It was not until we all went out and found him dead by the shrubbery that I recognized my brother-in-law.

I thought he was in Paris." Inspector Darby deposed that he had examined the shrubbery, and had noted broken twigs here and there, which showed that some one must have been concealed behind the screen of laurels.

The grass--somewhat long in the thicket--had been trampled.

But nothing had been discovered likely to lead to the discovery of the assassin who had been ambushed in this manner.
"Are there no footmarks ?" questioned the Coroner.
"There has been no rain for weeks to soften the ground," explained the witness, "therefore it is impossible to discover any footmarks.

The broken twigs and trampled grass show that some one was hidden in the shrubbery, but when this person left the screen of laurels, there is nothing to show in which direction the escape was made." And indeed all the evidence was useless to trace the criminal.