The Murder at Jex Farm | Page 2

his own
a mile beyond Bexton, and stopping to get a glass of beer at the chief
inn, found himself surrounded in the bar by a group of rowdy bicyclists.
The Surrey countryman generally dislikes the cycling Londoners who
travel along the roads of his county in extraordinary numbers. Mr. Jex
had noticed that these men, instead of continuing their journey towards
London, had turned again in the direction of Jex Farm. If they repassed
the "Lion" at Bexton they must have done so at night, for they were not
seen again.
Mr. Jex is a fine young man with good looks, twenty-eight years of age,
six foot one in height, a sportsman, and popular in the neighbourhood.
He is giving me every assistance in his power, and is resolved, he says
to bring the villains to justice. He is naturally much distressed and
overcome at the sudden ending of all his hopes and prospects.
His mother is a kind and motherly woman nearly seventy years of age.
I understand from herself that she fully approved of the approaching
marriage of her son. I gather in the neighbourhood that Mr. Jex, like so
many of his class, has been very hard hit by the prevailing agricultural
depression, and that his proposed marriage with his cousin, Miss
Judson, an orphan, with property of her own, was something of a
godsend to himself and his family.
My written orders from head-quarters had been to install myself in the
house, if I could obtain an invitation, in order the better to unravel the
facts as to the crime, and I was to take my full time in the investigations.
I showed my instructions on this head to Mrs. Jex and her son, and was
by them at once cordially invited to consider the farm my home for the

time being.
It was a somewhat delicate situation, and I put it plainly to each of
them, to Mr. Jex, to his mother, and to a young lady on a visit to them,
Miss Lewsome. I was a detective officer, I told them, on a mission to
detect a great crime. Though I was a guest at the farm, I was bound as a
police officer to a minute and suspicious inquiry into everybody's
conduct since and before the murder. They must not take it amiss if I
was particular and even impertinent in my questions, and vexatious in
my way of putting them.
The reasonableness of all this was apparent to them all, and I at once
began my investigations at the farm and outside it.
The first person I interviewed was young Mr. Jex himself. On the 29th
he had returned from shooting at his farm on the other side of Bexton,
and he stopped on his way home for a drink at the "Red Lion." "At
what time?" I asked. "It was growing dusk," said Jex. "I should say it
was within a few minutes of half past five; three men were drinking at
the bar, bicyclists; I was thinking they would be overtaken by night; I
did not like the look of those men." "Never mind the bicyclists for the
present, Mr. Jex. You stayed some time in the bar?" "An hour or more."
"Did you meet any one you knew at the Lion'? Any neighbours?" "Yes,
I met James Barton and----" "Don't trouble yourself with their names
just now! You met friends who can speak to your being at the inn?" "I
did." "That will do. I want to get to the dates. At about five-thirty you
started for home?" "It was exactly on the stroke of six by the clock of
the Lion.'" "You had no doubt taken a glass or two of ale?" "No, I took
a glass of whisky and water." "Or two ?" "I took two glasses." "You
took two glasses of whisky and water, good; and then you set off for
the farm? Was your man with you?" "What man?" "The man who
carried your game, or was it a boy?" "I had no man or boy with me. I
had brought three rabbits in my pocket, and these I left as a present to
Mrs. Jones of the 'Lion.'" "You had your gun with you?" "Of course I
had." "Was it loaded?" "Yes, but I drew the charges as I neared home."
"You noticed nothing unusual as you came in?" "Nothing." "Yet you
passed within a yard of the orchard gate where the poor girl must have

been lying dead?" "I must have, but it was pitch dark under the trees. I
saw nothing but the lights in the parlour windows from the time I
opened the gate out of the road." "And coming along the road you did
not notice or hear anything?" "Yes, I