Thorndyke surveyed the drawing critically, jotted down a few brief
notes, and returned the sergeant's notebook to the coroner, who, as he
took it, turned once more to the officer.
"Have you any clue, sergeant, to the person who made these footprints?"
he asked.
By way of reply the sergeant opened his carpet-bag, and, extracting
therefrom a pair of smart but stoutly made shoes, laid them on the
table.
"Those shoes," he said, "are the property of the accused; he was wearing
them when I arrested him. They appear to correspond exactly to the
footprints of the murderer. The measurements are the same, and the nails
with which they are studded are arranged in a similar pattern."
[Illustration: The Sergeant's Sketch
Extreme length, 113/4 inches.
Width at A, 41/2 inches.
Length of heel, 31/4 inches
Width of heel at cross, 3 inches.]
"Would you swear that the footprints were made with these shoes?" asked
the coroner.
"No, sir, I would not," was the decided answer. "I would only swear to
the similarity of size and pattern."
"Had you ever seen these shoes before you made the drawing?"
"No, sir," replied the sergeant; and he then related the incident of the
footprints in the soft earth by the pond which led him to make the
arrest.
Pages:
45
46
47
48
49
50
51
52
53
54
55
56
57
58
59
60
61
62
63
64
65
66
67
68
69