“It's all out,” groaned Tom, as we bent over to read the account. “And
such a story!”
Under the date of the day previous, a Saranac despatch ran:
Lewis Langley, well known as sporting man and club member in New York,
and eldest son of the late Lewis Langley, the banker, was discovered
dead under the most mysterious circumstances this morning at Camp
Hangout, twelve miles from this town.
The Death of “Old Krook” in Dickens's “Bleak House” or of the victim in
one of Marryat's most thrilling tales was not more gruesome than this
actual fact. It is without doubt a case of spontaneous human combustion,
such as is recorded beyond dispute in medical and medico-legal
text-books of the past two centuries. Scientists in this city consulted
for the Record agree that, while rare, spontaneous human combustion is
an established fact and that everything in this curious case goes to
show that another has been added to the already well-authenticated
list of cases recorded in America and Europe. The family refuse to be
interviewed, which seems to indicate that the rumours in medical circles
in Saranac have a solid basis of fact.
Then followed a circumstantial account of the life of Langley and the
events leading up to the discovery of the body--fairly accurate in
itself, but highly coloured.
“The Record man must have made good use of his time here,” I commented,
as I finished reading the despatch. “And--well, they must have done some
hard work in New York to get this story up so completely--see, after
the despatch follow a lot of interviews, and here is a short article on
spontaneous combustion itself.”
Harrington and the rest of the family had just come in.
“What's this we hear about the Record having an article?” Harrington
asked. “Read it aloud, Professor, so we can all hear it.”
“'Spontaneous human combustion, or catacausis ebriosus,'” began Craig,
“'is one of the baffling human scientific mysteries. Indeed, there can
be no doubt but that individuals have in some strange and inexplicable
manner caught fire and been partially or almost wholly consumed.
“'Some have attributed it to gases in the body, such as carbureted
hydrogen. Once it was noted at the Hotel Dieu in Paris that a body on
being dissected gave forth a gas which was inflammable and burned with a
bluish flame. Others have attributed the combustion to alcohol. A toper
several years ago in Brooklyn and New York used to make money by blowing
his breath through a wire gauze and lighting it. Whatever the cause,
medical literature records seventy-six cases of catacausis in two
hundred years.
“'The combustion seems to be sudden and is apparently confined to
the cavities, the abdomen, chest, and head. Victims of ordinary fire
accidents rush hither and thither frantically, succumb from exhaustion,
their limbs are burned, and their clothing is all destroyed. But in
catacausis they are stricken down without warning, the limbs are rarely
burned, and only the clothing in contact with the head and chest is
consumed. The residue is like a distillation of animal tissue, grey and
dark, with an overpoweringly fetid odour. They are said to burn with
a flickering stifled blue flame, and water, far from arresting the
combustion, seems to add to it. Gin is particularly rich in inflammable,
empyreumatic oils, as they are called, and in most cases it is recorded
that the catacausis took place among gin-drinkers, old and obese.
“'Within the past few years cases are on record which seem to establish
catacausis beyond doubt. In one case the heat was so great as to explode
a pistol in the pocket of the victim. In another, a woman, the victim's
husband was asphyxiated by the smoke. The woman weighed, one hundred and
eighty pounds in life, but the ashes weighed only twelve pounds: In all
these cases the proof of spontaneous combustion seems conclusive.'”
As Craig finished reading, we looked blankly, horrified, at one another.
It was too dreadful to realise.
“What do you think of it, Professor” asked James Langley, at length.
“I've read somewhere of such cases, but to think of its actually
happening--and to my own brother. Do you really think Lewis could have
met his death in this terrible manner?”
Kennedy made no reply. Harrington seemed absorbed in thought. A shudder
passed over us as we thought about it. But, gruesome as it was, it was
evident that the publication of the story in the Record had relieved the
feelings of the family group in one respect--it at least seemed to offer
an explanation. It was noticeable that the suspicious air with which
everyone had regarded everyone else was considerably dispelled.
Tom said nothing until the others had withdrawn. “Kennedy,” he
burst out, then, “do you believe that such combustion is absolutely
spontaneous? Don't you believe that something else is necessary to start
it?”
“I'd rather not express an opinion just yet, Tom,” answered Craig
carefully. “Now, if you can get Harrington and Doctor Putnam away from
the house for a short time, as you did with your uncle and cousin this
morning, I may be able to tell you something about this case soon.”
Again Kennedy stole into another bedroom, and returned to our room with
a hunting-jacket. Just as he had done before, he carefully washed it
off with the gauze soaked in the salt solution and quickly returned the
coat, repeating the process with Doctor Putnam's coat and, last, that of
Tom himself. Finally he turned his back while I sealed the glasses and
marked and recorded them on my slip.
The next day was spent mainly in preparations for the journey to New
York with the body of Lewis Langley. Kennedy was very busy on
what seemed to me to be preparations for some mysterious chemical
experiments. I found myself fully occupied in keeping special
correspondents from all over the country at bay.
That evening after dinner we were all sitting in the open summer house
over the boat-house. Smudges of green pine were burning and smoking on
little artificial islands of stone near the lake shore, lighting up the
trees on every side with a red glare. Tom and his sister were seated
with Kennedy and myself on one side, while some distance from us
Harrington was engaged in earnest conversation with Isabelle. The other
members of the family were further removed. That seemed typical to me of
the way the family group split up.
“Mr. Kennedy,” remarked Grace in a thoughtful, low tone, “what do you
make of that Record article?”
“Very clever, no doubt,” replied Craig.
“But don't you think it strange about the will?”
“Hush,” whispered Tom, for Isabelle and Harrington had ceased talking
and might perhaps be listening.
Just then one of the servants came up with a telegram.
Tom hastily opened it and read the message eagerly in the corner of the
summer house nearest one of the glowing smudges. I felt instinctively
that it was from his lawyer. He turned and beckoned to Kennedy and
myself.
“What do you think of that?” he whispered hoarsely.
We bent over and in the flickering light read the message:
New York papers full of spontaneous combustion story. Record had
exclusive story yesterday, but all papers to-day feature even more.
Is it true? Please wire additional details at once. Also immediate
instructions regarding loss of will. Has been abstracted from safe.
Could Lewis Langley have taken it himself? Unless new facts soon must
make loss public or issue statement Lewis Langley intestate.