Come into _my_parlour said the
THE CHINA MAIL, SATURDAY, AUGUST 6, 1960.
MURDER by EDGAR
IN TRANSIT
LUSTGARTEN
feudal squire If one woman must
I
By PATRICIA LEWIS
was two miles as the feet stumble through lash- ing wind and rain to Tresco Abbey.
dine tourists a year pay 3s. 6d. I had been invited to with Lient-Commander Tom enjoy them). Dorrien-Smith, R.N. (retd),
up
"Augustus was
10
a great man and when he the autocratic owner of Tresco but a bachelor, and
uninhabited died in 1872 he left the lease to over 100
grandfather Thomas my islands that help to make the Sellies, 25 miles off Land's Elginon, who started the flower End.
industry by sending a hat-box-"
Garden as an ful to Covent experiment."
My reason for walking to my supper had nothing to do with raising an appetite: there amply no alternative.
was
With the rise in wages the proflis on Bower-growing have running collapsed into a loss
of pounds a into thousands other year.
Dorrien-Smith has banned all mechanical transport from the island-along with dogs
than his own Black Labradors THE FUMES
and, as he himself gets about
on foot or, on special occasions, horse-drawn carriage, guests (Anyway, can hardly quibble.
to bring .this was no weather
out the horse!}
THE BUTLER
1 staggered through the tur reted gateway, where the Union Jack few to show Dorrien- Smith was in residence, to the inner courtyard, The abbey the rain- looked sinister in washed twilight, and the Gur rounding 15 acres of subtropical, gardens melancholy.
My clothes were dripping. But Dorrien-Smith who appeared in his hall, closely failowed by his beautiful wife, Tamara-a Rus- the buller, slan princess-and Henry, proved that he could cope. "Take her clothes to the drying-room, Henry," he crdered.
"Pily about the weather. Most unusual for here. I'll blow over soon. Never lasts more than a few hours. Would you like a bath?"
I said I'd had that on the way up from the hotel and would settle for a rub-down and a change of clothes..
"Alt built from shipwrecks, you know," said my host.
an
Dorrien-Smith wants to get "going active community again--by "going into the holi- day business spoiling the island's character.
myself without
It occurred to me that the rest of Cornwall might not be too pleased with this unexpect ed brand-new competition on its doorstep.
die...why
not a plane-load?
(Passenger's
Gate, Denver FLIGHT 629 CALLING TAKE- Airport, Colorado, 6.40 pm. OFF
November 1, 1955)
"SAY look, Mom, ain't those guys gettin' out now from under?" "Could be." "Yeah, yeah, sure they are. Seems like at last they got that darn kite ready." "Could be."
"Half
hour behind schedule-an't it a honey? Fine night, bright moon, every- Dor-thing okay, and there they are, every bit of half an hour behind schedule,"
"Comwall" spluttered rien-Smith,
"We're not part of Cornwall at all.
"One'd think it was you was The only reason we put it af
flying. John, instead of me." the feat of our address is that!
"Well, goddam, I don't see otherwise half our letters wind why 'planes can't be punctual." up' in Sicily.
"You're not always so pune "No, no! We only share the tual yourself and that reminds the MP. the chief me; see you call for the wages bishop, constable, and
at the bank Arst thing tomor- asylum with Cornwall.
row." " run the electricity, water, drainage, fire brigade, roads, and funerals-everything."
the
Junatic
"Then Tresco is really a relic of the feudal system?"
THE
FLAG
He pondered a moment.
"You might say that. I don't
allow motor-cars because they send off such horrid fumes.
"Yeah, sure." "And
see you hand 'em out open up the res-
before you Iaurant,
"Yeah, sure. .Say, there's no one there at all now, no one doin' nothin'. Saints alive, why don't they call that flight?"
"Guess they will in a minute. You know something. John, I still can't figure why I had to pay that excess on my baggage,"
"Aw, forget it."
"But I packed so little." "Quit Bussin'. Only a coupla dollars."
"United Airlines, Flight 628, to Portland. United runes, Flight 629, to Portland. Will all passengers kindly proceed...
"That's you. Mom. G'bye now.'
2)
"I don't allow dogs because A few minutes later I was we do a certain amount of sitting, high and dry, in a room shooting-pheasant, duck, saije, full of pillars, arches, and and things-and I don't wani paintings.
other people's dogs getting inte my coveys. I suppose I'm throw-back the old Victorian squire... M
The sun was briliant next morning us I saifed away to the mainland.
I looked-back at the palm- fringed abbey housing Dorrien- Smith, his wife, his five child- ren, his servants, his Black
"Yeah, sure. Don't worry, Labradors, his horses, and a Mom . . . Have a good trip." tame thrush called Hector.
"It all began with my great- great-uncle Augustus Smith who came to the islands in 1835 as Lord Proprietor-ridiculous title --and this was the first room he built. He just added a room every shipwreck,"
Great-great-uncle Augustus did indeed begin it all. It was he who re-allotted the scattered farm lands into compact, sites, built roads, and laid out the famous Tresco gardens with rare plants from the far ends of the world (an average of 20,000
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"Give my love, to Marion." "Yeah, sure."
"And the kids."
The Union Jack blazed from the turrels. All was well with the state of Tresco, our nearest | (Radio outpost of the Empire.
The crash
Reception, Denver Altport, Colorado, 7.3 --(London Express Service). November 1, 1955.)
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"The explosion,
gentlemen,
four, immediately below
the
SUCCESSFUL HEIGHT occurred in Cargo Pit number 1200 FEET CLIMBING.
Farm Kitchen, County. Colorado, 7.3
(A November 1, 1955.)
lounge. The walls and floor of Weld this compartment were blown P. out in all directions.
"Nothing the aircraft was known to be carrying could con- "Give me a
hand with these ceivably have exploded with
such violence and force." "Coming right now."
dishes, Abe."
"Sky looks great tonight,
don't it A
"Great."
"All those stars.”. "Mebbe it's because I washed the windows."
"Romantic, aren't you? Sakes, did you hear that?"
"Sounds like something ex- ploded"
C
"I can't see anything, Only the sky... Wait a minute, though. There diving down there, Abe. What's Ita shoot ing star?
"Did you hear that? Men ciful
did you
hear that?
"I'll go call the police "Abe!... Abe! Call the fire squid first. Call the fire squad first!"
"God,
(U.S. News Agency Tapes, November 2, 1955.)
WRECKED AIRLINER: 44 BODIES NOW RECOVERED NO SURVIVORS.
(Joint Inquiry Board Meet- ing. Denver Airport Colorado, November 7 1955.)
The probe
(US. News Agency Tapes, November 8, 1955.)
Colo-
COLORADO AIR CRASH FEI PROBE (F.B.I. Oce. Denver,
rado, November 9, 1955). "It's a thousand to one that a bomb was planted inside some- one's baggage.
On
a
to set one hour ahead if they were going to put it stopping plané, `
"They'd rig it to blast just as carly as they thought would allow ample time for the plane to get airborne."
"If this was a Denver job, Chief, they darned nearly didn't allow, enough. Fifteen minutes more.
"A miss is ng good as a mile. Now motive-that's the next
past ex-
"Sit down. You told me that you and your late mother used to take it in turns to supervise
the running of the restaurant?"
"Yeah, sure." "Was there some trouble there during the night of September + last?"
"Don't remember." "An explosion?" "Explosion? You mean a gas escape."
"A gas escape from a dis-
'There, diving down there, Abe. What's it,
shooting star??
"I asked you, Graham B there stil instalments, owing?”
"Yeah, sure."
"Okay... You got any prac tical knowledge of explosives?"
"Nothin' much."
"Ever been a construction worker?"
"Yeah sure."
"Ever worked in a logging camp?"
Yeah, sund,"
"Use explosives as a constrtac- tion worker?"
"Sometimes."
"Use explosives in the logging camp?
"Now and again.”
"Okay....Now you said your
mother was dying on a visit to your married sister. Had she ever flown betre?"
"Once or twice, maybe." "Did she insure herself for this flight?"
"You know she did." "Do IT
Graham, look at that It's the copy of the policy, the copy that remains in the machine. A polley with a'pre- mium of $1.50 right? For $37,500-right? Filled out with all the required particulars right? But without the long- ture of the person being in- sured. See that, 'Graham?"
"Yeah, I see?"
"Did you know that without that signature the policy was null?"
"Null? No, I thought I mem-I didn't...["
"Did you take out that policy
"Plane starts at New York, thing. Financial, motive prob- connected pipe, fired by the pilot without your mother knowing?"
calls at Chicago, calls at Denver, picks up passengers and baggage at all three. But my own hunch is to begin quite close to home. "Did you get me the check I that Information?" asked for
"Double-checked, Chief, and a hundred per cent correct. Four passengers women-joined the plane at Denver; two of them on were airline stewardesses vacation.
ably, judging from perience. Find out if any those four women sured."
were
of
in
"I've done that already, Chief, The stewardesses weren't. The other two took out policies from the Teletrip machine in the air- port lobby."
"One of them lived in State of Washington; she'd been here attending some religious meet- ing. The other lived in Denver with her married son, They ran South a drive-in restaurant on
"The same cargo pit was used to carry all their baggage; not the only baggage in that pit, by any means, but it did all get Federal Boulevard," stowed away in Number Four."
"Number Fourwell that shows the bomb could have been planted here.
The questions
.an explosion of some kind
(F.B.I, Office, Denver, Colo- had taken place, and we are "The ordinary delayed-action rado, November, 13, 1955). now in a position, as a result of bomb has a short-term opera- “John Graham I'd like to exhaustive experiments and tion-thirty, forty, fifty, sixty ask you one or two more ques tests, to state precisely its loca- minutes. And no one in their tonah, sure."
tion.
senses, anyhow, would even try"
lamp on a hot water tank. Did you then say that the .cash register had been rifed, too?"
"So it had." "And that an Intruder must
have been responsible?"
"So he must.
"You needin' Graham?"
money,
"Not particularly." "Ever been needin' money.....
and helped yourself to it?"
"Come again."
"Four years ago, did you.
plead guilty here in Denver 10 jorging cheques--42 of 'em for $100 each?" "yeah."
"Were you put on probation on condition of making restitu
fich?"
"Yeah."
"Are there still Instalments
owing?" "S07"
"I wasn't--I hadn't
"Did you take out that policy without your mother knowing? Hey, quick there. Bring him' s glass of water...."
The end
(U.8, News Agency Tapes, January, 12, 1857) BOMB BAN BAGGAGE MURDER: JOHN GRAHAM AFTER FULL CONVICTED LAST MAY CONFESSION EXECUTED THIS MORN- ING.
GRAHAM TOOK: 44 LIVES IN AN ·ABORTIVE ATTEMPT TO- COLLECT
INSURANCE MONEY UPON ONE....
NEXT WEEK: The first
railway murder
The uncanny tale the lonely mariner told
New York.
through the porthole to see what was making a strange moaning
FRANCIS CHICHES- noise outside,
the lone-wolf "There were literally hund- reds of whales surrounding the yacht, apparently listening
yachtsman, told me the full story of his
by PETER HOPKIRK
to stations this side of the Atlantle, velvet dinner jacket in the by lift, which has been his my radio, for when I switched There was one fellow who kept evening. But it became covered home for the last 40 days, was they disappeared."
amazing 40-day Atlantic it was Burl Ives, I think-aying 'More, more, more, but with mildew in the often soak- Mrs Chichester,
I never discovered what he was ing wet cabin. He also had to
His sleep
.
trying to advertise."!
•
crossing by which he won the first-ever ocean
One of his plans had to bej race with the nearest of
Chichter, a descendant of dropped, This was to wear his Sir Walter Raleigh, said that his four fellow competi- at times he thought the Gipsy tors 100 miles behind. Moth was going to break in
He talked of the mysterious half in the heavy seas.
"Several times I nearly got Russian ship he met in mid- Atlantic...of the "voice" he swept overboard, but was saved heard speaking to him...and by my safety belt which secured of the school of whales that me to the yacht as I moved listened to his radio.
about. If you're sailing with a
I sat with 58-year-old Mr crew this isn't necessary as they Chichester in the candle-lit can always turn about and gick cabin of the Gipsy Moth III you up. But when you're alone, the other day as we sailed on the the yacht just goes on, leaving final leg of his journey-from you struggling in mid-Atlantle Staten Island, over to Manhat- tan.
His voices
Sleep was a problem too. But Chichester averaged about irve hours a night. When I wanted to sleep I put on a sort of automatio pilot to keep her At first it wasn't
"I saw only two ships during on course,
the entire crossing," he said, easy, knowing there was nobody "One of them was the most my on watch, but I soon got used sterious and sinister-looking to it,"
ship I have ever seen. She was
the Russian frigate called the
Fle raid he had three.meola
Soola, and she was one huge each day, "I discovered that mass of radar and radio aerials, polalo and onions make What she was up to out there I The first thing I ran short of valuable basis for any meal dread to think."
He said she was heading for was whisky and beer. the area where the American
Jand Canadian early warning His chores
stations are located.
"I found that whisky is a
"I must say I was glad to see wonderful drink to keep you i her sail away” he added, going. Luckily, I didn't run out This man Chichester, a Lam- of anti-seasick pills, I was don map-maker, who two years dreadfully seasick at times, but ago was told he had only three the pilla worked wonders for weeks to live, mald at times his me. loneliness became so intense "Sometimes I thought I was that he heard "voices.”
beaten, I was so exhausted."
"My head is a mass of scars
"I found that as the days passed I became more where I banged it. I still do it and more sensitive to after I've had all this time to
get to know my way about sounds. After a while. I There was very little time in began to hear voices which to get bored. "There was talking to me. Of course, a phenomenal amount to do," it was only the ropes and heald, 7 kept a diary, cooked myself meals, washed timber creaking, but some
my clothes, plus a dozen other.
times it was uncanny daily chores
"I sometimes wondered whe" "When I did have a moment ther there were not any lepre- to meseif I read and listened to channa left aboard when she was the radio,ENG
busit for us over in Ireland ?? ***My, worst ordeal was having Que me moving,lerbe looked to Zelenés commercial radio
"I think he's done amazingly wash the mould off the bread well," she said. "But then and then rebake it,
Francis is a most amazing man."
Silling quietly with us in the sea-green cabin measuring 15ft.
RATTLING HIS ROCKET
Maria Ceperiaki by
-(London Express Service),
THIS PEACE MAKING IS THIRSTY WORK
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