Detective and mystery stories; English fiction -- 19th century
I am a sergeant on the detective staff of the Metropolitan Police.
In October, 1856, I was on duty at Notting Hill. I was employed to
watch a gentleman by the name of Anderton. He was in custody on a
coroner's warrant for the murder of his lady, but couldn't be removed
on account of being ill. I was put in the house to prevent his escape.
I did not stay in his room. I did at first, but it seemed of no use;
so I spoke to our superintendent, and got leave from him to stop in
the outer-room. I did this to make things pleasant. I always try to
make things as pleasant as I can, compatible with duty, specially when
it's a gentleman. It comes harder on them than on the regular hands,
because they are not so much used to it. In this case prisoner seemed
to take on terribly. He was very weak and ill--too ill seemingly to
get out of bed. He used to lie with his eyes fixed upon one corner of
the room muttering sometimes to himself, but I couldn't tell what. He
never spoke to any one. The only time he spoke was once, to ask me to
let him see the body. I hadn't the heart to say no; but I went with him
and kept at the door. He could hardly totter along, he was so weakly.
After about half-an-hour, I thought it was all very quiet, and looked
in. He was lying on the floor in a dead faint, and I carried him back.
He never spoke again, but lay just as I have said. Of course I took
every precaution. Prisoner's room had two doors, one opening on the
landing, and the other into the room where I stopped. I locked up the
outer-door and put three or four screws into it from the outside. The
window was too high to break out at, but our men used to keep an eye
upon it from the street. At night I used to lock the door of my room
and stick open the door between the two. I was relieved occasionally by
Sergeant Walsh,[3] but I mostly preferred seeing to it myself. I like
to keep my own work in my own hands, and this was a very interesting
case. When I first took charge I made a careful examination of the
premises and of all papers, and the like. I found nothing to criminate
the prisoner. I found a journal of the lady who was murdered, with a
note at the end in his handwriting; but so far as it went they seemed
to be on very good terms. I found also a lot of prescriptions and notes
referring to her illness, but no papers like that found by the nurse,
nor any traces of powders or drugs of any kind. I went with the nurse
into the bed-room of the murdered party, and made her point out the
exact spot where the paper was found. According to what she said it was
lying just under the bed on the right-hand side. The glove was lying
close to it, but not under the bed. Somehow I didn't quite feel as if
it was all on the square. I thought the business of the paper looked
rather queer. It didn't seem quite feasible like. I have known a thing
of that sort by way of a plant before now, so I thought I'd just go on
asking questions. That's always my way. I ask all kinds of questions
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
Reviews
Reviews
No reviews yet
Be the first to share your thoughts on this work.
Join the Discussion
Join the discussion
Sign in to leave a comment or review.
Sign InorCreate an account