Produced by Darleen Dove, Mary Meehan and the Online Distributed Proofreading Team at http://www.pgdp.net (This file was produced from images generously made available by The Internet Archive/American Libraries.) A MASTER HAND THE STORY OF A CRIME BY RICHARD DALLAS G. P. PUTNAM'S SONS NEW YORK AND LONDON The Knickerbocker Press 1903 Copyright, 1903 BY G. P. PUTNAM'S SONS Published, August, 1903 The Knickerbocker Press, New York [Illustration: "It is no use," he said; "I can see by the papers that everybody thinks I am guilty."] INTRODUCTORY Twenty years have passed since the happening of the events, the history and sequel of which I am going to relate. It is the tale of a crime committed in one of the large cities of this country, and which, baffling the authorities at the time, still remains a mystery to all but myself and one other. Even now, at this late day, in deference to a plea that bore the seal of death, I shall only write of it with such changes of scene and names as I hope may prevent identification. To me the history of this tragedy has always seemed convincing proof of the insufficiency of circumstantial evidence, except where such evidence is conclusive. I do not intend, however, to indulge in any abstract discussion of that subject, but shall consider that I have sufficiently fulfilled an obligation I owe to the law when I shall have submitted the bare facts of this particular case as I know them to have occurred. While the changes of scene and names which I shall allow myself may involve some minor changes in the same line, I shall take no advantage of the opportunity that may thereby be afforded to complicate or exaggerate in any way the mystery that veiled the case, for to do so would be to subvert my purpose; but shall adhere to a plain statement of the facts, in every particular, as they successively discovered themselves to me. That it will prove an entertaining tale I do not promise, but that it will be a curious and interesting one I feel sure, and especially so to those who by profession are brought in contact with crime in its various phases. CONTENTS I.--A SOLILOQUY II.--A GAME OF CARDS III.--A TRAGEDY IV.--THE SUSPECT V.--THE INQUEST VI.--THE INQUEST CONCLUDED VII.--AN EVENING AT THE CLUB VIII.--THE PROSECUTION AND THE PRISONER IX.--A CLUE AND A CONFERENCE X.--THE TRIAL XI.--THE TRIAL CONCLUDED XII.--AN EPISODE AND A DINNER XIII.--THE TRUTH AT LAST XIV.--THE DEATH OF WINTERS A MASTER HAND CHAPTER I A SOLILOQUY