er ’ad ’ad a surprise, ad’n ’er? Aw! I see. You main ’er might a turned the gas on ’erself an’ was play actin’. Nor, sir, ted’n li-i-ke it.” A titter went round the court and Mr Millman looked pugnaciously at the audience.” “ You c’n laff ” ho began. “ That will do,” said the coroner. “ I don’t think we need trouble you further.” Police-sergeant Blarney deposed that he was called to the rectory by the last witness and found the state of affairs already described in evidence. He examined the gas taps, which seemed to be quite normal, fie did not think they could be turned on by accident, or that it was conceivable that they should all be accidentally turned on at once. He inquired about the gas main, but Miss White appeared to know nothing about it. Ho found it at last in the scullery but it had become stiff, there was no lever, and he was unable to turn it with his hands. He telephoned to Dr Godhart at Trevarthan. . There were no questions for this witness, and, in a tense atmosphere, the coroner announced: “Amos rick.”(To be continued.)