The Rhos Herald

[ALL RIGHTS RESERVED.] The Body in the Box BY DRUID GRAYL. "What do you make of this, Latimer?" s'fcidr Allerby, handing over the current number oi 'Notes and Queries" to his friend as liffl Spoke Latimer took the paper and scanned the Article which tho. ilvor man indicated. It 'Was headed "Nothing new under the sun," and ran thus: J he Shrubshire Sentinel' is responsible for tho following paragraph: A week or so i. > some labourers excavs^ ting on the moors, the ancient tumulus known as The Can. which lies north-west of the Watling Stre found the niummiiicd body of a female lyi; in an open chest, together with certain primitive ornanionU. An itinerant showman got hold of the box and its contents for a sovereign, it appears, and is parading tho country with the show, though we understand that the county coroner is on his track. Our repr tentative saw the body privately, and was struck by the fact that the month contained teeth evi- o, I dencing dentistry of the crown and bridge type. We know that dental forceps ha e been found at Pcmpeii, but that work on modern American lines should have beer; done in prehistoric times is another proof the adage which heads our article. It is to 03 regretted that the body was found whilst Mr. t was away from his horno at the adjacent reside we Ballum Cottage, for he has found several proofs of pre-Koman occupation in the neigh- bourhood, some of which are in the muse mi at the county town. It is to be hoped that I the authorities will recover the body, so lh«t expert opinion may be given as to its period etc.' This is worthy of preservation in Notes and Queries.'—Kelt. Latimer put down the paper and said quietly, "I should like to see this body shouldn't you, Fran'-?" "Yes; but doesn't the. report read to you ke a "Not at all. Who is He coroner for ShruL. 1'11 turn up his name in the directory, and write requesting him to favour riieaof the IJlUmlr;y.\Ve'lJ run down together if you l;\e; such a sub- ject is not to be seen every d.-yy, either from rny point of view as a medical man or youra as a novelist." Two days later he called at his friend" chambers with a telegram from the Shrub- shire coroner. It was brief, but to the point, and was thus worded: — "Doctor JLatimer 17, Harlev-street, London. Specimen" see urea tntact. Write or wire your coming.—Wrax hall." zzl 11 Now, my dear Frank," said Latimer,' we are well on the track of the story which an with that paragraph you drew my at- tention to: a story which will furnish an ori- ginal theme for your craft, or I'm very much mistaken. I shall tell you nothing at pre. sent, save that my friend. Professor Portal, a Mr. Shaw, and myself are going to N-, in Shruhshire, to-morrow, when we shall be glad to have your company, if you can make it convenient." t "You are putting it very kindly, Latimer, I shall be delighted to come, naturally." "That's settled, then. Euston, 8.30 a.m., 4 Sharp, fou? men had the compartment to ykemselves on the journey to the Mid- ands, so Allerby had time and opportunity p study his new acquaintances. Professor Mortal was a huge, black-bearded man, al- most ferocious in appearance, but a pair oi dark brown, kindly, meditative eyes belied the first impression. He drew continual at- tention to various crops in the fields, inter- 3persirg his remarks of approval or the re- verse with references to certain parasites and vegetable plagues, which caused Frank to think hinl an inspector of agriculture. Mr. on the other hand, was a very quiet, eVen retiring, sort of man, who seemed to be an absolutely colour!ess character, so' that the young fellow wtndercd why on earth, he formed one of the party. At N-- they found Mr. Wraxhall's car- riage awaiting them, and a drive of aboil £ fifteen minutes brought them to an old- "?rld mansion, wh .ru a jovial, portly. Middle-aged gentleman greeted them kindly, Latimer introduced himself and the Others. There is no need to detail the poor shell of humanity which lay before' them in' the Open elm box. I t was a mummy, surely; the «Usk of what had "been a living soul—that' is Hough. There was pity and even reverence ? the hearts of the onlookers, and a long lieney, broken only as Professor Portal and atimer knelt down with one accord and be- gan scraping the inside of the box. y? a moment or so each man had gathered j little dust into an envelope, and, whilst J^atimer carefully sifted a portion of his. and »> *t on fire with a wax match. Professor ortal put a few grains into a test tube con- fining a milkv liquid, and began to heat it pocket "spirit-lamp. «* U,.aljy *>or*al said, ">So far as xny trial l^periment hes gone it justifies your theory, Latimer. cr> ^ank y°lb professor, mine has almost Harmed it, replied Latimer. The quiet ice of Shaw was then heard. "It's not a a ter of many miles to Camp, I think, from Wraxhall, and I should like to around the place as soon as possible." Wr lye fought of that, inspector," answered Ua xXlla^; "and have arranged to drive our •/ there." Thus Frank learned that the CUri •? iidividual was a detective, and his losity rose to straining point. b A (iri ve of something over half an hour e them to a comparatively unbroken r eou!ltry of marsh and heath bearing 'hem lr^ Pines and clumps of undergrowth form af t^iere- At last, a hill, too regular in l-i UatJirRl elevation, came in sight, af low-i, • i from which stood a long *hieh § habitation, the lower portion of *attle-and-dabf iai'8e St0I1<?S' Upper °? and Ralhlm Cottage," said Mi *r»d no ■' as x Pullecl in. Leaving the horse *Pav *iie nian> the party took their «tone„ "High a gate across some stepping- "id-eriKi U tumulus, which was of eon hei^t 8 acreRge, and perhaps thirty feet in «treatr; SOit, of moat or ditch, fed w encircled it, and there were re thoso eo-'posed of stones similar tc or Che cottage. ♦age i.ti-vx aiL 0a^er' from which Ballum Cq* Corrut)HrmS US" 11 t?1?, Ba 11 um being a local "ofitv 01 Vallum — suggests Eomar f^Sgest th> Wraxhall,. "but antiquaries lt*ies "nnlJ+i +11-"118 *s no^ °i(ier than Saxoi: fO^n&'rv1 ,ll: v,a's erected after a san- ~fitona in 1"CTwee^ that people and the aomp nF ill/J latter were beaten, los wih Hi ir chlefs- Bat need n<^ 6a is tho CS^ eonjectures-. Nearer the co4. fck' 1 which thef peat-w orkers dua *^3re. waB u»^a(r(heiJl Let us g» "It isn't very deep." said Shaw, sentsn- I .A.ously, as he leaned down and touched tiz, bottom with his walking-stick. "No; and unfortunately the workman whom I have already interviewed could not declare whether the soil showed evidence of comparatively recent disturbance or not. It is a pity that Mr. Corfield is not at home, his services would have bdea invaluable to us." "Is he a friend of yours, sir.'?" ¡ Oh, no. I have only seen him once, and then at a distance. He is a shy, retiring old man, I understand. A little, eccentric, ° per- haps, for he has a mane of white hair, wears a coat of unusual length, and double-smoked I glasses to shade his eyes. He has something more than a stoop, too; being nearly two- double,' the folks express it. A very worthv man, they tell me, benevolent in an unosten- tatious way. One or other of his nieces when staying with him was always taking small presents of provisions or money to the needy in the neighbourhood. An excellent archae- alogist and antiquary, too the curator oi the museum opines—from the curious objects the old gentleman sent there as gifts from time to time." "Yes, sir, it's a thousand pities he's away," replied Shaw, with a ring of genuine regret in his voice; "but perhaps one of his nieces could give us some information." "I have been to the cottage myself, but could make no one hear," retorted Mr. Wrax- hall. "I should think it unlikely that Mr. Corneld would leave a woman alone in this situation." "Anyhow, there's no harm in finding out," persisted Shaw. "We shall soon know," snid the coroner, I "for I fastened one of my cards under thr knocker, with a request that he would call oi me, or say when I might find him at home.' The card was there untouched, the shutters ¡ were fastened, and there was no response tc I their knocking. Acting upon some impulse which he couh not afterwards explain—unless there b. something in the theory that fancied or de- liberate scrutiny causes one to look and meet it—Latimer stepped back and gazed at the upper lattice. For a moment he seemed to become conscious of a pale, sallow face from which two greenish grey eyes looked into hi? own. "Good Lord he ejaculated. "What is it, sir?" cried Shaw, quickly. j "A fancy—-hallucination—an image formed y U, from my own obsession," said Latimer. "For the moment I could have sworn that I saw at the upper window the face of an old fellow- student. I'm ashamed of myself; but it shows what tricks the mind plays with the senses." "What sort of man, sir?" "Oh, a fair, grey-eyed fellow of about my own age," retorted Latimer rather irritrhlv. "I thought myself out of the pale of this kind Of "Surround the house, gentlemen; I take this on myself. No visions for me." So say- ing. Shaw lifted the latch, and dashing hi.- muscular frame -against the door sent it fly i^g- inwards, and rushed into the house. j Latimer and Allerby strolled round to t.lc< back premises, and they could hear Shav banging and stamping in the house for tin next five minutes. Neither of the compc: io"; spoke, for the doctor was still plainly angr. With himself, and Allerby could find "notlilrf. to :f.[hf- Presently they heard Shaw's voic:, hailh r them, and that individual, red, dusty, and a ? little shamefaced, walked up rapidly. "Has anybody left the house, gentlemen ¡" he asked. a soul," answered Allerby. "Nor is there a soul inside," responded Shaw, 'and not so much as a good hiding place for a eat." By tis: time they came on Mr. Wrax- hall and Professor Portal, who had walkcc- round the other way. The coroner was pla. on. his dignity, as the phrase goes, so the de tective' hastened to say, "I am sorry to have bsen so hasty, Mr. Wraxhall, although I have au.tiiG'.uty f' orn the chief to do as I thin' best Doctor Latimer's exclamation and statement caused me to act on the b::pulse oi the' moment. I have made the door sec-uie again, and replaced your card beneath the knocker. Pardon me if I leave'you all now; I have some inquiries to make. I hope to have the plan sure to call on you, Mr. Coroner, this evening or to-morrow. Gced- day, gentlemen. P»y the way, what was the name of your fellow student, Doctor Lati- mer." "Louis Levantin.?." A, I "Of for ry* extraction, I think. I assume that he came into ™^y head because of his in- terest In the process I spoke of privately, when I. calkd at New Scotland-yard the oth-r evening. I am the person who should apologise, inspector." I. -No, sir; I ought to have been more eir- c"jmstp3ct, and that's tho truth. He touched his hat, :mcI walked oif in the .-direction of the distant hamlet. "There is something of mystery to you in all this, Frank," said Latimer, when they were seated in the train, "so I will let in a little light on it nov., for I see you are dying with curiosity, and too polite to ask me any- iking, When I was a student, there came a certain French lecturer to the schools, and he had an idea, for the disposal of dead bodies, which he claimed as original, hygie- nic, and practical. It was to put the corpse into art open box containing a mixture of sulphate of zinc and sawdust. The waters of the body, he explained, would exude into the chemical matter, and escape by the ex posed surface, leaving a preserved mummy. Now,, when I read that paragraph yoa showed nu, and took the modern dentistry into co-sideration, I saw crime and not anti- quity in the ease, so wrote to Wraxhall, and tiien weui- to my 'friend 'here, Professor Portal, and. finally to the detective office. But my at the cottage has probably í.)lm¡),rtew:d;,h,L:: ;:te(.ed a worthy otmrer's ;nd„ so any futuxe failure must be laid to "01; corue, come, Latimer," broke in the -.rofpssor, kindly, "you are too hard on your- r It- Any scientific man will understand from our explanation how easy it is to visualize a certain' who has been connected with one under peculiar circumstances, particu- larly if that person was of marked character or Appearance." "Levantine was all that; I remember him as clearly as if that vision at the window had been his sb-appearancc in the flesh after years." Anyhow* your deductions have bee good," continued Portal, "and I think I shall prove them perfect. Mr. Allerby, you saw my little experiment; it proved the presence of sulphate of Vina; and the remainder of the- powder hieh I have with me will, I am cex- tain, wtake assurance doubly sure under fur- ther isst/ PrfffefAer Portal is the Home Office specialist nd e.jpórt, Frank," said Latimer. Altorbjr awed, <.a Utile- ahyly; the tale fcad ■ to and the company te had 'w- tlx tt warg tDSetlier singular!^ sir# to I man who \Y01 kcci ,'r*.?.« nis v.Tii imagiuatioa. re was foreign wood hi my scrapings, imdowbteoiy," F C., L-'timev, and too, will subject tne re n;:i, i: to i'rosn vssts. Portal.' } 'ish < 't ckl e,y h:\d 'v i: | h { /I n -J | me Ljj/ were in the chest with the bo<y. ] Y.ike a couple with you." I "Thanks. I'll give you a cell to-morrow." • -,v I The events of the next few days substanti- ated Latimer's early notion that a ree-ni; aLma Imd been His own dt: 1. experime tr with those Professor Portal tHe correctness ci ones. er, an autopsy of iut body discovered <» al poisoning as the S'- •iausj of death. 1 ecrets were well ke, t. to aid police inquiry, for Mr. Wraxhall post- poned the inquest till a fitting time. That gentleman reported to Latimer that [nspeetor Shaw had left the neighbour- hood, nonplussed, after making an extra- ordinary statement, which ho had pro mist d to repeat to the doctor on the earliest pos- sible occasion. Latimer had to wait. a fort- night before the detective put in an appear- ance, and then a first glance at the man showed him to be dejected. "Nothing has turned up, then?" queried Latimer. "Oh, yes, plenty has turned up, but only to complicate the case. There's a warrant out for the arrest of the old antiquary, Cor- Held—if he's alive, which is doubtful. He is either the accomplice or tool of a gang of curio forgers and criminals, for I've traced shipment to France of one other female mummy, and unearthed a heap of bogus anti- ques at a dealer's, evidently the work of the same hands." "I can readily understand that," Latime* remarked, for Professor Portal has tested the objects we brought away with us, and found them to be composed of silicate of lime acted on by carbonic acid." "Hum! that's another bit of evidence. Yet the things Corfield gave to the museum are genuine enough — which is complicating: again. Craft, perhaps. The man that did; the selling to the dealers they describe as a military-looking swell with' a heavy black moustache, and wearing a single eye-glass, He'd been all over the world, he told them, I and made it a business as well as a pleasure to collect curiosities—everything from Maori weapons and Indian Buddhas in soapstone to English pilgrim-bottles and Roman tear-cups. Avid, by Jupiter, they're all false, sir, every jack. "He called himself Major Charles Walker. He's a Charley Wag and a Hookey Walker into the bargain, lie is; for he's left no more track than a snake. Now this is where the matter stands, in my judgment. Corfield's either a confederate or a itiug- excuse me, sir—Walker has played on aiic put him out of the way. Like as not the Major ( saw that very newspaper account, and sent for old Corfield to a suitable place, so as to I do him in—there I go again." Latimer smiled. "Oh, I can appreciate a; picturesque phraseology," said he, "don't' break your narrative for form's sake, I beg. But Mr. Wraxhall writes that you made an extraordinary statement,' to be repeated to me." "Here it is then, sir—a straight man's I straight tale,, whatever it's twisted into. I went off into the hamlet to make inquiries, as you know. I could hear nothing but good of Corfield and his nieces, and nothing at all of any visitors, suspicious or otherwise. I'd promised Mr. Wraxhall to call the same even- ing, to talk things over, so I hired a steady old peasant for half a sovereign to keep the cottage undes* close observation all night. I fortified him with a half-pint bottle of Scotch, and posted him well pleased with his job.. "I left Mr. Wraxhall at midnight, and tramped back so as to relieve my sentinel be- fore daylight. He was there, right enough, but lying in a sort o' fit. Not a blue-blind paralytic, oh, dear no; a genuine swound; tl!C whiskey was hardly touched. I lifts his napper quick, and pours a drain o' the spirit down his guzzle, and by and by he comes out o' the faint. 'What little game's this?' I says. 'The knockers,' says he. What's hiwrhersV I asks him. Fairishes, bugs o' the dead in. Camp,' he whispers. I didn't know his lingo, but guessed he meant spirits, so I sits him up and says, stern like, Cliiiek it! be a man, have another pull at the bottle.' He gulped some down, and his teeth chat-' tercel on the neck o' the bottle like old Harry's tattoo. Suddenly he breaks off in his drink, and chokes, There hark out! don't you hear 'em kreening and ringing their little ting-tang,' he cries. I shall be took like old Povey, arter this, an' have a fading-stroke or summat. He spied on 'e:n and got blasted, Lead me away, master, or I shall go dead,' he ends up." "Well, do you know, sir, the old chap was right, or him being crazed-Eke made me crazy, for I could a. little bell ringing, and muffled shriei,s such as you listen to in Bedlam when the loonies are bad. I bundled the old chap into the road, and told him to make the best of his way home, and then I hurried back. It was no deception, and that's gospel. Ting Ting hoo-oo-oo Ting Ting gospel. Ting Ting hoo-oo-oo Ting Ting hoo-oo-oo I could hear it again and again. I made a few stepr, in the dark, but the place is so boggy, I had to stand listening till morn- ing." "The sound got fainter and fainter as time went on, and at last there was a sort o' stifled scream, and then noting more. Nothing more! and there was nothing to be seen when the day pept—not a sigh, not a mark. That's my tale, sir, what do you think of it "There is at least one obvious explanation, though it may not b3 the true one, Shaw. An owl—possibly an escaped pet wearing a bell —might have been hunting mice and such small deer on the heath." "What a juggins I am," ejaculated Shaw, with brightening face—"but there, I'm no countryman. Of course, the thing's as plain as the nose on my face. You're sending me away in a happier frame of mind, sir," he continued. "I almost began to think I was going balmy. Good-day, Doctor Latimer; be sure I'll keep you posted. in any pro- gress." Good-da ,v, Shaw, and good luck." So off went the detective; but it was no\ his lot to end the story. Mr. Wraxhall sup- plied the epilogue.. and his own words shall unravel the mystery. "Dear Doctor Latimer"—he wrote- U J am able to set myself down as an ass for la ngh- mg at poor Shaw, but, what is more to the point, can place you in possession of factr which serve to elucidate the late strange hap- penings at Camp. At a recent meeting of the Shrubshire Archaeological Society I men- tioned the circumstances to the Earl of Shrubsbire, who is, not only our president but Lcrd of the Manor of N and its rno-he. í which include Camp. "He was deeply interested, and his interest tù0 practical shape. Inclining to the belief that Mr. Corneld had been murdered, he or- dered a thorough examination of the cottage j which he said should be razed to the grouivl, J if necessary—Mr. Corfield to receive compel* sufton in the event of his return. "The Earl and I were present during ih-i I search, and, finally, when the cottage was t nearly wrecked, we found that the brewhouse boiler had been made to swing on a spring pivot, thus giving access to the base of the chimney annex built outside, and this com- municated with a passage, partly of stone- work, which proved to be part of an old sluice ending at an ancient floodgate near. the moat, "A workman found this passage blocked about ten yards from the entrance, so the labourers were set to work to excavate out- side. Half an hour's labour brought them to a man's crouching body, the lower limbs broKen and wedged to the hips with fallen stones and earth. There was a silver pocket- 11 ask clutched tightly in his hand, which had contained spirit. We concluded—natur- ally, I think—that he had used this article tc tap the stones within reach, in the vain hope to summon timely help. Hence the mumed bell-like sounds which Shaw heard—and hence, horrible to relate, the maniacal t laughter wlncn ended only when death re- I lieved the murderer from earthly conscious- ness. "For he was a murderer, a base, cold blooded, cru-cl, and calculating one; as we found from the papers in his pocket; which, doubtless, he had hurried back to fetch wher- thd newspaper report apprised him that iiis flagitious schemes were about to be dissi- pated. They were letters from poor girls it. search of situations, and Heaven alone knows, how many of these hapless beings he hai foully done to death for the sake of the sail of their bodies. These were the 'niecc-s,' doubtless. There were bottles of chemicals and instruments of his ghastly trade in a niche in the annex, I may add.. "Yours was no hallucination. Corfield and Levantine were one and the mine-, for there was an artistic white wig and pair of smoked glasses in one pocket of the corpse, and several letters addressed to 'Major Walker1 at a London call office. Whejj you caught,' sight of him at the upper window, he must have hastened to the boiler passage, hoping to conczal himself and escape at a suitable moment. "But it was not to be. His sin found him I out-my long experience goes to show it is I ever thus, clear Latimer—and Divine retribu- tion was meted to him. The mills of God grind slowly, but they grind exceediuq small, as the poet has it. But I shudder as I write when I think of that stricken villain suffocating very slowly, his crafty brain knowing little by little the awful transition from despair to madness. Heaven, have mercy on his soul. Your obliged friend, Geoffrey Wraxhall."