lanation this was, as Kendal is in a
lly different direction than Settle, and
nesses at the trial pointed out this fact.
sarently Ruxton did not wish anyone to
w he had been North, but the accident
led his plan.
\round 2.30 p.m. or thereabouts, Ruxton
ved at the house, where Mrs. Smith the
d servant was waiting for him. He told
to strip the paper off the walls from the
of the stairs to the landings, but not to
the latter as he would attend to it him-
in his spare time. A strange situation
a doctor with an injured hand. Were
re blood stains on the landing which he
not want the charwoman to see?

Mrs. Curwen also came to the house that
;, and was as surprised as Mrs. Smith
| been to see the carpets all up, and the
mises being made ready for the decor-
rs. She had not known of any previous
angement to have this work done. In the
‘yard she found a blood stained blanket
king in a basin of water, she wrung it
-and placed it in fresh water. She was
) instructed to make up a large fire in the
iting room as the doctor intended to stay
that night. He claimed that he could
- sleep with his wife away.

BURNS THE EVIDENCE

The same night two young ladies occupy-
a room which had a partial view of the
ll behind Dr. Ruxton’s house, saw a glow
a large fire burning in the backyard till
ll after midnight. The fire had been so
ense that they could read by it.

On September 18th, Ruxton told Mrs.
ley and Mrs. Curwen that they could
ve the carpets in the backyard as he was
ing to buy new ones. Ruxton again tried
get the decorators without success. His
le ruse seemed to have failed. Mrs. Smith
ile stripping paper off the walls noticed
it there was blood on the lower portion
two curtains, below the top landing. All
ree women saw the curtains, and as Mrs.
ith was placing them in the clothes
sket, Ruxton took them out, tore off the
od smeared portion and then handed
ck the rest to the women to use in dusting.
1e torn part was thrown into the kitchen
e. He also added at the time that the
lice would be saying next that he had
irdered Mrs. Smalley. The latter had
en found dead at Morecambe and was
e subject of police enquiry. On the same
y the Austin car was returned to the
rage. That evening at the Anderson’s he
is so exhausted that he slept in his chair
Lil age

On the morning of September 19th,
ixton brought his car to the back door of
e house and closed the door of the kitchen,
that Mrs. Oxley could not see what he
is doing. He made several trips upstairs
d down to the car as if he were carrying
mething out, then left about 8 a.m. saying
at he was going to see a specialist about
s hand.

After he had gone, Mrs. Oxley found
at all the doors which had been kept
sked the last few days were now open
id that there was a bad odour in Dr.

SURTEENTH EDITION

Ruxton’s room. Here there was a slight
discrepancy between the witnesses, as Mrs.
Curwen held that the doors were still locked
on this day, but she had noticed a bad smell.

Ruxton was seen driving in from the
north and arrived at his place about 3 p.m.
He had therefore been away about seven
hours. Just time enough to have made a
rapid trip to some remote place. Pieces of
bloodstained cotton wool were noticed on
the fire burning in the yard, and also frag-
ments of garments. A fire was kept burning
again till late at night. Another factor was
that to get out of attending a patient that
night he had said his hand was hurt “with
his car”.

September 20th was the day Dr. Rux-
ton smelled a disagreeable odour in the
house himself. He sent one of the women
out to get a bottle of Eau de Cologne and
a spray, and the doctor proceeded to spray
the perfume around to disguise the odour
which he claimed came from the stripped
wall paper.

A Poor MEMorRY

That afternoon he told Edmondson,
whom he met by chance, that his wife had
gone to London with her sister to see an
aunt. Ruxton apparently could not re-
member what lies he had told and to whom.
He had already told Edmondson that his
wife was away touring with his car, and
now Edmondson could see that Ruxton had
the car. No mention was made that Mrs.
Ruxton had returned the car to her hus-
band. Shortly after making this assertion
he told a lady that his wife and Mary had
gone to Scotland, also making an indelicate
allusion as to Mary’s condition, which was
repeated from time to time, to various other
witnesses as an explanation for their pro-
tracted absence.

Ruxton during the next few days tried
to put off the Rogersons who had become
insistent to get news of their daughter with
suggestions similar to that last mentioned.
He also advised the Rogersons against going
to the police. Rogerson, however, was a
man who wanted his daughter back regard-
less of her condition and eventually went
to the police as we have already seen.

On September 29th, the remains were
found at Moffat. Ruxton read the news-
paper account with evident satisfaction.
The remains were described as being those
of a man and a woman. Gloatingly he read
the account of the “Ravine Murders” from
the pages of the Daily Express, aloud to
Mrs. Oxley, then added with a laugh “So
you see Mrs. Oxley, it is a man and a
woman; it is not our two”. On another
occasion he told Mrs. Oxley, Mrs. Smith
and Mrs. Curwen that “Thank goodness
the other one in the Moffat case was a man
and not a woman, or they would be saying
things”.

Ruxton called at the Hampshires on
Monday, September 30th to enquire if the
blue suit had been sent to the cleaners, and
at the same time informed her that the
police had been questioning him about the
Smalley affair. In that case at least he could
assume an air of injured innocence.

McCALL BROS.
The Floral Funeral Chapel

1400 Vancouver Street
Phone G 2012

Victoria British Columbia

DOWELL’S PACIFIC
TRANSFER & STORAGE CO. LTD.

MOVING, SHIPPING, PACKING,
STORAGE

1119 Wharf St. Victoria, B.C.

Compliments of
T-A-C

*

VICTORIA, B.C.

HOTEL DOUGLAS

J. EM. NEELY, Manager

Victoria’s Standard Hotel
e
VICTORIA, B.C.

Subscribe to The Shoulder Strap

POINT HOPE SHIPYARDS
LIMITED
Telephone G 2514

SHIPBUILDERS and SHIP REPAIRERS
Electric Hauling Plant

VICTORIA, B.C.

WILFRED GIBSON
PHOTOGRAPHER
WE SPECIALIZE IN MILITARY PHOTOS
Phone E6221
770 Fort Street near Blanshard

VICTORIA, B. C.
Also at Duncan, B. C.

National Motor Co. Ltd.
Victoria Dealers
FORD, MERCURY CARS
FORD TRUCKS AND TRACTORS
e

819 YATES STREET VICTORIA, B.C.

Page Fifteen