A CHANCE WHISPER
The Coroner, a stolid old country doctor of sixty, with a ruddy face,
shrewd eyes, and a beard which would have done credit to a Christmas
card Santa Claus, opened the proceedings after the jury had inspected
the corpse. His few brief remarks regarding the nature of the death,
and the heinousness of the crime, introduced fussy Inspector Tick,
with a sheaf of notes, dealing with up-to-date evidence.
Tick described the appearance of the dead man, described the state of
the room, hinted at the open window, and laid before the jury the
deadly assegai, with which the death wound had, in all human
probability, been inflicted. Then the Inspector reverted to the
appearance of the man in grey at the Savoy Hotel, under the name of
Alfred Osip, and related what Dr. Jerce had said about the struggle on
the terrace. Afterwards he mentioned the finding of the envelope
containing the representation of the purple fern, and the discovery by
Miss Baird of the gold box. He finished by again drawing the attention
of the jury to the fact of the open window, and to the finding of the
dead man by Chalks. Not being an orator, Inspector Tick spoke with
hesitation, and set forth his facts dryly; but these were so
interesting, that the lack of ornamentation was not apparent.
Mrs. Dumps was the first witness called by the Inspector, and she
deposed, in a shrill voice and with many words, that Alfred Osip--so
the man in grey called himself--came to the Savoy Hotel, and had paid
for bed, breakfast, and dinner. After making inquiries about the
inhabitants of Crumel, and especially about those in the deceased's
house, "The Laurels," on the plea that he thought of settling in the
town, Mr. Osip had departed, and had never returned. There was nothing
in Osip's talk, declared Mrs. Dumps, which gave her any hint that he
contemplated murder. He had not reappeared at the Savoy Hotel.
There was nothing further to be gained from Mrs. Dumps, so she was
requested to stand aside, which she did unwillingly enough, as she
liked the publicity of her position. Dr. Jerce followed next, and
described how the man in grey--presumably Alfred Osip--had searched
him on the terrace of The Laurels, and explained that he probably
wanted the letter given to witness by the sick man in Tea Street,
Whitechapel. Jerce also stated that the letter had been handed by him
to the Scotland Yard authorities in London, and they had made
inquiries, the result of which would be explained to the jury by Mr.
Sims, a detective now present. The Coroner asked a few questions
regarding the deceased's illness, and the open window; all of which
Jerce answered in detail. He explained the cause of the disease, as
gathered from the post-mortem examination, and the reason why the
window had been left open by Wentworth and closed by himself.
Afterwards, Jerce deposed as to the cause of death, which took place
from Horran having been stabbed to the heart--apparently during his
sleep, said the witness--by an assegai, which was produced by
Inspector Tick. The murder, according to the condition and stiffness
of the body, must have taken place between the hours of one and two
o'clock in the morning. The doctor finally stated that he had been a
life-long friend of the deceased and never knew him to have any
enemies.
Dr. Wentworth's evidence was much the same as that of Jerce. He held
to fresh air, although Dr. Jerce preferred the patient to have warmth,
and so had opened the window just before he left the deceased at eight
o'clock in the evening. The deceased was fractious and uneasy on that
evening, but had assigned no reason for such uneasiness, which witness
took to be connected with his mysterious illness. That illness had now
been explained by the post-mortem examination. Samuel Chalks deposed to
being the valet of Mr. Henry Horran, and stated that at the request of
the deceased he had retired to bed, although instructed to sit up by
Dr. Jerce. But that deceased had been so angry, the witness declared
that he would have obeyed the doctor's orders; as it was, he judged it
best to humour his master, lest worse should happen. The window was
certainly open when he left the room, as witness had not touched it,
according to his custom, when it was set ajar by Dr. Wentworth at
eight o'clock. Witness had not taken any notice of the arms on the
walls on that evening, and so could not say if the assegai was in its
place. He never saw it about the room, until he found it on the floor,
and Mr. Horran dead in bed, with a wound in his breast.
Coroner: "Did deceased notice the open window?"
Witness: "No! Sometimes the window was open and sometimes shut. Mr.
Horran never troubled about it in any way."
Coroner: "Had you any suspicion that deceased wished you to leave him
that night in order to see someone?"
Witness: "No! He was swearing in bed when I left him."
Coroner: "Did you lock the door of the bedroom?"
Witness: "No! The door of the bedroom was never locked."
A Juryman: "Did you hear any noise outside, which led you to believe
that someone might be lurking about?"
Witness: "No, sir!"
Coroner: "And you knew nothing of this purple fern business?"
Witness: "No! Miss Baird never told me, nor did Dr. Jerce. If I had
known I should have stopped in the room, notwithstanding master's bad
temper."
Coroner: "Mr. Horran was not alarmed, or apprehensive?"
Witness: "Not in the least. He was in a bad temper, and wished me to
leave him, so I did."
Coroner: "Do you know why the deceased was in a bad temper?"
Witness: "The Rev. Mr. Clarke had called in the afternoon, and after
he left, Mr. Horran was very cross. As he was good-tempered up till
Mr. Clarke's visit, I suppose Mr. Clarke put him out in some way."
The Coroner gave instructions that Mr. Clarke should be called as a
witness, since this had not been done. Meanwhile, Clarice Baird
deposed that the deceased was her guardian, and had been ill with some
mysterious disease for ten years, more or less. Usually, he was good
tempered. She did not see him on the evening of the crime, as he
refused to receive her, being out of temper. Dr. Jerce had told her
that Mr. Clarke had seen deceased, and Dr. Jerce was vexed, as he did
not wish deceased, in his bad state of health, to be worried with
business. Witness also stated how she had found the gold box, and had
handed it to Dr. Jerce, who had taken it, along with the picture of
the Purple Fern and the letter given to him by the sick man of Tea
Street, Whitechapel, to Scotland Yard. Deceased had seemed much
agitated when he found the picture of the Purple Fern in the
unaddressed envelope outside his window, but had never gone into
details about the matter, and she had not found an opportunity of
speaking to him on the subject. As a matter of fact, deceased had
fallen asleep while talking of the picture of the fern, and witness
had picked it up. Beyond that he was agitated, witness had no reason
to believe that Mr. Horran expected to be murdered. Still, since the
other seven deaths, connected with the Purple Fern, had always been
preceded by the same warning, it was possible that Mr. Horran was in
dread of a violent death. Witness also stated, that she had heard no
noise or cry during the night, and, indeed, had known nothing of the
crime, until Chalks, the valet, came up to lead her down to the scene
of the tragedy. From the disposition of the bedclothes, she fancied
that deceased must have been stabbed in his sleep, before he had time
to wake or call out. Witness had told the valet to leave the room
exactly as it was, when found by him, and had then sent for the
police.
Coroner: "When you found the box, did you see deceased about it?"
Witness: "No, sir! Mr. Horran was asleep for hours and hours, and I
had no opportunity."
Coroner: "Would you have done so had deceased been awake?"
Witness: "Certainly!"
Dr. Jerce, re-called, said that he had not related the finding of the
gold box to deceased, since he was already in a state of nervous
excitement, owing to the visit of Mr. Clarke. Witness intended to wait
until Mr. Horran was more composed, and then it was his intention to
tell him about the golden box, and about Osip--that is, such details
as were in the letter given to him by the young man who died in Tea
Street. Dr. Jerce stated that he had placed all evidence in the hands
of the Scotland Yard authorities on the same night that he went up,
and that he had intended to come down next day and relate everything
to deceased, whom he hoped to find more composed. "But when I arrived
at the Crumel railway station," ended witness, "I found that my poor
friend had been murdered."
Mr. Clarke, hastily summoned from the vicarage, then put in an
appearance, and stated that he had received money from Mr. Horran,
through his solicitor, Mr. Barras. He had long wished to see Mr.
Horran on the matter of the interest, which was overdue, and for
payment of which witness was being pressed. But Dr. Jerce would not
allow witness to see Mr. Horran because Mr. Horran's health was
delicate, and--according to Dr. Jerce--it would have been detrimental
to his condition to worry him with business. Witness, however, was
passing The Laurels, and saw the French window of Mr. Horran's
bedroom open. He, therefore, slipped in on the impulse of the moment.
Mr. Horran had expressed himself as angry about the thousand pounds
loan, as he declared that he had not given Mr. Barras leave to lend
money at the rate of ten per cent. He had told witness that he would
write to Barras, and would see him--witness--in a few days, about the
matter, telling him not to worry in the meantime. Deceased certainly
appeared to be very much annoyed, and witness expressed his regret
that he had not obeyed Dr. Jerce's wish and had refrained from paying
the visit. His only excuse was that he had slipped into the bedroom
on the impulse of the moment, and on seeing the window open from the
lane.
Coroner: "You can see the window from the lane?"
Witness: "Certainly--very plainly."
Coroner: "Did you leave deceased in a bad temper?"
Witness: "So bad that I was sorry--in the interests of peace--that I
had paid my visit."
Coroner: "Did Mr. Horran express any fear of being killed?"
Witness: "Not a word."
Coroner: "Did he touch on the fact of the Purple Fern murders?"
Witness: "No, sir. He never mentioned them. I only conversed with him
for twenty minutes, and then it was about my own business."
The Coroner suggested that Mr. Barras should be called, but the lawyer
had not come down from town, as he was away on a holiday and would not
return for a few days. He had been telegraphed for to Paris, where he
was spending his holiday. The Inspector pointed out that any evidence
given by Mr. Barras would not bear on the crime, but with this the
Coroner disagreed. "Mr. Barras," said the Coroner, "might be able to
explain why he lent Mr. Clarke money without the leave of the
deceased."
Inspector Tick: "Possibly, sir; but that would have no bearing on the
case in hand. We are here, sir, not to search into deceased's private
affairs, but to learn why he was killed, and who killed him."
Coroner: "An inquiry into the past life of deceased may reveal why he
was murdered."
Again the Inspector disagreed with this, and again the Coroner
objected; so there was a wrangle, which lasted for some minutes.
Finally, Inspector Tick, being the more obstinate of the two, it was
agreed that the inquest should not be postponed, as the Coroner had
suggested, for the presence of the lawyer, Barras.
The last witness called was Thomas Sims, a smiling little Jewish-faced
man from Scotland Yard, with an olive complexion and a pair of dark,
inquisitive eyes. He deposed that the apartments in Rough Lane,
Stepney, had been searched by the police, but Osip, having probably
taken alarm, had cleared out everything likely to incriminate him. The
young man who had died of consumption in Tea Street, Whitechapel
(attended by Dr. Jerce, out of kindness), might or might not have been
connected with the Purple Fern crimes. The only evidence which
connected him with them was that he had accurately described Alfred
Osip; and the sole evidence which associated Osip with the young man
and with the murders was the gold box, which had been found by Miss
Baird. Also, it was probable that as Osip--according to Mrs. Dumps and
to Dr. Jerce--had been in Crumel a short time before, he had left the
warning of the pictured fern outside the window of the deceased. Every
effort had been made to find Osip, but without result. From the time
he had searched Dr. Jerce on the terrace of The Laurels, he had
disappeared. According to the ticket-collectors and porters and
officials at the Crumel railway station, Osip had not even returned to
London from that station. It was possible that after searching Dr.
Jerce, the man had walked to the next station--Benleigh--to escape any
pursuit should Dr. Jerce have given the alarm.
A Juryman: "And why didn't Dr. Jerce give the alarm?"
Dr. Jerce arose to explain, and was permitted to do so by the Coroner,
although his rising was out of order. "I ran after the man," he said,
calmly, "as soon as I could pull myself together. He had disappeared.
Mr. Ferdinand Baird, who came up, suggested that the police should be
called in, but when he described the man as having a scar on his left
cheek, I then remembered the letter which my dying patient in
Whitechapel had given me, with instructions to open it should I be
attacked by such a man. I judged it best to return to London and open
the letter before taking any action. I went to Scotland Yard as soon
as I learned that Osip was connected with the Purple Fern crimes. More
I could not do."
"You should have given the man in charge for assault," insisted the
juryman.
"Doubtless," replied Jerce, ironically, "but I did not wish to make a
scandal in my friend's house. Moreover, since the deceased's health
was extremely delicate, it would have been injurious to him to be
disturbed by an account of the struggle on the terrace. And that he
would have learned, had I called the police to The Laurels."
No one could deny but what Jerce had acted sensibly, and the
juryman--still holding to his opinion--was crushed. "If this Osip had
been arrested at the time of the assault," muttered the juryman, "we
should not have had the murder."
"And how was I to know, my good sir, that the man Osip contemplated
murder?"
"The letter you received from the Tea Street man----"
"Was not opened by me until I returned to town after the assault. And
then I went at once to Scotland Yard," retorted Jerce.
The juryman retired from the contest, and the Coroner then summed up
the evidence as clearly and concisely as he could. Bearing in mind, he
observed, the Purple Fern murders and the presence of Osip, who was
clearly connected with the same, and above all, remembering the fatal
mark on the forehead of the deceased, there could be no doubt that
this crime was the eighth of the fatal series. One of the criminals
who had perpetrated these terrible assassinations had been hanged,
another had died from consumption, but the third--Alfred Osip--was
still alive and had undoubtedly stabbed Henry Horran. It was proved by
the fact that the usual warning had been given by means of the
pictured fern. The window--according to Mr. Clarke--could be seen from
the lane, so without doubt Osip, lurking therein, had seen that the
window was open--as a light was in the room--and, waiting until the
small hours of the morning, when his victim would presumably be
asleep, he had entered and killed the unfortunate gentleman. The
Coroner ended his speech with a request that the jurymen would bring
in a verdict in accordance with the weight of evidence, which plainly
pointed to Alfred Osip as the criminal.
The jury did so very promptly, as not one of them, and not one of the
listeners to the evidence, had any doubt but that Osip was the guilty
person. Therefore, after bringing in a verdict of "Wilful murder
against Alfred Osip," the inquest was brought to an end, and the
jurymen, very well satisfied with themselves, went home. But although
the verdict had been given, the criminal was still at large; and now
that he had commenced operations in Crumel, it was doubtful when he
would stop. The locksmiths of Crumel did a fine trade during the next
few days, as everyone wanted bolts and bars, patent locks, and
ingenious alarms. The quiet little Essex town was terribly scared by
the presence of this unseen beast of prey.
During the inquest, Clarice, looking round to see who was present,
noticed a fashionably-dressed young lady, with a wonderful complexion
and copper-coloured hair. At once she recognised her as the notorious
Butterfly. Sarah--or Zara--Dumps was seated by her mother and greatly
resembled the elder woman. But her mouth was firmer and her eyes were
more deep-set. Notwithstanding the boldness of her appearance and the
frivolity of her attire, she nevertheless looked clever and quite
capable of dominating the weaker nature of Ferdy Baird. Once or twice
Butterfly met the grave gaze of Clarice, and, rather to the latter's
surprise, immediately dropped her eyes with a quick flush. This was
strange, considering the known boldness of the girl, and Clarice
wondered what it might mean.
When the inquest was over, and the jurymen were leaving the house
along with the rest of the crowd, Clarice noticed the girl again. She
was chatting in a low voice to Ferdy, while Mrs. Dumps sailed ahead
with the Coroner, explaining how he should have managed the case.
Rather annoyed that her brother should thus publicly flaunt his
acquaintance with so notorious a young woman, Clarice pressed through
the throng, in order to touch Ferdy's arm, and draw him away. But
before she could carry out her purpose, a single sentence, falling
from the lips of Zara, made her change her mind. Butterfly's lips were
almost touching Ferdy's ear, and she spoke in a low and rapid voice,
but sufficiently loudly for keen-eared Miss Baird to overhear.
"Now that Osip is accused," whispered Zara, softly, "there can be no
danger."