CHAPTER XX.
When Mr. Jacobs threatened to obtain that all-powerful friend of theprisoner, a writ of _habeas corpus_, Detective Blount, although thenwithout the evidence necessary to hold Hall for trial, did not feel verymuch concerned. He felt certain his telegrams would procure enoughevidence to warrant the prisoner's commitment for trial, but he had avery close shave for it, and the immediate evidence came through anunexpected and almost unknown party--Miss Fleming.
His reply came from Dublin--nothing was known there and O'Brien had notreported for forty-eight hours. He was engaged in another matter.
Next came Carden's reply for both Martin and himself: "Martin too ill.Doctor forbids talking of the matter. O'Brien not here."
Blount looked angry and disappointed--and then came Miss Fleming, justfifteen minutes before he was to go to Court--and with her a biggood-looking country squire, who was only too happy to escort her toDover.
Miss Fleming immediately proceeded to business, and with a directnessthat excited Blount's admiration. After making sure he was the rightparty, she laid two letters before him.
"Those," she said, "contain the information, I think, that you askedfor. They are from Mr. Martin, and say that he is about to fight withthat horrid Hall. At the end of each is a short note from a Mr. O'Brien,saying Mr. Martin was seriously hurt. The letters were sent to Mr.Stafford and--Mr. Carden, and they are with Mr. Martin now."
After examining the letters Blount asked:
"Miss Fleming, would you object to being a witness against Hall, if itbecomes necessary?"
She hesitated a little but finally said if it would help her friends inany way she "would try."
It was not necessary, however; for the prosecuting attorney, armed withthe letters and telegrams and a witness ready to identify him, had nodifficulty in having Hall committed for trial--without bail, owing toCarden's alarming telegram.
Having Hall, now, where he could lay his hand on him when required,Blount accompanied Miss Fleming and Mr. Gerard, her escort, as far asManchester, and then hurried on to London. No matter how the trial forduelling turned out--and he shrewdly suspected Martin would refuse toappear in it--there was a great deal to be done before it came on.
The first news he received in London was regarding the stolen draftpresented at Baring's. Being detailed specially for Martin's matter,this was given as news and not as bearing on his case, as was theadditional fact that no trace could be found of the owner, who was nowsupposed to have been murdered.
Blount in a professional way asked who was the thief and the amount ofthe draft.
The reply rather startled him. The thief was well known to him as afriend of Jaggers, and the amount of the draft twelve thousand pounds.Then Blount did some very brilliant thinking, which resulted in hiscalling on the man who had presented the draft.
"Hello, Sanders! Got you again, have they! I say! What did Jaggers dowith the rest of the stuff?" Mr. Blount asked, carelessly.
"How do I know? Blast----" Mr. Sanders stopped suddenly. He had steadilyrefused to talk so far, but his week's imprisonment had not improved anunusually bad temper, and it had got the better of him.
Mr. Blount could be a perfect Job's comforter when occasion required, asis proved by the following:
"Well--you've put your foot in it this time, I'm afraid. I've been awayfor a week or two--only got back to-day and heard of this. They have youstraight enough on the draft, but that's nothing--only a few years. Theother is 'life,' or worse.
"Why, don't you know they've got it down for murder now? Oh! you are infor it I'm afraid, as soon as Jaggers gives up. They haven't found thebody yet, but, of course, that's pretty near certain to come to light.It's only a matter of time."
Sanders was no fool--at any rate not fool enough to engage in any affairinvolving murder, and in spite of himself became interested.
"What are you talking about?" he demanded.
"About the finding of the body of the man you took the draft from. Thedraft itself, of course, amounts to only a few years, but theother----Here! I've got to see a _friend_ of mine almost as bad off asyourself. Take this paper--it will tell you as much as I can!" and Mr.Blount hurried away to the end of the corridor, and then sat down andtalked to the turnkey for half an hour.
Sanders was an educated man and came of good family. Drink had been theprimary cause of this and his previous troubles, but he had never beeninvolved in anything even approaching murder, and when Blount had gonehe seized the paper and read a long story of the crime supposed to beconnected with his possession of the draft. News had not been tooplentiful, and the editor had given full scope to the reporter'simagination. The police were close on the heels of the missing murderer,so the paper asserted, and he or the one in custody, it was expected,would divulge the story of the crime.
Sanders read the story eagerly and looked considerably worried by it,Blount's little story fitted in so nicely.
Suddenly Blount appeared at the door of the cell.
"Well, through with the paper, Sanders?" he asked, and as it was handedback: "You were a most infernal fool to put your hand into anything withblood in it. Such fellows as Jaggers and 'The Knifer' (Sanders started)take chances of that kind right along, and are bound to come to the ropein the end--but they are little better than brutes, while you are a manof education. But I must be off! May see you again in a day ortwo--Good-bye."
And having left Sanders with plenty of food for reflection, Blount leftthe prison in high glee.
"I'll get that thousand pounds yet," he muttered as he passed out, "andby the merest fluke, too. And 'The Knifer' is in it, eh! Well, well! Tothink of playing it on an intelligent chap like Sanders--but they areall fools, every one of them."
Thus communing with himself, Blount walked rapidly in the direction of"Blind Jim's;" but once in the neighborhood, proceeded at a leisurelygait to that den. As those who frequented the place were all night owlsof the worst type, there were but few present when Blount entered, andJaggers was not among them.
The last time Blount visited Jaggers, the latter became a person ofimportance because of his intimacy with him, and it occurred to Blountthat he could perhaps get something out of "Blind Jim" on the strengthof this apparent intimacy.
There were no love lost between the proprietor and thepolice--especially that portion of it represented in the person ofBlount--but he bowed obsequiously as the latter approached.
"I want to meet Jaggers again--where is he?" said Blount, afterdeclining an offer of "something," and ignoring an inquiry as to hishealth.
As may be supposed "Blind Jim" knew of Jaggers' last bit of business,and hesitated a moment before answering that he did not know.
Jaggers had become very drunk after Blount had gone away the last timethe latter called, and had told the proprietor of the den that he hadput Blount up to a big thing. Remembrance of this made Jim add thatJaggers had been there the previous night for the first time in a coupleof weeks, and was very drunk when he left.
"When you see him again, say I want to see him about that matter. Hewill know what I mean--I think I will take some beer."
This chimed in exactly with Jaggers' story, and induced "Jim" to say:
"Suppose I make it a quart o' bitter, Mr. Blount, an take it over to'Nell'--you know her? She 'n Jaggers went out together last night."
Blount assented to the proposition, but a ten minutes conversation with'Nell' proved conclusively that she knew nothing about Jaggers, exceptthat he appeared to have plenty of money, and was living with "TheKnifer," "down Blackwall way."
This was something, however, and Blount left "Blind Jim's" fairly wellsatisfied. He had not expected to find Jaggers there, and was rathergratified that he had not. It proved that Jaggers was inhiding--otherwise why abandon his old haunts?
That night every officer in London and the outlying districts had anaccurate description of Jaggers and "The Knifer," with orders to arrestthem.