of the
deceased; or, upon the coroner's order. Still, he had a natural desire
for fair play, and the facts which I had presented to him seemed to
point toward the possibility that a foul crime had been committed;
hence, he would perform the analysis, provided that his action should
never be made known to any one, until he should be called upon to
testify in court. Of course, if no trace of poison should be found, the
theory of death by that means would have to be abandoned, and his
connection with the affair need never be disclosed.

"I have never met you before, Mr. Pinkerton," concluded Dr. Stuart, "but
your reputation is well known to me, and I feel sure that you would not
have made this request unless there were strong reasons for such action.
I have full confidence in you, and I will give you all the aid in my
power. Where is Mrs. Pattmore's body now?"

"It is in the coroner's office," I replied, "and it will be taken back
to the grave in about an hour."

"Well, Mr. Pinkerton, can't you obtain possession of it in some way? I
shall only want it for a short time."

"That is what puzzles me," I replied; "I am afraid Pattmore will follow
the body to the grave."

"Then, if he should do so, can't you get two men who know how to handle
a shovel quickly, to disinter it a second time?" asked the Doctor.

"Yes; I will take two of my own men," I said; "I can trust them more
than any one else."

"Oh, nonsense!" exclaimed the Doctor, laughing, "you can do better than
that. You had better offer the regular grave-diggers ten dollars to
leave the body a short time in your possession before burying it; or, if
Pattmore should insist upon seeing it buried, they can easily disinter
it for you, and it will take me only a short time to remove the
intestines. I shall then seal them up for the present, as I am too busy
to make the analysis just now; but when I shall have finished my present
work, I will take up this case. You can depend upon hearing from me at
the earliest possible moment."

It was then arranged that Mr. Wells and sheriff Tomlinson should be
present to witness the removal of the bowels from Mrs. Pattmore's body;
the sheriff further decided to give an official order for the analysis,
so as to protect Dr. Stuart in case of any accident. If any signs of
poison were found, the Doctor's charges would be paid by the county;
otherwise I should be responsible for the amount. I then went out to see
the grave-diggers, an