As to your cousin's death, then, first.
It appears to be established, beyond any reasonable doubt, that he was
killed (while he was asleep, or immediately on his waking) by being
smothered with a pillow from his bed--that the persons guilty of
murdering him are the three Indians--and that the object contemplated
(and achieved) by the crime, was to obtain possession of the diamond,
called the Moonstone.
The facts from which this conclusion is drawn, are derived partly from
an examination of the room at the tavern; and partly from the evidence
obtained at the Coroner's Inquest.
On forcing the door of the room, the deceased gentleman was discovered,
dead, with the pillow of the bed over his face. The medical man who
examined him, being informed of this circumstance, considered the
post-mortem appearances as being perfectly compatible with murder by
smothering--that is to say, with murder committed by some person, or
persons, pressing the pillow over the nose and mouth of the deceased,
until death resulted from congestion of the lungs.
Next, as to the motive for the crime.
A small box, with a sealed paper torn off from it (the paper containing
an inscription) was found open, and empty, on a table in the room.
Mr. Luker has himself personally identified the box, the seal, and
the inscription. He has declared that the box did actually contain the
diamond, called the Moonstone; and he has admitted having given the
box (thus sealed up) to Mr. Godfrey Ablewhite (then concealed under a
disguise), on the afternoon of the twenty-sixth of June last. The fair
inference from all this is, that the stealing of the Moonstone was the
motive of the crime.
Next, as to the manner in which the crime was committed.
On examination of the room (which is only seven feet high), a trap-door
in the ceiling, leading out on to the roof of the house, was discovered
open. The short ladder, used for obtaining access to the trap-door (and
kept under the bed), was found placed at the opening, so as to enable
any person or persons, in the room, to leave it again easily. In the
trap-door itself was found a square aperture cut in the wood, apparently
with some exceedingly sharp instrument, just behind the bolt which
fastened the door on the inner side. In this way, any person from the
outside could have drawn back the bolt, and opened the door, and have
dropped (or have been noiselessly lowered by an accomplice) into the
room--its height, as already observed, being only seven feet. That some
person, or persons, must have got admission in this way, appears evident
from the fact of the aperture being there. As to the manner in which
he (or they) obtained access to the roof of the tavern, it is to be
remarked that the third house, lower down in the street, was empty, and
under repair--that a long ladder was left by the workmen, leading from
the pavement to the top of the house--and that, on returning to their
work, on the morning of the 27th, the men found the plank which they had
tied to the ladder, to prevent anyone from using it in their absence,
removed, and lying on the ground. As to the possibility of ascending
by this ladder, passing over the roofs of the houses, passing back, and
descending again, unobserved--it is discovered, on the evidence of the
night policeman, that he only passes through Shore Lane twice in an
hour, when out on his beat. The testimony of the inhabitants also
declares, that Shore Lane, after midnight, is one of the quietest and
loneliest streets in London. Here again, therefore, it seems fair to
infer that--with ordinary caution, and presence of mind--any man, or
men, might have ascended by the ladder, and might have descended again,
unobserved. Once on the roof of the tavern, it has been proved, by
experiment, that a man might cut through the trap-door, while lying down
on it, and that in such a position, the parapet in front of the house
would conceal him from the view of anyone passing in the street.
Lastly, as to the person, or persons, by whom the crime was committed.
It is known (1) that the Indians had an interest in possessing
themselves of the Diamond. (2) It is at least probable that the man
looking like an Indian, whom Octavius Guy saw at the window of the cab,
speaking to the man dressed like a mechanic, was one of the three
Hindoo conspirators. (3) It is certain that this same man dressed like
a mechanic, was seen keeping Mr. Godfrey Ablewhite in view, all through
the evening of the 26th, and was found in the bedroom (before Mr.
Ablewhite was shown into it) under circumstances which lead to the
suspicion that he was examining the room. (4) A morsel of torn gold
thread was picked up in the bedroom, which persons expert in such
matters, declare to be of Indian manufacture, and to be a species of
gold thread not known in England. (5) On the morning of the 27th, three
men, answering to the description of the three Indians, were observed
in Lower Thames Street, were traced to the Tower Wharf, and were seen to
leave London by the steamer bound for Rotterdam.
There is here, moral, if not legal, evidence, that the murder was
committed by the Indians.
Whether the man personating a mechanic was, or was not, an accomplice
in the crime, it is impossible to say. That he could have committed the
murder alone, seems beyond the limits of probability. Acting by himself,
he could hardly have smothered Mr. Ablewhite--who was the taller and
stronger man of the two--without a struggle taking place, or a cry being
heard. A servant girl, sleeping in the next room, heard nothing. The
landlord, sleeping in the room below, heard nothing. The whole evidence
points to the inference that more than one man was concerned in this
crime--and the circumstances, I repeat, morally justify the conclusion
that the Indians committed it.
I have only to add, that the verdict at the Coroner's Inquest was Wilful
Murder against some person, or persons, unknown. Mr. Ablewhite's family
have offered a reward, and no effort has been left untried to discover
the guilty persons. The man dressed like a mechanic has eluded
all inquiries. The Indians have been traced. As to the prospect of
ultimately capturing these last, I shall have a word to say to you on
that head, when I reach the end of the present Report.
In the meanwhile, having now written all that is needful on the subject
of Mr. Godfrey Ablewhite's death, I may pass next to the narrative of
his proceedings before, during, and after the time, when you and he met
at the late Lady Verinder's house.