The Mystery of Martha

linnock

*

By
JOHN GUNNE

*

A Brilliant Detective Story by a Gifted Member of the Garda Constabulary,
Eire—City Barmaid Disappears—All Signs Point to Assault and Murder—
Clever Work by Officer Tuohey Clears Up a Baffling Mystery.

AES GARRETT. laughed and looked

‘rom the open case-book.

It appears to me—of course, I have only
ced over it as yet—that the setting-up
he papers in the Martha Minnock case
ymewhat confused. For instance, under-
th the opening statment that you con-
red the finding of a handful of grass and
e broken bush stalks to have been of
1t assistance in clearing up the mystery,
have inserted an ad. from the Irish
ws Journal and the wording of the ad.
ald lead one to assume that the matter
which the ad. relates had nothing what-
r to do with the solution to the mystery.
w do you explain this?”

Je stood up from his seat at the desk and
ssed the room to the armchair opposite
one in which his friend sat. The armrest
tch clicked and the cowled bulb above
chair shone a halo of white light down
on his thin relaxed form. The dusk of
summer evening caused this part of the
m to be in deep shadow. He held the case-
9k on his knee and he opened it now
ere his finger marked a page.

Tuchey smiled and put down the paper
had been reading. He reached for the
: of cigarettes on the table and passed
box to his friend before he selected one
himself. He then lit his cigarette and
tled himself into the comfort of the deep-
ted chair before he spoke.
I was in the Depot at the time,” he said.
ou see, shortly after the Chambers’ case,
Q. had a vacancy for a teacher in
minology and sent along my route.”
“And the Martha Minnock case came
ore you whilst you were on that duty?”
asked.
“Yes, that is so. Turn to the second page
d read the copy of the report sent by the
pt. of City ‘D’ District at the beginning
the case.”
Garrett did as he was told and read the
lowing:
“I wish to report the disappearance of a
1 named Martha Minnock from her place
employment at John Street, City North.
e girl was employed as a barmaid and left
tr place of employment on the afternoon
Tuesday, the 10th instant. She left with
- intention of meeting a friend, and, when
= did not return on the day of her de-

SURTEENTH EDITION

parture, her employer was of the opinion
that she had gone to her home at Lisson, Co.
Meath. On the third day of her absence he
made enquiries and was surprised to find
that the girl had not been at home. The
missing girl is described as: 23 years; 5’ 4”
in height; blue eyes; fair, flaxen hair, good
looking and of slight, smart appearance.
Was wearing a navy costume, a red beret
and suede shoes.”

“TI did not take much notice of that report
at the time,” Tuohey said. “Many girls
leave their homes under similar mysterious
circumstances every year. Now will you
please turn back and read the advertisement
that puzzled you a moment ago.”

“Found on the 12th inst. on the Western
Road, by a motorist, outside the city, a
gentleman’s soft grey hat. Owner can have
same by applying to Box 42 this office and
by paying cost of ad.”

“T am still mystified.”

-Tuohey permitted the cigarette smoke to
drift slowly, luxuriously, out through his
nostrils.

“You are merely impatient,” he said.
“Now turn to page three and read the re-
port from the local officer regarding the
finding of the body.”

Garrett rustled the papers carefully and
presently read: “At about 8 o'clock on the
morning of the 14th July the dead body of
a girl was found lying in a small copse or
wood near the edge of a bog close to the
village of Lisson. The body has been iden-
tified as that of a young girl named Martha
Minnock whose parents reside in the village
and who was employed as a barmaid in the
City. She had been missing from her place
of employment at John Street, City, since
the 10th inst. The body was unclothed
when found except for an undergarment
known as a ‘slip,’ and a pair of silk stockings.
The girl had obviously been murdered. She
met her death by strangulation; there were
bruises on both sides of the neck. Prelim-
inary medical examination has resulted in
disclosing that the girl was criminally as-
saulted prior to her death, and that she was
probably four days dead. The place where
the body was found is all trampled with
nearby bushes broken down. This shows
that a struggle took place at the spot and
the extent of the damage caused points to

the fact that there must have been more
than one person engaged in the commission
of the crime. Close to the body was found
a red beret. It was much crumpled and
dirty as if it had been crushed and trampled
on in the struggle. A broken silver wristlet
watch was strapped on the dead girl’s wrist
with a black moire band. It stopped at 8.3.
It was obviously broken in the struggle and
undoubtedly gives the time the unfortunate
girl met her death, which may be stated
definitely to be the night of the day she dis-
appeared, i.e., at 8.3 p.m. on the night of
the 10th July. The beret was all crushed
and clayey and this goes to show that it was
knocked from the girl’s head during the
struggle and trampled under foot. It is
evident, too, that a motor car was used, for,
although the ground is too hard and too dry
to show tire impressions, yet there are un-
mistakable signs that a car was backed into
the glade.”

“That will do,” interrupted Tuohey.
“The rest is mere repetition and padding.
I received that report on the morning fol-
lowing the preliminary report by “phone.”

“A singularly good report showing atten-
tion to detail,” Garrett commented.

Tuohey’s moustache twitched ashe crushed
the butt of his cigarette with his fingers on
to the ash-tray on the armchair rest.

“I do not agree,” he said quietly. “When
I first read that report it strengthened my
belief that the science of criminology should
not be treated as a part-time occupation, and
that the ordinary policeman had better con-
fine his activities to the protection of life
and property.”

“Oh, come now!” remonstrated Garrett.
“Surely you cannot mean that! The report
was written immediately after the finding
of the girl’s murdered body and before the
writer could concentrate on the main or
primary report. Under these circumstances
it seems to me to give all the known facts,
plus attention to detail.”

“That is precisely what it does not give,”
Tuohey bluntly afhrmed. “Except for the
first few opening sentences, the report con-
sists wholly of mere supposition on the part
of the writer. Reiteration here becomes to
the casual reader statement of fact. Now
without interfering with the progress of the
investigation as it appears in the case-book
let us examine the report by analysis and

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