Morton's mysterious disappearance. It was on the
20th that Mr. Morton was found, and thirty-six hours later the public
were gratified to hear that Mr. Edward Skinner had been traced to London
and arrested on the charge of assault upon the person of Mr. Francis
Morton and of robbing him of the sum of L10,000.
"Then a further sensation was added to the already bewildering case by
the startling announcement that Mr. Francis Morton refused to prosecute.
"Of course, the Treasury took up the case and subpoenaed Mr. Morton as a
witness, so that gentleman--if he wished to hush the matter up, or had
been in any way terrorised into a promise of doing so--gained nothing by
his refusal, except an additional amount of curiosity in the public mind
and further sensation around the mysterious case.
"It was all this, you see, which had interested me and brought me down
to Brighton on March 23rd to see the prisoner Edward Skinner arraigned
before the beak. I must say that he was a very ordinary-looking
individual. Fair, of ruddy complexion, with snub nose and the beginning
of a bald place on the top of his head, he, too, looked the embodiment
of a prosperous, stodgy 'City gent.'
"I took a quick survey of the witnesses present, and guessed that the
handsome, stylish woman sitting next to Mr.
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