The Pomfret Mystery

Waihi Daily Telegraph, Volume V, Issue 1490, 24 November 1905, Page 4

The Pomfret Mystery

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Bs* ) s£v v r „ ONI KORHIITIIR hjr>-\. * ' Woobsidb, April 4th, 18— Oliver Lonng, Esq, eto: "* $ Dear 1 Lonng :-To continue where I Ueffoffi We vmt to the Sheriff's to dmrather expeoted to be bored bat Ifottaofktely wm not. Hearing fhe/eports [ of the messengers took us all the afternoon, iMtthftl it was not until four o'clock (bat i'Pnee sod myself found ourselves seated tin the boggy whirling away towards home. s-I did 'not Jake the direct roaabut went "ironnd'through the woods, by way of 'Hereiville, and I think Price «njoyed (bo Idrjve.' Pnoe took much pleasure after£.werde*in seeing the cons milked, and made friends with all the horses and dogs After tea we were sitting by ourselves |in the piazza smokine, when 1 asked him jtt he hid formed any theory as to the fwbberj. slowly removing the feigar from his lips." there are some things 1 about it which Ido not understand. To 'oj mind it Is clear that the robbery had ]faeen planned long before and was done by or three old hands. I know of two "men 1 only who could have accomplished .. the matter so neatly." Bui on*- thing I am sjeij row about) there was collusion with * someone in the bank." fc/ Who was it, do you think ?" s'" That I don't know. There can be no "Joubt ..that the cashier was fast asleep the night; the doctor's evidence verv conclusively. The ißqnire nys he was alio aslerp—we have word for it, but then it was not iihVbquire My whole experience is at jfauVu Squire Lethe by word or deed helped the matter on. Annt .jMariha 11 out of.the quesuoc. The only 1-'iwo!pereons who have not satisfaotonly '"aoepnnted for their whereabouts are Mrs. fvWnee and her husband She is ill too ill, "if eourae, to be seen. And her husband is Now give me a description of Mr msl am not a-good man to fo that," I |inifered, "forl confess to a very great ijWejndioe against him," *'» Well, I'll discount that," said Price: hj' go on and tell me about his personal apIpjarance and personal characteristics," irAV'ltove already deeonbed/ Vance to dear Lonng, I need not repeat {Lsaid to Price, but I will only say fthat he heard me very patiently and was ,for some time after 1 had finished. i)Sot wishing to disturb him I lighted my ifreih—it had gone out while I was •{talking, The burning matoh made a little of light about us, and happening to at him 1 saw that hii face wore an unusual look. I had but glance, twhen'tbo match |wentfbat, but the look was suoh ob i» hunter might have tracking his game. |&e* would never have allowed his faoe to hii"thoughts if he had not twrinted on the darkness as a mask Still £from w,bat I saw I felt confident that he f had some one in hii mind as the robber Vp At last he epoke, "J wish I "knew his and weight." I can give yon those," I answered," or 4'to speak more eorreotly his height and f weight three years ago. You see the Fall giitejr he first came here there was the ftuiualand customary fair There were $ lot* of ns at the Fair-grounds, discussing lithe weight of some cattle and lomething %\ wm then said about the difficulty of guesßs right weight of men. We there lytWmade bets as to the weights of various of the party—Vance amongst % the number-end went to the scales where weighed lam quite confident 3'hatl put the weights down in a memorgudnm.book, which I think I can find" yon mind .going to look?" tasked Price,- v > see here, Price," I said, I 'it 11 ievidenMha'tyou suppose that Vance is in way ; connected with the robbery. |No% I might w well tell you thatl was apnee in love with'his wife ind not for th*t /inatter.'haieher now. Ho once for all 1 |tellyo r u,nowthat I shall not knowingly IgfvVyotf any information which miy |Mhd to injure her or her husbvid, I iear ilhaVe'already uid too much, and that it 4fou)dhaye t been better to have let you sgei your fnformation elsewhere." \ jVPnee wai silent a little wi i'o and then ihelpokV', \ %h "J Inppose that you might fall like pdvVtor Ethel Leilie; Annt Martha did it to me in words, btr ' guessed what she and, But 1 > I have s|to trust ! yoa with something 1 did not meanto tell you. She is under arrest at her father's bouse and as soon as I?ibe,uableto move will be taken to jail." you dare to accuse her?" I said f/ingrily. V< "I/Ko, most assuredly not, but that jjJifoolof 1 Sheriff did before I reached siure," 14 & " She ii as innocent as I am," I said >efmly, ?>,'! That lam positive of," laid Price, "->" but at the same time there is no doubt hjin my mind that she has known some I thing about the robbery and that the i,'shcck\of that knowledge is what has % brought about her illness. The, Doctor $ agrees with me in that, although lie would % stake hii life on her innocence" 1?, I confess that I was stunned at what ;-; Price had said. > 15 '"Now that I have told you so much," % continued Price, '• I shall tell yon what I i discovered while I was with Aunt Martha t'cleansing the carpet in too hall of those grease spots. the first place the gieaso on the carpet just •gfawayanj back from tho doorway between the Squire's house, eiactly in Tljthepbiitioriwhero a person, standing ou ;| ? iheetalrisndlooking through theglaßS over the door, would havo drop' hold in the hand again the banisters. Then' again ere no'grease ■: spots; on the stairs ||unlil we came tothe step on which such a again and' from that a line of them led us to Mr Vanoe's her room; to .mnkemorc Mcertain:Aunt Mariha brought me wornly wornly MrsVance §|thalnigbt, tnd tbero were grease spot! Iton'that.rigain, the grease spots had t

pinkish hue, and Mrs Vanoe is the only one who has pink wax candles in her room. 11 But the dootor nod Aunt Martha; how could they consent to assist you in fastening a knowledge of the otimo upon Ethel?" " They knew sho was innocent, mid they knew also that the ohances of bringing he' reason back wore better if they could know what the shock was what had prostrated hor. But j bavo not finished yet There were grease spots, three in number, on tlio floor of the bunk, Two wore olose to the safe, doors, the third wdb inside >the vault, and ihsi drop) of wax'iere pink " (< But if Ethel knew of the robbery why did she not give the alarm ?" Toh nntimei