Beadle's Half Dime Library, No. 524 — page 4: what you’re looking at

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

& *“Oh-ho! I see.” **] did not learn of the sad affair, until we stopped at Greenwood, and I got but few of the particulars until I arrived Fork I believe there is a suspicion that the honest old man shot him- self. Ido not believe that, and I made up my mind to take a band in the matter.” ‘* Nor do I believe it,” Ralph declared; ‘‘ and I have resolved that the itt shall be cleared up.” ‘And you will relieve me from duty?” ‘‘ Yes, if you are determined to take hold of the case.” ‘+ am. But, have you seen Miss Gray, or heard anything from her? I am more than anxious to know how she is.” ‘* Yes, | have, I and Mrs, Raymond stayed all night with her, and Mrs, Raymond is with her now. It was a terrible blow to her, but she bears up well.” ‘* Poor Ethel! Ican well imagine her grief [ must go and see her soon. Will you give me all the particulars of the sad affair, Mr. Ray- moud ?”’ “Certainly,” Ralph answered, ceeded to do so, Wham he concluded, Footboard Frank has- tened to remark: ‘It is a mystery with a vengeance, and I do not wonder the detective came to the conclusion he did. But he is wrong. No one who knew Daddy Gray well would give credit to such a saspi’ .0on,” You are right,” Ralph echoed. ‘“One thing must be done. ” ‘“ What is that?’ ‘* The bullet must be extracted from the dead man’s body.” ‘*[ have thought of the same thing. And we must go down to that car and find where the bullet from Daddy Gray’s pistol went to.” ‘*Sure enough! And between the two points, I think we can prove it a case of murder. We will find that the bullet that took the man’s life was not from his own pistol ac all, and if we can find where his went to, it will prove that he fired in defense.” ‘* Well, I am going down to the car now. Will ou come with me?” es, of course. IL am eager to be at work, tired as Iam.” They left the office and started across to where the Express-car stood, now draped in mournin and he pro- “My first idea was,” said Ralph, ‘‘ to send for a Pinkerton man. Now, however, I have an- other idea.” ‘* And what is that?” ‘To take care of the case ourselves. Any one else would set out with the theory of sul- cide, and lose valuable time at the very start. We do not believe anything of the kind, We are thoroughly convinced that the poor old messenger Was murdered, There is some great mystery at the back of it all, but what that mystery is we must learn,” ‘‘But for one thing,” Footboard Frank re- marked, ‘‘[ would be inclined to believe that Daddy shot himself by accident.” ‘¢ And that one thing,” added Redlight Ralph, ‘is the fact that the safe was robbed,” ‘* Exactly.” ‘*T had the same thought, but the fagt of the robbery caused me to throw it aside. I insist that it was murder,” ‘‘Andsodo I, No mere chain of circum- stances can make me think otherwise.” And so they talked on until they came to where the car stood, ‘‘There is some One in the car.” Frank said, when they reached it, ‘‘T believe there is,” Ralph-agreed, he too having heard a slight noise within. They sprung up the steps and tried the door. ‘‘ Who is there?” a voice demanded. “J, Ralph Raymond,” was the instant re- pl Tine door was Opened at once, and Mr, Spot- tem, the detective, was seen ** Good. morning, Mr. Spo ttem?” the superin- tendent greeted him; hare you looking over the ound again?” es,” ick up af to the greeting; ‘I am trying to pick u ittle point in favor of your murder thearwite ‘You are looking for a bullet-hole in the woodwork of the car?” ‘*T am,” ‘+ Well—?”’ 1% wag hoes / ter find — 7 s am here for *same avowed, “‘I donot mean to quit t 1 Sapa car Bae have examined every part of:it.” ‘“‘T hope you'll find it, then.” The Engineer Detective. ‘‘ As we certainly shall, if itis here to be found. Are you done searching for it?” ‘* Yes, since you are here for the same pur- phse, I will give it up.” After some further remarks the detective went away, and then Ralph and Frank begau their search, The car had been painted not long before, and any spot such as a bullet-hole could be easily detected by a careful search, They first examined the ceiling. Carefully they went over it, from one end of the car to the other, but no trace of the looked- for bullet could be found, Then they examined the sides, ends and floor in the same manner. They spent fully an hour at the task, but at last were obliged to own that the bullet could not be found, ‘‘This is discouraging,” Frank had to decide when they started back to the office. ‘* It certainly is,” Ralph admitted, ‘' It will be more discourging, though,” he added, “if the bullet found in poor D: addy’ s body happens to be of the same kind and size as those in his revolver, ‘* Don’t mention it,” Frank protested. ‘ It would be almost proof positive of either acci- dent or suicide.” ‘* And with the robbery of the safe, it could not be looked upon as an accident.” ‘‘That is true. Still, [ would not believe it. What! Daddy Gray r ob a safe and commit sui- cide? Never!” ‘** Even a he did, what did he do with the mone ‘*But he did not, and that settles the whole matter. I say as you say—that he was mur- dered. And it is for us to prove it, and bring the murderer to account.” ‘And we will!” Ralph declared, earnestly. ‘*T shall let you take the case, Frank, giving you all the help I can. You will go into it with a determination, I know.” They had now reached the office, and there they parted. Footboard Frank went home at once, washed up and changed his clothes, and then, after a hasty breakfast, hurried to Daddy Gray’s house to see Ethel. Their meeting was very affecting. Mrs. Raymond was still there, and indeed she was Ethel’s only consoler, Many friends were dropping in to express their sorrow and sympathy, but no one could pian) a the stricken girl as Jeanne Raymond couk Frank spent some time with Ethel, and then he went back again to.the office, at an hour when Ralph had told him to come, and the two went to the undertaker’s where the body was, True to his word, Redlight Ralph—for so he was still often called, despite his high position— was taking full charge of the funeral arrange- ments, and betweeu him and his charming wife er care was lifted from Ethel’s shoulders. en they arrived there the body was lying on a big slab in a rear room, and several men were present. Among these were Mr. Spottem, the detective and the coroner, the undertaker, a surgeon, an several more. The surgeon was just preparing to remove the bullet from the dead man’s pody, Ralph and Frank were ju in time, for the surgeon was about to begin his work when they went in. To describe the removing of the bullet in de- tail is neither necessary por desirable here, Let it be sufficient to say that under the skillful hands of the surgeon it was soon located, and then speedily brought to light. Detective Spottem was sO anxious to see it that he could hardly wait until it had first 5 beeh delivered to the coroner. The coroner had taken charge of the, dead man’s revolver, and had had one of the bullets it contained taken from its shell. He now compared them, in silence, and then handed them to the detective to do the same. ‘* By heavens!” the detective exclaimed, ‘* they are ae They are both of the same size end in He in turn bene them to Redlight Ralph, who was forced to believe he was rig ht. But they did not de ment in the matter, One of the men present was a dealer i in firearms, and professed to be an expert in such cases He it was who bad taken the bullet out of the cartridge for the coroner, and at the coroner’s request he. was there, The two bullets were now placed in his bands for his opinion. They were carefully weighed, and otherwise tested, and when he had sss the expert declar nd on their own judg- : ed it as his belief that the fatal sto ba-| ed it.aa his bellat filet the fatal Balen NNaMiaed had been. fired from Daddy Gray’s own revolver. The hour for the inquest was now at hand, } and as it was to be held at the underlaker’s place, the witnesses and others were there. The door had been locked, in order to keep. out the crowd, It was now opened, and the witnesses entered the main room, followed by the crowd until the room was filled. ant is unnecessary to give the inquest in de- What the verdict was can perhaps be readily foreseen. The coroner selected his jury, very carefully. and then his inquess began. The dead man had last been seen alive at Greenwood. The train had made no stop be- tween that station und Oakvale. When the train arrived at Oakvale tbe door of the Express- car had to be forced open. John Gray was found dead on the fluor, He had been shot, In his right hand was his revolver, with one chamber empty. All the doors of the car were secured on the inside. No one on the train could go into or get out of the Express-car under these circumstances. No other person was in the car when it was forced open. The bullet had been recovered from the dead man’s body. It was declared by an expert to be of the same size and kind as those in the revolver, and was undoubt- edly the one from the now empty chamber, As to a motive—the safe was found robbed of @ large sum of money. ‘The dead messenger was spoken of by every witness as being a man of strict honesty and honor. Perhaps the safe had been robbed at some other point on the road, and when it was discovered by the messenger, he, in respair, had taken his own life. Suc h, in substance, were the evidence and the coroner’s char ge, and a ver dict was returned in accordance; that is, ‘ that John Gray, in a mo- ment of despair at the discovery that bis safe had been robbed, had committed suicide.” CHAPTER V. HERE IS A MYSTERY. On the arrival of the Night Express at Oak- vale on the previous night, to turn back for 4 moment to that time, there was, among the pas- sengers of the parlor car, a woman who appeared to be traveling al.ne. She was handsome and well-dressed, and look- ed to be about thirty years of age, Her manners: were very quiet and lady-like, and she seemed accustomed to the ways of the world. When she alighted from the car at the Oak- vale station, she approached Ralph Raymond ai his wife and asked if they could direct her RO ead hotel, Ralph informed her that he was going to the Grand Hotel, and she, too, entered the stage that conveyed passengers from the station to that house. There were four or five passengers, all told who went to the hotel. hen they reached there, this woman proceeded at once to the Jadies’ parlor, and calling a servant of the oy Fa sent immediately to the office for the clerk The clerk, busy, J * the moment, sent an assist- ant to wait ‘upon h ‘* Are you the clerk ” the lady asked, + No, >, was the reply, ‘* but he sent me. his assistant.” Is therea Mr. Palmere ‘¢{tis all the same, stop ing here?” f think not, ma’m. I will ascertain in a mo- ment, to be sure,” The assistant hurried back to the office, and soon returned with the information that no such rson was registered. ‘Then he has not yet arrived,” the woman remarked, ‘‘ Mr. Palmere is ™Y husband, ” she added, ‘‘and J will take rooms here and wait for im, "He may come yet to-night; if not, then he will be here to-morrow. Such a statement as this the reader must con- sider rather strange * ey the least. At the station the woman inquired for a_ good hotel, and_ being ‘iirected to the Grand Hotel, she gces there and at once inquire for a man who, she says, is her husband, she knew at what hotel ‘to inquire for the ‘‘Mr. Palmere” she mentioned, why bad she. need to ask to be directed to “Sa ’ good hotel?” " ‘‘ What is your name, please?” clerk’s assist- ant inquired, as he produced pencil and pad to ea note of it, ‘My name is Mrs, Palmere, J am ‘Mme, Sibylla,’ the actress.” “Where from, please?” ‘From New York.” ‘‘ Have you any baggage?” Tam