The Lock and Key Library: Classic Mystery and Detective Stories: Old Time English
General
The Lock and Key Library: Classic Mystery and Detective Stories: Old Time English
Detective and mystery stories; Fiction; Ghost stories
offered by any LUCRATIVE system of outrage. Jealous and painful
collusions were, in the meantime, produced; and, during the latter
two months of this winter, it may be said that our city exhibited
the very anarchy of evil passions. This condition of things lasted
until the dawning of another spring.
It will be supposed that communications were made to the supreme
government of the land as soon as the murders in our city were
understood to be no casual occurrences, but links in a systematic
series. Perhaps it might happen from some other business, of a
higher kind, just then engaging the attention of our governors,
that our representations did not make the impression we had
expected. We could not, indeed, complain of absolute neglect from
the government. They sent down one or two of their most
accomplished police officers, and they suggested some counsels,
especially that we should examine more strictly into the quality of
the miscellaneous population who occupied our large suburb. But
they more than hinted that no necessity was seen either for
quartering troops upon us, or for arming our local magistracy with
ampler powers.
This correspondence with the central government occupied the month
of March, and, before that time, the bloody system had ceased as
abruptly as it began. The new police officer flattered himself
that the terror of his name had wrought this effect; but judicious
people thought otherwise. All, however, was quiet until the depth
of summer, when, by way of hinting to us, perhaps, that the
dreadful power which clothed itself with darkness had not expired,
but was only reposing from its labors, all at once the chief jailer
of the city was missing. He had been in the habit of taking long
rides in the forest, his present situation being much of a
sinecure. It was on the first of July that he was missed. In
riding through the city gates that morning, he had mentioned the
direction which he meant to pursue; and the last time he was seen
alive was in one of the forest avenues, about eight miles from the
city, leading toward the point he had indicated. This jailer was
not a man to be regretted on his own account; his life had been a
tissue of cruelty and brutal abuse of his powers, in which he had
been too much supported by the magistrates, partly on the plea that
it was their duty to back their own officers against all
complainers, partly also from the necessities created by the
turbulent times for a more summary exercise of their magisterial
authority. No man, therefore, on his own separate account, could
more willingly have been spared than this brutal jailer; and it was
a general remark that, had the murderous band within our walls
swept away this man only, they would have merited the public
gratitude as purifiers from a public nuisance. But was it certain
that the jailer had died by the same hands as had so deeply
afflicted the peace of our city during the winter--or, indeed, that
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
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