Alfred Hitchcock's Mystery Magazine, December 1956 — page 142: what you’re looking at

Machine-transcribed from the original scan — historical spelling and the odd misread are preserved.

May 12 aaah Satan, - We.found: Seek seat this morning hanging from a tree by his-own belt over the grave of Seaman Foley. Surgeon Rowan was a conscientious man, but can extremes of conscience carry a per- son that far? I am beginning to doubt. As I looked around at the faces surrounding the grave this morn- ing I saw the same doubt. There is a possibility that none of us has dared let enter into our minds at the death of Seaman Foley. The possibility that we are stranded on an island with a murderer. We will have to face that possibility now. I intend to speak with Lt. Benton after supper about the matter. May 13 At my suggestion an inquest was held. Lt. Benton questioned all of us thoroughly, and singly. Of course we had none of the per- sonnel records of any of the sea- men or officers but so far as our own. personal knowledge of each other went we could think of noth- ing disreputable or incriminatory. Thus, the inquest was a failure, except to bring out into the open the fear that had been lying dor- mant in every mind; and that of course served no avail except to frighten the men, -possibly need- lessly. After all, it could have been suicide both times. I wish I hadn’t siapinestad the inquest now. Lt. Benton warned 140 me that it might serve no purpose other than to stir up distrust need- lessly, but. I persisted, I poeices through my own fear. : May 14. : There ‘can be’ no doiubt of it now; we are marooned on an is- land with a homicidal maniac. Sea- man Burke reported finding Bo- swain Sykes with his‘ throat cut when relieving him for duty at the signal fire. I don’t know wih Lt. Benton intends to do but I do know that his command will be untenable if he does not act immediately. Each of us is looking at the other as if he expects the other to turn into a murdering monster any minute. No one will turn. his back, not even for an instant. And there are those grim re- minders in back of the hut. After we bury Sykes there will be three of the wooden crosses. May 15 : Lt. Benton. has held an. inqitese. Seaman Burke found the boswain at three’ o’clock in the morning. We all went down. to the fire after being aroused by Burke and found him-not long dead. His throat was cut but none of ‘the blood had coagulated; in fact, some still stood in little ‘beads on a pile of drift- wood he lay on. Lt. Benton and myself being rather light sleepers — could vouch that neither one of us had left the roorn during the night. ALFRED HITCHCOCK’S MYSTERY MAGAZINE COMMICLOOCKSs€O