THE GOLDEN ONE.

Taranaki Daily News, Volume LII, Issue 121, 19 June 1909, Page 4

THE GOLDEN ONE.

SEXTOS BLAKE FINDS THE ANSWER TO A PROBLEM.

Rivelin Hall, an ancient mansion standing in the middle of an extensive park about three miles from Sheffield, was the residence of Lord Fulwood. Rivelra Lodge, which faced the park gates, was the residence of his lordship's agent, Mr. Ewart, who had converted one of the rooms into an office, in which, with the assistance of a clerk, he transacted his multifarious duties.

On a certain Saturday morning in March, Mr. Ewart handed his clerk a considerable s'um of money, and instructed him to take it to Sheffield and pay it into the bank. The clerk, whose name was Gainsford, pedalled off on his bicycle. But the money .was never paid into the bank and from the moment Gainsford disappeared round the bend in the road just 'below the lodge all trace of him was lost. And although the matter was in the hands of the police by noon on Saturday, no news of the missing clerk had been obtained up to Tuesday night. Two theories only appeared to fit the case. One was that Gansford had absconded with the money; the other that he had been waylaid on the road to Sheffield, and either kidnapped or murdered and robbed. Mr. Ewart and the police inclined to the former theory; Lord Fulwood to the latter.

"I know on- honest man when I s-e him," said his lordship, "and nothing would ever make me believe that Ralph Gainsford was a thief."

These words were uttered about eight o'clock on Tuesday night in Lord Fulwood's study at Rivelin Hall. The study 'Was a small room on the ground floor, with a smaller room leading out of it. It was heated by electric radiators, and was illumined' at night by a cluster of electric lights, -which 'hung suspended at the end of a cord from the centre of the ceiling. At tlie moment when Lord Fulwood spoke the words recorded above he and Mr. Ewart were seated in easy-chairs, discussing the mystery of GaintffordV disappearance. The study window, ■which overlooked the park, was screened by thick dark curtains. The door leading from the study to the ante-room was slightly ajar. The other door, which led from the study to the corridor outside, was closed. The electric lights, needles's to say, were blazing at full brilliance.

"I agree with your lordship," said • Mr. Ewart, "that Gainsford always appeared to be an honest fellow; but it seems to me that the only possible explanation '" His further remarks were interrupt-d .toy the entrance of the butler ■with a number of letters for Lord Fulwood. i Amongst thea- -was a crumpled copy of "Answers," which Tiad been folded up. I wrapped in a sheet of greasy paper: tied round with a bootlace, and addressed, apparently, in red ink. Lord Fulwood tore off the wrapper and unfolded the paper. Opening it at random, he immediately noticed that dozens of the printed letters on the page were underscored with a tiny dash, apparently in red ink. Most of the other pages were -marked in a similar manner.

Suddenly an idea occurred to him. Hi was then gazing at the last of the pages that was marked. He started to Bpell out the marked letters.

"m-u-s'-t-a-e-t-q-u-i-c-k-l-y-y-o-u-r-s-r-e----s-p-e-c-t-f-u-1-l-y-r-g-a-i-n-s-f-o-r-d," lie spelled out.

" 'Must—act—quickly,'" he repeated,

" 'Yours respectfully R. Gainsford.' Ewart," he cried, "this is a message from Gainsford! He has cvi-| dently been kidnapped, and lias adopted this ingenious means of communicating with me! Look! See the,s'e little dashes under these letters? I thought at first 1 they were ra red ink; but they aren't. They're in blood! fiamsford is evidently a prisoner. Having no other means of communicating with me, but having a copy of "Answers" and a stamp in his possession, he appears to have pricked his finger—probably with lis scarf-pin—and to have spelled out this message by marking these letters, lie ■then wrapped up the journal in that sheet of greasy paper, addressed it in the same way that he had marked the letters, tied it up with his bootlace, stuck the stamp on. and in all probability threw it out of the window of the

room in which he is imprisoned." "Your lordship is undoubtedly right," said Mr. Ewart. "Xow. let us spell o;it the rest of the message." 11. Lord f'ulmood seated himself at his writing-desk, whMi was immediate'.)' beneath the hanging cluster of electric lights already mentioned. Mr. Ewait stationed himself behind him and peered over his shoulder. "This is the first page thiit contains any marked letters," said Lord Fiilwood, laying the paper on the desk in front of him. "As you see, the first letter that is underscored is 'm,' and the next is 'v.' Follow .me, and correct me if 1 make a mistake. 'My—lord—this—is—the only way in which I can let yon know that •- ] was overpowered and kidnapped on Saturday morning by two men who were -■• acting under the orders —of—'" Craek!

The report of a revolver rang throng tlie room. Tlie 'bullet struct anil se< ered tlie cord of the electric light, an the room was instantly plunged int inky darkness. There was a cry « alarm from Mr. Ewart, nliieh ha< scarcely crossed his lips ere a ham struck Lord Fulwood on the side of tin head and Sent him reeling out of hi chair. Then the same, hand that liac struck him sjiateheil iij' tlie copy o '•Answers'- off tile desk, and footstep! •were .heard making for the ante-room. "I see him!" cried Mr. Ewart. ■•He': making for the ante-room! After him!' Lord Fulwood hurriedly scrambled t< his feet. He heard the sounds of a furi ons struggle in the ante-room, follower by a heavv thud, and the sound of ar opening window. At the same install the ibutler and a couple of footmen alarmed by the report of the revolver burst into'the study. "To the ante-room!" roared Low Fulwood. "Some scoundrel ilms—" The rest of the sentence was drowned bv an excited yell from Mr. Ewart: '"He has climbed through the window! He's escaping! Follow me—quick!" ] With Lord Fulwood at their head, the butler and the two footmen rushed 'iato the ante-room. By that time Mr. Ewart had vaulted through the open I window, and was racing across the dark, I deserted park.' ■ "Follow me! Follow me!" they heard', jhim shout. They followed him, but lost sight of jhim in the darkness. They called him, 'but received no reply. Eventually, lan'teras having been procured, tuey found

iiiin lving in an unconscious condition at the' foot of a tree in one of tile most secluded corners of the park, with an uglv wound in the centre of bis forehead.

They carried him back to the Hall, put him to bed. and sent for the doctor. And on Wednesday morning, as the police confessed their inability to throw any light on litis fresh developmet of the mystery, Lord Fuhvood wired for Sexton Blake.

Mr. Ewart \va» conscious when Srxlon Iliiike arrived mi Wednesihiy iiUcni«m, and readily answered the detectives questions. •'I was standing behind Lord FulInrood," he said, ''peering over his shoulder, anod watching him decipher Gainsford's message. Suddenly a revolverbullet whistled Jiaist my ear, and severed the wire of the electric light. The man wiho fired the shot must have been in the ante-room, the door of which was slightly ajar. In fact, I know he was in the'ante-room, for I distinctly saw a muffled figure dart out of the ante-room.' knock Lord Fulwood out of his chair, snatch up the copy of 'Answers,' and dash back to the ante-room.

'1 rushed after 'him," he continued,

"and seized him as he was' about to the ante-room window. After a shortsharp struggle, he knocked me down, opened the window, and gave chase. I overtook the man at the spot where 1 was subsequently found; but when I attempted to seize him lie struck mc a stunning blow on the forehead with his clubbed revolver. After, that I remembered no more."

The detective requested Lord Fulwood to conduct him to the study. Here he made a discovery which appeared to afford him the liveliest satisfaction. The 'bullet which had severed the wire of the electric light had afterwards buried itself in the ceiling, and the spot where it had lodged was in front of the writ-ing-desk, whilst the door of the anteroom was on the right of the desk. "If the man 'who fired that shot last night was standing in Hie ante-room," he said to Lord Fulwood, "where would you expect the bullet to lodge, after severing the cord of the electric light? In the opposite wall—eh?" "Not necessarily," said Lord Fuhvood. "If he fired in an upward direction, the bullet, after severing the cord, might lodge in the ceiling." "True,", said Sexton Blake. "But in what part of the ceiling would it lodge? Kcmcmber, the cord bung down in 'he middle of the room, and the door of the ante-room is on the right." "Humph!" said Lord Fulwood. "The bullet ought to have lodged in some part of the ceiling on the left of the cord." "Yet it lodged in the ceiling in front of the cord," said Sexton Blake. "If the laws of mechanics count for anything, it proves that the.shot was fired bv someone behind you." ""But that's impossible!" protested Lord julwood. "There was nobody behind me except Mr. Ewart." "Exactly!" said Sexton Blake. "Now, show me the spot wihere Mr. Ewart was found."

This was at the foot of a tree in one of the most secluded corners of the park. Near bv was the mouth of an old, disused well." The detective examined the surface of the ground at the foot 'of the tree and also in the neighborhood of the well. Then, to Lord Fut'wood's unconcealed surprise, he sugs ge6ted they should return to the Hail for a long rope. The rope having been procured, the detective tied one end of it to the stump of a neighboring tree, and dropped the other end into the' old well. Then he swarmed down the rope into the well, and presently hauled himself out again. "Well, what have you found!" asked Lord Fulwood.

"This," said Sexton Blake. And li'" ■handed his lordship tie missing copy of "Answers."

"From the very first,"* said Sexton Wake, "I suspected that it was Mr. Ewart who fired that shot last nignt, and who stole that copy of "Answers." His account of the affair only confirmed my suspicion, and the moment I entered .the study, and saw that hole in the ceiling, my theory became a certainty. For the ballet which had made that hole in the ceiling had clearly been fired by someone who had been standing behind you, and the only person who was behind you at the time was Mr. Ewart himself.

"It was' Ewart, without a doubt, who arranged the kidnapping of Gainsford on Saturday morning," he continued. "When you received that copy of 'Answers' last night', and announced that it contained a message from Gainsford, Mr. Ewart determined at all costs to prevent you from reading the message. He planted himself behind you, and at the critical moment whipped out a revolver, fired at the cord of the electric light, and plunged the study in darkness.

"He then struck you on the side 'if 1 the head, and knocked you out of your chair, after which he snatched the copy of 'Answers' off the desk, and shouted to you that he saw a man making off in the direction of the ante-room, lit theh rushed into the ante-room, pretended to be struggling with the thief, opened the window, and sprang out. calling to you that the thief was escaping. "When he vaulted through the window the copy of 'Answers' was still 10 his hand. His first object, of course, vvaS to get rid of it. He evidently knew of the existence of that old well, and I have not the slightest doubt that his intention was to throw the paper into the well and tlien to return and tell you that the thief had escaped, "The first part of his plan was successfully carried out. He reached the ■well and dropped the paper into it. Unluckily for him, however, he caught his foot in a trailing creeper as he rushed back towards tlie Hall, and pitched for-' ward on his face, and was' stunned. That's the explanation of that contused wound in the middle of his forehead. "X'nw that we have recovered that copy of 'Answers.'" concluded Sexton Bin Ire. "we have only to spell nut the rest of Gainsfor'd's message, and the mystery will be solved."

lie was right. 0;i reaching the Hail, the detective and Lord Fulwood adjourned to the study, where they spelled out the whole of Ralph (iains'ford's message.

(lainsford began by explaining that lie hail discovered that Mr. Bwnrt had been falsifying the accounts of the estate for several years, and had thereby been robbing Taird Fuhvood of considerable sunns of money. He had further discovered, he said, that Kwau had arranged to nnacx the whole of the rents ■which were due to be paid on Wednesday, and to nail for the Argentine on Thursday with his' ill-gotten gains.

"I did not diH-over this latter fact until Saturday morning," the message continued, "and I intended to interview your lordship and tell you what. I had discovered, when I returned from Sheffield after paying the money into the bank. Unfortunately, Mr. Kwart had evidently suspected that 1 had discovered ihis little game, and hud arranged with two men to waylay me on my w-i.v to Shelliald and kidnap me and keep me a prisoner until he was safely out of the country."

(iainsford then described how he had heim kidnapped, and wound up his ac-~ count by relating How lie had been taken to n certain house in Scotland street. By Sexton Blake's advice. Lord Fu!wood said nothing to Hr. Ewart of wh.it they had discovered. Without a word to tlhe agent, they motored to Sheffield, ami showed the copy of "Answers" to the chief constable. In les« than half an hour afterwards a posse of police had raided the house in Scotland street, and had rescued Ralph Gainsford; and six hours later Sexton Elnkc was on liitf way hack to London with a fat cheque in his pocket, and Mr. Ewart was in eustodv.—"Answers."