The Starvel Hollow tragedy : $b An Inspector French caseCrofts, Freeman Wills
General
The Starvel Hollow tragedy : $b An Inspector French case
Crofts, Freeman Wills
Detective and mystery stories; French, Joseph (Fictitious character) -- Fiction; Police -- Great Britain -- Fiction
The arrangements for this journey he had carried out with the same
careful regard to detail which had characterised his other actions.
Hidden in the cashbox with Averill’s money French found a passport
made out for Brazil in the name of Arthur Lisle Whitman, with a
photograph of Philpot, viséed and complete and—a forgery. The way in
which this had been done showed the man’s extraordinary ingenuity once
again. He had obtained in the ordinary way a passport for himself for
holidaying in France. Roper’s passport with its Brazilian _visé_ he
had searched for and stolen before setting fire to the house. Of these
two he had built up a new one, using certain pages from each. From his
own book he took the description of himself, his stamped photograph
and the vacant pages at the back. On certain blank pages from Roper’s
he forged both the printing and writing where he could not suitably
alter his own, as well as obtaining a model of the Brazilian _visé_,
which he also forged.
The wretched criminal’s last move, the meeting with French at
Waverley, was on his part a throw of the dice. On receipt of the wire
to Whitman through the Edinburgh tobacconist he half-suspected a trap,
and of course the plan became apparent when French’s letter to himself
arrived. He saw, however, that he was either quite safe or
irretrievably lost. If French had no inkling of the truth it was
evident that he must keep the appointment and continue to play his
game. On the other hand, if French knew, nothing could save him, and
he would make an end of things for all concerned with his Mills’ bomb.
To bring this tale of the Starvel Hollow Tragedy to a close it remains
only to be said that after a dramatic trial Herbert Philpot paid for
his crimes with his life, while to turn to a happier side of the
picture, Pierce Whymper and Ruth Averill were united in the bonds of
holy matrimony where both found the happiness which at one time had
seemed likely to be denied them.
Transcriber’s Notes
This transcription follows the text of the edition published by
Grosset & Dunlap in 1927 (by arrangement with Harper & Brothers).
However, the following alterations have been made to correct what are
believed to be unambiguous errors in the text:
* “be would consult” to “he would consult” (Ch. VI);
* “the man” to “The man” (Ch. IX);
* “arroused” to “aroused” (Ch. X);
* “oxyacetlene” to “oxyacetylene” (Ch. XVI).
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
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