he deceased was lying on his
back, with his throat cut. The body was not yet cold, the abdominal
region being quite warm. Rigor mortis had set in in the lower jaw, neck
and upper extremities. The muscles contracted when beaten. I inferred
that life had been extinct some two or three hours, probably not longer,
it might have been less. The bedclothes would keep the lower part warm
for some time. The wound, which was a deep one, was 5-1/2 inches from
right to left across the throat to a point under the left ear. The upper
portion of the windpipe was severed, and likewise the jugular vein. The
muscular coating of the carotid artery was divided. There was a slight
cut, as if in continuation of the wound, on the thumb of the left hand.
The hands were clasped underneath the head. There was no blood on the
right hand. The wound could not have been self-inflicted. A sharp
instrument had been used, such as a razor. The cut might have, been made
by a left-handed person. No doubt death was practically instantaneous. I
saw no signs of a struggle about the body or the room. I noticed a purse
on the dressing-table, lying next to Madame Blavatsky's big book on
Theosophy. Sergeant Runnymede drew my attention to the fact that the
door had evidently been locked and bolted from within.

By a Juryman: I do not say the cuts could not have been made by a
right-handed person. I can offer no suggestion as to how the inflicter
of the wound got in or out. Extremely improbable that the cut was
self-inflicted. There was little trace of the outside fog in the room.

Police Constable Williams said he was on duty in the early hours of the
morning of the 4th inst. Glover Street lay within his beat. He saw or
heard nothing suspicious. The fog was never very dense, though nasty to
the throat. He had passed through Glover Street about half-past four. He
had not seen Mr. Mortlake or anybody else leave the house.

The Court here adjourned, the Coroner and the jury repairing in a body
to 11 Glover Street to view the house and the bedroom of the deceased.
And the evening posters announced, "The Bow Mystery Thickens."

CHAPTER III.

Before the inquiry was resumed, all the poor wretches in custody had
been released on suspicion that they were innocent; there was not a
single case even for a magistrate. Clues, which at such seasons are
gathered by the police like blackberries off the hedges, were scanty and
unripe. Inferior specimens were offered th