THE SOLUTIONS OF RADFORD SHONE.

Wairarapa Age, Volume XXX, Issue 9015, 28 December 1907, Page 2

THE SOLUTIONS OF RADFORD SHONE.

BEING NARRATIVES BY OFFICERS OF THE CRIMINAL INVESTIGATION DEPARTMENT, AND OF THE PROVINCIAL POLICE, IN RESPECT OF DEALINGS WITH THE EMINENT EXPERT, MR RADFORD SHONE.

« Communicated to and edited by HfiADON HIUL.

[Published By Special Arbangement.]

[All Eights Eeserved.]

CHAPTER XL—Continued

"The thing happened the night before '.Hst. while tne first-cabin passengers were at dinner," he began, plunging at, once into his statement. "Van Schuyler, who Ims been half killed and robbed of over a million in sterling bond?, is a partner in the Wall Street firm of van Schuyler and Gage, stockbrokers and financiers. Like so many of these wealthy Yanks, he is on his way to Europe on a trip combining business with pleasure, his party consisting of himself and his wife, his secretary, Newman Coyle, and Miss Lucy Gage, his partner's daughter, who is making the voyage in Mrs van Schuyler's care. There also happens to be travelling in tho ship a friend of the van Schuylers, o-e Doctor Skipwith, a New York surgeon, who has been much in their company." Captain Attlee went on to say that there had been nothing to distinguish the demeanour of any of the party from that of the rich Americans of position, except that early in the voyage Miss Lucy Gage had struck up an acquaintance with one of the passengers, a Mr Angus Morrison, a young Scotchman, who was returning, from ranching in Arizona. Thin shipboard acquaintance had shown signs of ripening into' a warmer attachment, and Mr and, Mrs van Schuyler had caused some surprise by seeming to encourage it—rather a strange attitude in people entrusted with the cave of an attractive girl. This was the state of affairs on the ever.ing when there had happened the episode which had thrown' the ship into consternation. Dinner had been announced, and, with two exceptions, all the passengers wera assembled in the first saloon. These two exceptions were Mr van Schuyler and Mr Angus Morrison, the last-named, however, entering rather hurriedly and taking his seat at the table next to Miss Gage half-way through the first course. The soup having been disposed :of, and Mr van Schuyler, usually a most regular ,and appreciative attendant at meals, not having put in an appearance, Mr Coyle had gone to his employer's cabin to see what was wrong.

Something was very wrong indeed. Mr van Schuyler lay across his berth in an unconscious condition, bleeding from a wound in his head, while the wallet in which he kept the bonds lying empty and ripped open'on the floor. A peculiar feature was that the injured man held,' tighfly clutched in his right hand, a single bond for a thousand dollars, the only one saved from the ' unknown plunderer. Newman Coyle had at once raised the alarm, and at the request of Mrs van Schuyler, Doctor Skipwith had taken charge of the patient. £ "But has the ship' 3 doctor also seen him?" I asked.

"No," replied Captain Attlee, with a queer smile. "Coyle and Mrs van Schuyler insisted that Skipworth, as an old friend, would be preferable to a stranger. .They wish to run the show entirely, it seems. They couldn't prevent me sending a wireless to the Company asking for police aid, but they used the same method for summoning Shone on their own hook. I didn't like it, but what was Ito do?"

"Humph! Grin and bear it, like me," I replied. "Is Mr van. Schuyler still uncunscious."

"Unfortunately, yes," said Captain Attlee. "Of course, if he regains his senses before the passengers leave the ship at Liverpool thfcre should be an end of the mystery, and all you will have' to do will be to arrest the man he indicates as the robber. Bat Skipwith declares that, if he recovers at all, he may remain in a state if coma for a fortnight." "What is your view, captain?" I asked abruptly. The old sea-dog frowned thoughtfully. " Well, I'm no detective," he said at length, "but it looks to me as if one of his own crowd was in it. Private doctor, private inquiry agent —everything under their own thumb—it seems a bit fishy to me." "The passengers are sure to be talking. What is the gossip of the ship.?" I demanded. "Same view as mine, only they've narrowed it down a bit to Angus Morrison, the young fellow who has been sparking the girl," the captain answered. "I don't go so far as that myself. Morrison was late at the dinner-table, it is true, but he doesn't strike me as a bad sort." "How does he explain his being late," said I. i "He hasn't been asked to," the captain replied. "Rather a delicate question to "put to him, almost an accusation, and one which will come better from you than anyone else, Mr Kellaway. And now let's go to the saloon and get some breakfast. It will give you a chance to take stock of the parties." The great dome-roofed, white-and-goltl first saloon of the Escholtsia was ui the promenade deck; and when ue captain and I entered the passengers had taken their seats at the bounteous table. 1 slipped into a chair at my conductor's side without attracting any attention, for the simple reason that Mr Radford Shone had already aucceeded in drawing all eyes and ears on himself as the detective chaiytd with the elucidation of the'bond-rubbery. I think that very few people had grasped the fact that t'uere were; two Richmonds in the field, and that by most he was credited with having the conduct of the official inquiry. Shone was sitting between Newman Coyle and Martin, keeping up a whispered conversation in the intervals cf staring, in what struck me as a highly offensive manner, at a goodlooking, weather-beaten young man opposite, who was chatting uncon-

cernedly with a very pretty girl at his sidD. Next to the girl on the other hide sat an overdressed languid woman of forty, who was evidently trying to achieve the feat of listening to two conversations at once. The strained look with which she followed the motions of Shone's lips was blended with occasional sidelong glances at the young couple next her. "That's the lot," Captain Attlee growled in my ear; "all except Skipwith, the doctor, who's on duty in the sick man's cabin. You've seen Coyle, the sharp-looking customer talking to Shone. The young man opposite to him is Angus Morrison, and the girl next him is Miss Gage. The older lady beyond her is Mrs van Schuyler—rather an elaborate show of dry-goods and diamonds for nine o'clock in the morning, isn't she?" But for the moment my interest had been transferred from the financier's wife to Shone, who was bending across the table with- the evident intention of catching Angus Morrison's eye. The steamer was still motionless in the harbour, so that there was no sound to prevent the high-pitched tones of the eminent expert from reaching me. "I beg your pardon, sir," he said, "but may I trouble you to hand me that fruit-knife in front of you." Morrison, . hardly appearing to notice the speaker, and without discontinuing his conversation with Miss Gage, grasped the knife by the ivory handle, and with the blade held towards himself, as required by good rnanners, passed it over to Shone, who on receiving it glanced from Coyle to Martin with a self-satisfied smirk which it was hard to understand after such a trivial action. His next proceeding was even more remarkable. Preservine- an inscrutable air, so obviously self-con3cious as not to deceive me at any rate; he rose from his seat and stalked out of the saloon, closely followed -by Coyle and Martin, and gingerly carrying the fruit knife in his hand. Glancing from this extraordinary procession to the party on the other side of the table, I saw that Mrs van Schuyler had leaned back in her chair as though relieved by Shone's achievement; and that the two young people were still • absorbed in each other.

Ruminating on what I had seen, I finished my breakfast, as quickly as possible, and Captain Attlee, noting ] my preoccupation, was good enough j not to disturb my reflections. We | both, however,* rose at the same time, and the captain was therefore at my elbow when on passing out into the vestibule we were met by Shone and the other two who had made such an abrupt departure from the saloon. Newman Coyle's thin, clean-shaven lips were curled in a triumphant smile as he addressed me. "Come into the smoking-room a minufe —you, too, captain, of course," he said. "I rather guess I've justified myself in sending for Mr Radford Shone. He's a wizard, no less." ' "You mean that he has cleared up the mystery?" I hazarded, as I, followed into the , smoking-room, which at that early hour was unoccupied. "That's about the size of it," the secretary responded, as we all gathered round one of the marble-topped tables, upon which Shone, with the air of an officiating high-priest, was, placing the fruit knife and a United States Treasury bond for a thousand dollars. Having arranged them to his liking, the expert drew a lens from his pocket and handed it to me. "I am about to apply the Bertillon finger-mark test to these articles," said Shone pompously. "I have already satisfied myself, but I must convince you, Inspector, before you can make the arrest. Just look at this spot on the bond, if you please. You will quite plainly see the faint impression of a thumb." "Quite correct," I assented, after careful scrutiny of the paper. - (To be continued.)