June 9, 2025 • 32 mins
Imagine pulling over 26 miles outside Bordeaux and having your life transform forever. This is exactly what happens to Seymour Merriman. His ordinary halt spirals him into a whirlwind of mystery, illicit smuggling, chilling murder, and unexpected romance. With the clock ticking, two amateur sleuths scramble to solve the baffling enigma of alternating number plates and the dangerous dealings of the pit prop syndicate. If they fail, the notorious Inspector Willis from Scotland Yard will take over. Dive into this riveting narrative and see where the journey takes you.
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Speaker 1 (00:00):
Chapter seventeen of the pitt prop Syndicate by Freeman wills
Croft's This LibriVox recording is in the public domain, Chapter seventeen,
Archer Plant's stuff. Willis's chief at the yard, was not
a little impressed by his subordinate's story. He congratulated the
Inspector on his discovery, commended him for his restraint and
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withholding action against Archer until he had identified his accomplices,
and approved his proposals for the further conduct of the case.
Fortified by this somewhat unexpected approbation, Willis betook himself forthwith
to the headquarters of the Customs Department and asked to
see Hilliard. The two men were already acquainted, as has
been stated. The Inspector had early called at Hilliard's rooms
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and learned all that the other could tell him of
the case, but for prudential reasons, they had not met. Since.
Hilliard was tremendously excited by the Inspector's news and eagerly
arranged the interview with his chief which Willis sought. The
great man was not engaged, and in a few minutes
the others were shown into his presence. We are here,
sir Willis began when the necessary introductions had been made
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to tell you jointly a very remarkable story. Mister Hilliard
would doubtless have told you his part long before this,
had I not specially asked him not to. Now, sir,
the time has come to put the facts before you. Perhaps,
as mister Hilliard's story comes before mine in point of time,
he should begin. Hilliard thereupon began. He told of Merriman's
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story in the Rover's Club, his own idea of smuggling
based on the absence of return cargoes, his proposition to Merriman,
their trip to France, and what they learned at their clearing.
Then he described their visit to Hull, their observations at
the Ferrapy Wharf, the experiment carried out with the help
of Latham, and finally what Merriman had told him of
his second visit to Bordeaux. Willis next took up the
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tale and described the murder of Cockburn, his inquiries thereunto,
and the identification of the assassin, and his subsequent discoveries
at Ferreby, ending up by stating the problem which still
confronted him, and expressing the hope that the chief in
dealing with the smuggling conspiracy would co operate with him
in connection with the murder. The latter had listened with
an expression of amazement, which towards the end of the
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Inspector's statement changed to one of the liveliest satisfaction. He
gracefully congratulated both men on their achievements and expressed his
gratification at what had been discovered and his desire to
co operate to the full with the inspector in the
settling up of the case. The three men then turned
to details. To Hilliard's bitter disappointment, it was ruled that,
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owing to his being known to at least three members
of the gang, he could take no part in the
final scenes, and he had to be content with the
honor of, as it were, a seat on the Council
of War. For nearly an hour they deliberated, at the
end of which time it had been decided that Stopford Hunt,
one of the Customs Department's most skillful investigators, should proceed
to Hall and tackle the question of the distribution of
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the brandy. Willis was to go to Paris interest the
French authorities in the Bordeaux and of the affair, and
then join Hunt in Hull Stopford. Hunt was an insignificant
looking man of about forty all. His characteristics might be
described as being of medium quality. He was five feet
nine in height. His brown hair was neither fair nor dark.
His dress suggested neither poverty nor opulence, and his features
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were of the type known as ordinary. In a word,
he was not one whose appearance would provoke a second glance,
or who would be credited with taking an important part
in anything that might be in progress. But for his job,
these very peculiarities were among his chief assets. When he
hung about in an aimless loafing way, as he very
often did, he was overlooked by those whose actions he
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was so discreetly watching, And where mere loafing would look suspicious,
he had the inestimable gift of being able to waste
time in an afraid and preoccupied manner. That night Willis
crossed to Paris, and next day he told his story
to the polite chief of the French Excise, M. Max
was almost as interested as his English confrere, and readily
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promised to have the French end of the affair investigated.
That same evening, the inspector left for London, going on
in the morning to holl He found Hunt a shrewd
and capable man of the world, as well as a
pleasant and interesting companion. They had engaged a private sitting
room at their hotel, and after dinner they retired thither
to discuss their plan of campaign. I wish, said Willis,
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when they had talked for some moments, that you would
tell me something about how this liquor distribution business is worked.
It's outside my job, and I'm not clear on the details.
If I understood, I could perhaps help you better. Hunt
nodded and drew slowly at his pipe. The principle of
the thing, he answered, is simple enough, though in detail
it becomes a bit complicated. The first thing we have
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to remember is that in this case we're dealing not
with distillers but with rectifiers. Though in loose popular phraseology,
both businesses are classed under the term distilling, in reality
there is a considerable difference between them. Distillers actually produce
the spirit in their buildings, Rectifiers do not. Rectifiers import
the spirit produced by distillers and refine or prepare it
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for various specified purposes. The check required by the excise
authorities is therefore different in each case. With rectifiers, it
is only necessary to measure the stuff that goes into
and comes out of the works, making due allowance for
variation during treatment. These two figures will balance. If all
is right, willis nodded and hunt resumed. Now, the essence
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of all fraud is that more stuff goes out of
the works than is shown on the returns. That is,
of course, another way of saying that stuff is sold
upon which duty has not been paid. In the case
of a rectifying house, where there is no illicit, still
more also comes in than is shown. In the present instance,
you yourself have shown how the extra brandy enters. Our
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job is to find out how it leaves. That part
of it is clear enough anyway, willis said with a smile.
But brandy smuggling is not new. There must surely be
recognized ways of evading the law. Quite there are, but
to follow them you must understand how the output is measured.
For every consignment of stuff that leaves the works, a
permit or certificate is issued and handed to the carrier
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who removes it. This is a kind of way bill,
and of course a block is kept for the inspection
of the surveying officer. It contains a note of the
quantity of stuff, date and hour of starting, consignee's name
and other information, and it is the authority for the
carrier to have the liquor in his possession. An excise
officer may stop and examine any dray or lorry containing
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liquor or railway wagon, and the driver or other official
must produce his certificate so that his load may be
checked by it. All such what I may call surprise examinations,
together with the signature of the officer making them, are
recorded on the back of the certificate. When the stuff
is delivered, the certificate is handed over with it to
the consignee. He signs it on receipt. It then becomes
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his authority for having the stuff on his premises, and
he must keep it for the excise officer's inspection. Do
you follow me so far perfectly? The fraud then consisting
getting more liquor away from the works than is shown
on the certificates, and I must confess it is not easy.
The commonest method, I should think is to fill the
kegs or receptacles slightly fuller than the certificate shows. This
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is sometimes done simply by putting extra stuff in the
ordinary kegs. It is argued that an excise officer cannot
buy his eye till a difference of five or six percent, that,
for example, twenty six gallons might be supplied on a
twenty five gallon certificate without anyone being much The wiser
variants of this method are to use slightly larger kegs,
or more subtlely, to use the normal sized kegs of
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which the wood at the ends have been thinned down,
and which therefore, when filled to the same level, hold
more while showing the same measure with a dipping rod.
But all these methods are risky on suspicion the contents
of the kegs are measured and the fraud becomes revealed.
Willis much interested, bent forward eagerly as the other, after
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a pause to relight his pipe continued. Another common method
is to send out liquored secretly without a permitted all.
This may be done at night, or the stuff may
go through an underground pipe or be hidden in innocent
looking articles such as suitcases or petrol tins. The pipe
is the best scheme from the operator's point of view,
and one may remain undiscovered for months, but the difficulty
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usually is to lay it in the first instance. A
third method can be used only in the case of rectifiers,
and it illustrates one of the differences between rectifiers and distillers.
Every permit for the removal of liquor from a distillery
must be issued by the excise surveyor of the district,
whereas rectifiers can issue their own certificates. Therefore, in the
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case of rectifiers there is the possibility of the issuing
of forged or fraudulent certificates. Of course, this is not
so easy as it sounds. The certificates are supplied in
books of two hundred by the excise authorities, and the
blocks must be kept available for the supervisor's scrutiny. Any
certificates can be obtained from the receivers of the spirit
and compared with the blocks, forged permits are very risky
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things to work with, as all genuine ones bear the
gold government water mark, which is not easy to reproduce.
In fact, I may say about this whole question of
liquor distribution generally that fraud has been made so difficult
that the only hope of those committing it is to
avoid arousing suspicion. Once suspicion is roused discovery follows almost
as a matter of course, that's hopful for us. Willis smiled. Yes,
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the other answered, though I fancy this case will be
more difficult than most. There is another point to be
taken into consideration which I have not mentioned, and that
is how the perpetrators of the frauds are going to
get their money. In the last resort, it can only
come in from the public over the counters of the
licensed premises which sell the smuggled spirits. But just as
the smuggled liquor cannot be put through the books of
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the house selling it, so the money received for it
cannot be entered either. This means that someone in authority
in each licensed house must be involved. It also carries
with it a suggestion, though only a suggestion. The houses
in question are tied houses. Director of a distillery company
would have more hold on the manager of their own
tide houses than over an outsider. Again, Willis nodded without replying,
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and Hunt went on. Now it happens that these Acroyd
and Holt people own some very large licensed houses in Hull,
and it is to them I imagine that we should
first direct our attention. How do you propose to begin.
I think we must first find out how the Fariby
liquor is sent to these houses. By the way, you
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probably know that already you watched the distillery during working hours,
didn't you, the inspector admitted it. Did you see any lorries,
any number large blue machines. I noticed them coming and
going in the whole direction, loaded up with barrels. Hunt
seemed pleased. Good, he commented, that's a beginning anyway. Our
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next step must be to make sure that all these
lorries carry certificates. We had better begin tomorrow. Willis did
not quite see how the business was to be done,
but he forbore to ask questions, agreeing to fall in
with his companion's arrangements. These arrangements involved the departure from
their hotel by taxi at six o'clock the next morning.
It was not fully light as they whirled out along
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the Fariby road, but the sky was clear and all
the indications pointed to a fine day. They dismounted at
the end of the lane leading to the works and
struck off across the fields, finally taking up their position
behind the same thick hedge from which Willis had previously
kept watch. They spent the whole of that day, as
well as of the next two, in their hiding place,
and at the end of that time they had a
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complete list of all lorries that entered or left the
establishment during that period. No vehicles other than blue lorries appeared,
and Hunt expressed himself as satisfied that if the smuggled
brandy was not carried by them, it must go out,
either by rail or at night. We can go into
those other contingencies later, if necessary, he said, But on
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the face of it, I am inclined to back the lorries.
They supplied the tide houses in Hull, which would seem
the obvious places for the brandy to go, and besides
railway transit is too well looked after to attract the gang.
I think we'll follow this lorry business through first on speck,
I suppose you'll compare the certificate blocks with the list
I made. Willis asked, of course, that will show if
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all carry certificates. But I don't want to do that
yet before alarming them, I want to examine the contents
of a few of the lorries. I think we might
do that tomorrow the next morning. Therefore, the Tuya. Detectives
again engaged a taxi and ran out along the Ferriby
Road until they met a large blue lorry loaded with
barrels and bearing on its side the legend Ackroyd and
Holts Limited licensed Rectifiers. When it had lumbered passed on
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its way to the city, Hunt called to the driver
and ordered him to follow it. The chase led to
the heart of town, ending in a street which ran
parallel to the Humber Dock. There the big machine turned
into an entry the anchor bar Hunt said in satisfied tones,
where in luck it's one of the largest licensed houses
in Hull. He jumped out and disappeared, after the Willis following.
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The vehicle had stopped in a yard at the back
of the Great Public House, where were more barrels than
the inspector ever remembered having seen together, while the smell
of various liquors hung heavy in the air. Hunt, having
shown his credentials, demanded the certificate for the consignment. This
was immediately produced by the driver, scrutinized and found in order.
Hunt then proceeded to examine the consignment itself, and Willis
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was lost in admiration at the rapidity as well as
the thoroughness of his inspection. He tested the nature of
the various liquids, measured their receptacles, took drippings in each cask,
and otherwise satisfied himself as to the quality and quantity.
Finally had a look over the lory. Then, expressing himself satisfied,
he endorsed the certificate, and with a fusive wards to
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the men in charge, the two detectives took their leave.
That's all square anyway, Hunt remarked, as they re entered
their taxi. I suppose we may go and do the
same thing again. They did three times more that day,
and four times on the next day. They followed mess
Ackroyd and holtz Lauris in every instance with the same result.
All eight consignments were examined with the utmost care, and
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all were found to be accurately described on the accompanying certificate.
The certificates themselves were obviously genuine, and everything about them,
so far as Hunt could see, was in order. Doesn't
look as if we're going to get it that way,
he commented. As late that second evening they sat once
more discussing matters in their private sitting room. Don't you
think you've frightened them into honesty by our persistence. Willis
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queried no doubt. The other returned, but that couldn't apply
to the first few trips. They couldn't possibly have foretold
that we should examine those consignments yesterday and to day.
I expect they thought their visitation was over. But we
have worked it as far as it will go. We
shall have to change our methods. The inspector looked his question,
and Hunt continued, I think tomorrow I had better go
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out to the works and have a look over these
certificate blocks. But I wonder if it would be well
for you to come. Archer has seen you in that
hotel line Longe, and at all events he has your description.
I shall not go. Willis decided see you when you
get back. Hunt, after showing his credentials, was received with
civility at Messrs Acroyd and Holts. When he had completed
the usual examination of their various apparatus, he asked for
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certain books. He took them to a desk, and, sitting down,
began to study the certificate blocks. His first care was
to compare the list of outward lories which he and
Willis had made with the blocks for the same period.
A short investigation convinced him that here also everything was
in order. There was a certificate for every lorry which
had passed out, and not only so, but the number
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of the lorry, the day and hour at which it left,
and the load were all correct so far as his
observations had enabled him to check them. It was clear
that here also he had drawn a blanket for the
fiftieth time. He wondered, with a sort of rueful admiration,
how the fraud was being worked. He was idly turning
over the leaves of the blocks, gazing vacantly at the
lines of writing while he pondered his problem, when his
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attention was attracted to a slight difference of color in
the ink of an entry on one of the blocks.
The consignment was a mixed one, containing different kinds of
spirituous liquors. The lowest entry was for three twenty five
gallon kegs of French brandy. This entry was slightly paler
than the remain order. At first, Hunt did not give
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the manner serious thought. The page had evidently been blotted
while the ink was wet, and the lower items should
therefore naturally be the fainter. But as he looked more closely,
he saw that this explanation would not quite meet the case.
It was true that the lower two or three items
above that of the brandy grew gradually paler in proportion
to their position down the sheet, and to this rule,
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Archer's signature at the bottom was no exception. In these.
Hunt could trace the gradual fading of color due to
the use of blotting paper, but he now saw that
this did not apply to the brandy entry. It was
the palest of all, paler even than Archer's name, which
was below it. He sat staring at the sheet, whistling
softly through his teeth, and with his brow puckered into
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a frown, as if he wondered whether the obvious suggestion
that the brandy item had been added after the sheet
had been completed was a sound deduction. He could think
of no other explanation, but he was loath to form
a definite opinion on such slight evidence. He turned back
through the blocks to see if they contained other similar instances,
and as he did so, his interest grew. Quite a
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number of pages referring to mixed consignment had four Their
last item kegs of French branding. He scrutinized these entries
with the utmost care. A few seemed normal enough, but
others showed indications which strengthened his suspicions. In three more
the ink was undoubtedly paler than the remainder of the sheet.
In five it was darker, while in several others the
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handwriting appeared slightly different, more upright, more sloping, more heavily
or more lightly leaned on. When Hunt had examined all
the instances he could find stretching over a period of
three months, he was convinced that his deduction was correct.
The Brandy items had been written at a different time
from the remainder, and this could only mean that they
had been added after the certificate was complete. His interest
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at last keenly aroused, he began to make an analysis
of the blocks in question, in the hope of finding
some other peculiarity common to them, which might indicate the
direction in which the solution might lie. And first, as
to the consignees, Ackroyd and Holt evidently supplied a very
large number of licensed houses, But of these the names
of only five appeared on the doubtful blocks. But these
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five were confined to houses in whole, and each was
a large and important concern. So far, so good, thought Hunt,
with satisfaction. If they're not planting their stuff in those
five houses, I'm a Dutchman. He turned back to the
blocks and once again went through them. This time he
made an even more suggestive discovery. Only one Loryman was
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concerned in the transport of the doubtful consignments. All the
lorries in question had been in charge of a driver
called Charles Fox. Hunt remembered the man he had driven
three of the eight lorries Hunt himself had examined, and
he had been most civil when stopped, giving the investigator
all possible assistance in making his inspection, nor had he
at any time betrayed embarrassment. And now it seemed not
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improbable that this same man was one of those connected
in the fraud. Hunt applied himself once again to a
study of the blocks, and then he made a third discovery, which,
though he could not at first see its drift, struck
him nevertheless as being of importance. He found that the
fake block was always one of a pair. Within a
few pages, either in front of or behind it was
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another block containing particulars of a similar consignment, identical in fact,
except that the brandy item was missing. Hunt was puzzled
that he was on the track of the fraudy could
not but believe, but he could form no idea as
to how it was worked. If he were right. So far,
the blocks had been made out in facsimile in the
first instance, and later the brandy item had been added
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to one of each pair. Why he could not guess.
He continued his examination, and soon another interest in fact
became apparent. Though consignments left the works at all hours
of the day, those referred to by the first one
of each between the hours of four and five. Further,
the number of minutes past one and past four were
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always identical on each pair that showed the brandy item
was nearly always the later of the two, but occasionally
the stuff had gone with the one o'clock trip. Hunt
sat in the small office of which he had been
given undisturbed possession, pondering over his problem and trying to
marshal the facts that he had learned in such a
way as to extract their inner meaning as far as
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he could follow them. They seemed to show that three
times each day driver Charles Fox took a lorry of
various liquors into Hole. The first trip was irregular, that is,
he left at anything between seven thirty and ten thirty
a m. And his objective extended over the entire city.
The remaining two trips were regular. Of these, the first
always left between one and two, and the second the
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same number of minutes past four. Both were invariably to
the same one of the five large tide houses already mentioned.
The load of each was always identical except one. Generally,
the second had some kegs of brandy additional, and lastly,
the note of this extra brandy appeared always to have
been added to the certificate after the latter had been
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made out. Hunt could make nothing of it. In the evening,
he described his discoveries to Willis, and the two men
discussed the affair exhaustively, though still without result. That night,
Hunt could not sleep. He lay tossing from side to
side and racking his brains to find a solution. He
felt subconsciously that it was within his reach, and yet
he could not grasp it. It was not far from
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dawn when a sudden idea flashed into his mind, and
he lay thrilled with excitement as he wondered if at
last he held the clue to the mystery. He went
over the details in his mind, and the more he
thought over his theory, the more likely it seemed to grow.
But how was he to tested? Daylight had come before
he saw his way. But at last he was satisfied,
and at breakfast he told Willis's idea and asked his
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help to carry out his plan. You are not a photographer,
by any chance, he asked. I'm not a one, but
I dabble a bit at it. Good that will save
some trouble. They called it a photographic outfitters, and there
after making a deposit, succeeded in hiring two large sized
Kodaks for the day. With these and a set of
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climbing irons, they drove out along the Fariby Road, arriving
at the end of the lane to the works shortly
after midday. There they dismissed their taxi as soon as
they were alone. Their actions became somewhat bewildering to the uninitiated.
Along one side of the road ran a seven foot
wall bounding the plantation of a large villa. Over this, Willis,
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with the help of his friend clambered with some loose stones,
He built himself a footing at the back so that
he could just look over the top. Then, having focused
his camera for the middle of the road, he retired
into obscurity. Behind his defenses, his friend settled. To his satisfaction,
Hunt buckled on the climbing irons, and crossing the road,
proceeded to climb a telegraph pole which stood opposite the lane.
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He fixed his camera to the lower wires, carefully avoiding
possible short circuitings, and having focused it for the center
of the road, pulled a pair of pliers from his
pocket and endeavored to stimulate the actions of a linemen
at work. By the time these preparations were complete, it
was close on one o'clock. Some half hour later, a
large blue lorry came in sight, bearing down along the lane. Presently,
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Hunt was able to see that the driver was Fox.
He made a pre arranged sign to a complice behind
the wall, and the ladder camera in hand, stood up
and peeped over As the big vehicle swung slowly round
into the main road. Both men, from their respective positions,
photographed it. Hunt, indeed, rapidly changing the film, took a
second view as the machine retreated down the road towards Hull.
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When it was out of sight, Hunt descended and with
some difficulty, climbed the wall to his colleague. There in
the shade of the thick belt of trees, both men
lay down and smoked peacefully until nearly four Then once
more they took up their respective positions watched until about
half an hour later the lorry again passed out, and
photographed it precisely as before that done, they walked to
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Hassel station and took the first train to Hull. By
dint of Baksheish, they persuaded the photographer to develop their
films there and then, and that same evening they had
six prints. As it happened, they turned out exceedingly good photographs.
Their definition was excellent, and each view included the whole
of the lorry. The friends found as Hunt had hoped
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and intended, that, owing to the height from which the
views had been taken, each several keg of the load
showed out distinctly. They counted them. Each picture showed seventeen.
You see, Hunt cried triumphantly. The same amount of stuff
went out on each load. We shall have them now,
willis next? Day, Hunt returned to Ferraby Works, ostensibly to
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continue his routine inspection, but in three minutes he had
seen what he wanted. Taking the certificate book, he looked
up blocks of the two consignments they had photographed, and
he could have laughed aloud in his exultation as he
saw that what he had suspected was indeed the fact.
The two certificates were identical, except that the second, an
item of four kegs of French brandy, had been added.
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Hunt counted the barrels. The first certificate showed thirteen and
the last seventeen. Four kegs of brandy smuggled out under
our noses yesterday, he thought, delightedly, by Jove, but it's
a clever trick now. To test the point, he made
an excuse for leaving the works and returning to Hall.
Called at a licensed house to which the previous afternoon's
consignment had been dispatched. There he asked to see the
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certificates of the two trips. On seeing his credentials, these
were handed up without demur and he withdrew with them
to his hotel. Come, he cried to Willis, who was
reading in the lounge, and see the final act in
the drama. They retired to their private room, and there
Hunt spread the two certificates on the table. Both men
stared at them, and Hunt gave vent to a grunt
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of satisfaction. I was right, he cried, delightedly. Look here,
why I can see it with the naticd eye. The
two certificates were an accurate copy of their blocks. They
were dated correctly, both bore Fox's name as driver, and
both showed consignment of liquor identical except for the additional
four kegs of brandy on the second. There was, furthermore,
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no sign that this had been added after the remainder.
The slight lightning in the color towards the bottom of
the sheet due to the use of blotting paper, was
so progressive as almost to prove the hole had been
written at the same time. The first certificate was timed
one fifteen p m, the second four fifteen p m.
And it was to the four of this second hour
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that Hunt's eager finger pointed. As Willis examined it, he
saw that the lower strokes were fainter than the remainder. Further,
the beginning of the horizontal stroke did not quite join
the first vertical stroke. You see, Hunt cried excitedly. That
figure is a forgery. It was originally a one, and
the two lower strokes had been added to make it
a four. The case is finished. Willis was less enthusiastic.
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I'm not so sure of that, he returned, cautiously. I
don't see light all the way through. Just go over
it again, will you? Why? To me, it's as clear
as daylight, the other asserted impatiently. See here Archer decides.
Let us suppose that he will send out four kegs
or one hundred gallons of the smuggled brandy to the
anchor bar. What does he do? He fills out certificates
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for two consignments, each of which contains an identical assortment
of various liquors. The brandy he shows on one certificate.
Only the blocks are true copies of the certificates, except
that the brandy is not entered on either the two blocks.
He times for a quarter past one and past four, respectively,
but both certificates he times for a quarter past one.
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He hands the two certificates to Fox, Then he sends
out on the one o'clock glory the amount of brandy
shown on one of their certificates. Hunt paused and looked
interrogatively at his friend. Then the latter, not re applying,
he resumed, You follow now the position of affairs, and
the office is Archer, with his blocks correctly filled out
as to time, but neither showing the brandy. On the
(28:10):
one o'clock lorry is Fox, with one hundred gallons of brandy.
Among his load. In his pocket are two certificates, both
timed for one o'clock, one showing the brandy and the
other not. The inspector nodded as Hunt again looked at him. Now,
suppose the latter went on that the one o'clock keg
gets through to its destination unchallenged, and the stuff is unloaded.
(28:32):
The manager arranges that the four kegs of brandy will disappear.
He takes over their certificate, which does not show brandy,
signs it, and the transaction is complete. Everything is in order,
and he has got four kegs smuggled in good willis
interjected him. On the other hand, suppose the one o'clock
trip is held up by an excise man. This time
(28:52):
Fox produces the other certificate, the one which shows the brandy.
Once again, everything is in order and the excise officer
is satisfied. It is true that on this occasion Fox
has been unable to smuggle out his brandy, and on
that which he carries duty must be paid. But this
rare contingency will not matter to him as long as
his method of fraud remains concealed. Seems very sound so far,
(29:16):
I think. So let us now consider the four o'clock trip.
Fox arrives back at the works with one of the
two certificates still in his pockets, and the make up
of his four o'clock load depends on which it is.
He attempts no more smuggling that day. If his remaining
certificate shows brandy, he carries brandy. If not, he leaves
it behind. In either case, his certificate is in order.
(29:38):
If an excise officer holds him up. That is, when
he is attended to one little point, he has to
add two strokes to the one of the hour to
make it into a four. The ease of doing this
explains why these two hours were chosen. Is that all
clear clear indeed, except for the one point of how
(29:59):
the brandy eyes is added to the correct block. Obviously,
archer does that as soon as he learns how the
first trip has got on. If the brandy was smuggled
out on the first trip, it means that Fox is
holding the brandy bearing certificate for the second and Archer
enters brandy on his second block. If on the contrary,
Fox has had his first load examined, Archer will make
(30:20):
his entry on the first block. The scheme willis declared
really means this. If Archer wants to smuggle out one
hundred gallons of brandy, he has to send out another
hundred legitimately on the same day. If he can manage
to send out two hundred altogether, then one hundred would
be duty clear. But in any case he must pay
on one hundred. That's right. It works out like that.
(30:44):
It's a great scheme. The only weak point that I
can see is that an excise officer who has held
up one of the trips might visit the works and
look at the certificate block before Archer gets it altered.
Hunt nodded. I thought of that, he said, And it
can be met easily. I bet the manager telephone's Archer
on receipt of the stuff I'm going into that now
(31:06):
I shall have a note kept at the central of
conversations to Ferraby. If Archer doesn't get a message by
a certain time, I bet he assumes the plan is
miscarried for that day and fills in the brandy on
the first block. During the next two days, Hunt was
able to establish the truth of his surmise. At the
same time, Willis decided that his co operation in the
work at Hull was no longer needed. For Hunt, there
(31:28):
was still plenty to be done. He had to get
direct evidence against severally of the managers of the five
tide houses in question, as well as to ascertain how
and to whom they were passing on the stuff. For
that they were receiving more brandy than could be sold
over their own counters was unquestionable. But he agreed with
Willis that these five men were more than likely in
ignorance of the main conspiracy, each having only a private
(31:50):
understanding with Archer. But whether or not this was so,
Willis did not believe he could get any evidence that
they were implicated in the murder of Coburn the French
end of the affair. He thought the supply of the
brandy in the first instance was more promising from this
point of view, and the next morning he took an
early train to London as a preliminary to starting work
(32:10):
in France. End of chapter seventeen.
Chapter seventeen of the pitt prop Syndicate by Freeman wills
Croft's This LibriVox recording is in the public domain, Chapter seventeen,
Archer Plant's stuff. Willis's chief at the yard, was not
a little impressed by his subordinate's story. He congratulated the
Inspector on his discovery, commended him for his restraint and
(00:20):
withholding action against Archer until he had identified his accomplices,
and approved his proposals for the further conduct of the case.
Fortified by this somewhat unexpected approbation, Willis betook himself forthwith
to the headquarters of the Customs Department and asked to
see Hilliard. The two men were already acquainted, as has
been stated. The Inspector had early called at Hilliard's rooms
(00:42):
and learned all that the other could tell him of
the case, but for prudential reasons, they had not met. Since.
Hilliard was tremendously excited by the Inspector's news and eagerly
arranged the interview with his chief which Willis sought. The
great man was not engaged, and in a few minutes
the others were shown into his presence. We are here,
sir Willis began when the necessary introductions had been made
(01:04):
to tell you jointly a very remarkable story. Mister Hilliard
would doubtless have told you his part long before this,
had I not specially asked him not to. Now, sir,
the time has come to put the facts before you. Perhaps,
as mister Hilliard's story comes before mine in point of time,
he should begin. Hilliard thereupon began. He told of Merriman's
(01:24):
story in the Rover's Club, his own idea of smuggling
based on the absence of return cargoes, his proposition to Merriman,
their trip to France, and what they learned at their clearing.
Then he described their visit to Hull, their observations at
the Ferrapy Wharf, the experiment carried out with the help
of Latham, and finally what Merriman had told him of
his second visit to Bordeaux. Willis next took up the
(01:45):
tale and described the murder of Cockburn, his inquiries thereunto,
and the identification of the assassin, and his subsequent discoveries
at Ferreby, ending up by stating the problem which still
confronted him, and expressing the hope that the chief in
dealing with the smuggling conspiracy would co operate with him
in connection with the murder. The latter had listened with
an expression of amazement, which towards the end of the
(02:07):
Inspector's statement changed to one of the liveliest satisfaction. He
gracefully congratulated both men on their achievements and expressed his
gratification at what had been discovered and his desire to
co operate to the full with the inspector in the
settling up of the case. The three men then turned
to details. To Hilliard's bitter disappointment, it was ruled that,
(02:27):
owing to his being known to at least three members
of the gang, he could take no part in the
final scenes, and he had to be content with the
honor of, as it were, a seat on the Council
of War. For nearly an hour they deliberated, at the
end of which time it had been decided that Stopford Hunt,
one of the Customs Department's most skillful investigators, should proceed
to Hall and tackle the question of the distribution of
(02:49):
the brandy. Willis was to go to Paris interest the
French authorities in the Bordeaux and of the affair, and
then join Hunt in Hull Stopford. Hunt was an insignificant
looking man of about forty all. His characteristics might be
described as being of medium quality. He was five feet
nine in height. His brown hair was neither fair nor dark.
His dress suggested neither poverty nor opulence, and his features
(03:13):
were of the type known as ordinary. In a word,
he was not one whose appearance would provoke a second glance,
or who would be credited with taking an important part
in anything that might be in progress. But for his job,
these very peculiarities were among his chief assets. When he
hung about in an aimless loafing way, as he very
often did, he was overlooked by those whose actions he
(03:34):
was so discreetly watching, And where mere loafing would look suspicious,
he had the inestimable gift of being able to waste
time in an afraid and preoccupied manner. That night Willis
crossed to Paris, and next day he told his story
to the polite chief of the French Excise, M. Max
was almost as interested as his English confrere, and readily
(03:54):
promised to have the French end of the affair investigated.
That same evening, the inspector left for London, going on
in the morning to holl He found Hunt a shrewd
and capable man of the world, as well as a
pleasant and interesting companion. They had engaged a private sitting
room at their hotel, and after dinner they retired thither
to discuss their plan of campaign. I wish, said Willis,
(04:15):
when they had talked for some moments, that you would
tell me something about how this liquor distribution business is worked.
It's outside my job, and I'm not clear on the details.
If I understood, I could perhaps help you better. Hunt
nodded and drew slowly at his pipe. The principle of
the thing, he answered, is simple enough, though in detail
it becomes a bit complicated. The first thing we have
(04:37):
to remember is that in this case we're dealing not
with distillers but with rectifiers. Though in loose popular phraseology,
both businesses are classed under the term distilling, in reality
there is a considerable difference between them. Distillers actually produce
the spirit in their buildings, Rectifiers do not. Rectifiers import
the spirit produced by distillers and refine or prepare it
(05:00):
for various specified purposes. The check required by the excise
authorities is therefore different in each case. With rectifiers, it
is only necessary to measure the stuff that goes into
and comes out of the works, making due allowance for
variation during treatment. These two figures will balance. If all
is right, willis nodded and hunt resumed. Now, the essence
(05:22):
of all fraud is that more stuff goes out of
the works than is shown on the returns. That is,
of course, another way of saying that stuff is sold
upon which duty has not been paid. In the case
of a rectifying house, where there is no illicit, still
more also comes in than is shown. In the present instance,
you yourself have shown how the extra brandy enters. Our
(05:43):
job is to find out how it leaves. That part
of it is clear enough anyway, willis said with a smile.
But brandy smuggling is not new. There must surely be
recognized ways of evading the law. Quite there are, but
to follow them you must understand how the output is measured.
For every consignment of stuff that leaves the works, a
permit or certificate is issued and handed to the carrier
(06:06):
who removes it. This is a kind of way bill,
and of course a block is kept for the inspection
of the surveying officer. It contains a note of the
quantity of stuff, date and hour of starting, consignee's name
and other information, and it is the authority for the
carrier to have the liquor in his possession. An excise
officer may stop and examine any dray or lorry containing
(06:26):
liquor or railway wagon, and the driver or other official
must produce his certificate so that his load may be
checked by it. All such what I may call surprise examinations,
together with the signature of the officer making them, are
recorded on the back of the certificate. When the stuff
is delivered, the certificate is handed over with it to
the consignee. He signs it on receipt. It then becomes
(06:48):
his authority for having the stuff on his premises, and
he must keep it for the excise officer's inspection. Do
you follow me so far perfectly? The fraud then consisting
getting more liquor away from the works than is shown
on the certificates, and I must confess it is not easy.
The commonest method, I should think is to fill the
kegs or receptacles slightly fuller than the certificate shows. This
(07:11):
is sometimes done simply by putting extra stuff in the
ordinary kegs. It is argued that an excise officer cannot
buy his eye till a difference of five or six percent, that,
for example, twenty six gallons might be supplied on a
twenty five gallon certificate without anyone being much The wiser
variants of this method are to use slightly larger kegs,
or more subtlely, to use the normal sized kegs of
(07:33):
which the wood at the ends have been thinned down,
and which therefore, when filled to the same level, hold
more while showing the same measure with a dipping rod.
But all these methods are risky on suspicion the contents
of the kegs are measured and the fraud becomes revealed.
Willis much interested, bent forward eagerly as the other, after
(07:53):
a pause to relight his pipe continued. Another common method
is to send out liquored secretly without a permitted all.
This may be done at night, or the stuff may
go through an underground pipe or be hidden in innocent
looking articles such as suitcases or petrol tins. The pipe
is the best scheme from the operator's point of view,
and one may remain undiscovered for months, but the difficulty
(08:14):
usually is to lay it in the first instance. A
third method can be used only in the case of rectifiers,
and it illustrates one of the differences between rectifiers and distillers.
Every permit for the removal of liquor from a distillery
must be issued by the excise surveyor of the district,
whereas rectifiers can issue their own certificates. Therefore, in the
(08:35):
case of rectifiers there is the possibility of the issuing
of forged or fraudulent certificates. Of course, this is not
so easy as it sounds. The certificates are supplied in
books of two hundred by the excise authorities, and the
blocks must be kept available for the supervisor's scrutiny. Any
certificates can be obtained from the receivers of the spirit
and compared with the blocks, forged permits are very risky
(08:57):
things to work with, as all genuine ones bear the
gold government water mark, which is not easy to reproduce.
In fact, I may say about this whole question of
liquor distribution generally that fraud has been made so difficult
that the only hope of those committing it is to
avoid arousing suspicion. Once suspicion is roused discovery follows almost
as a matter of course, that's hopful for us. Willis smiled. Yes,
(09:21):
the other answered, though I fancy this case will be
more difficult than most. There is another point to be
taken into consideration which I have not mentioned, and that
is how the perpetrators of the frauds are going to
get their money. In the last resort, it can only
come in from the public over the counters of the
licensed premises which sell the smuggled spirits. But just as
the smuggled liquor cannot be put through the books of
(09:43):
the house selling it, so the money received for it
cannot be entered either. This means that someone in authority
in each licensed house must be involved. It also carries
with it a suggestion, though only a suggestion. The houses
in question are tied houses. Director of a distillery company
would have more hold on the manager of their own
tide houses than over an outsider. Again, Willis nodded without replying,
(10:08):
and Hunt went on. Now it happens that these Acroyd
and Holt people own some very large licensed houses in Hull,
and it is to them I imagine that we should
first direct our attention. How do you propose to begin.
I think we must first find out how the Fariby
liquor is sent to these houses. By the way, you
(10:28):
probably know that already you watched the distillery during working hours,
didn't you, the inspector admitted it. Did you see any lorries,
any number large blue machines. I noticed them coming and
going in the whole direction, loaded up with barrels. Hunt
seemed pleased. Good, he commented, that's a beginning anyway. Our
(10:49):
next step must be to make sure that all these
lorries carry certificates. We had better begin tomorrow. Willis did
not quite see how the business was to be done,
but he forbore to ask questions, agreeing to fall in
with his companion's arrangements. These arrangements involved the departure from
their hotel by taxi at six o'clock the next morning.
It was not fully light as they whirled out along
(11:11):
the Fariby road, but the sky was clear and all
the indications pointed to a fine day. They dismounted at
the end of the lane leading to the works and
struck off across the fields, finally taking up their position
behind the same thick hedge from which Willis had previously
kept watch. They spent the whole of that day, as
well as of the next two, in their hiding place,
and at the end of that time they had a
(11:32):
complete list of all lorries that entered or left the
establishment during that period. No vehicles other than blue lorries appeared,
and Hunt expressed himself as satisfied that if the smuggled
brandy was not carried by them, it must go out,
either by rail or at night. We can go into
those other contingencies later, if necessary, he said, But on
(11:52):
the face of it, I am inclined to back the lorries.
They supplied the tide houses in Hull, which would seem
the obvious places for the brandy to go, and besides
railway transit is too well looked after to attract the gang.
I think we'll follow this lorry business through first on speck,
I suppose you'll compare the certificate blocks with the list
I made. Willis asked, of course, that will show if
(12:14):
all carry certificates. But I don't want to do that
yet before alarming them, I want to examine the contents
of a few of the lorries. I think we might
do that tomorrow the next morning. Therefore, the Tuya. Detectives
again engaged a taxi and ran out along the Ferriby
Road until they met a large blue lorry loaded with
barrels and bearing on its side the legend Ackroyd and
Holts Limited licensed Rectifiers. When it had lumbered passed on
(12:38):
its way to the city, Hunt called to the driver
and ordered him to follow it. The chase led to
the heart of town, ending in a street which ran
parallel to the Humber Dock. There the big machine turned
into an entry the anchor bar Hunt said in satisfied tones,
where in luck it's one of the largest licensed houses
in Hull. He jumped out and disappeared, after the Willis following.
(13:02):
The vehicle had stopped in a yard at the back
of the Great Public House, where were more barrels than
the inspector ever remembered having seen together, while the smell
of various liquors hung heavy in the air. Hunt, having
shown his credentials, demanded the certificate for the consignment. This
was immediately produced by the driver, scrutinized and found in order.
Hunt then proceeded to examine the consignment itself, and Willis
(13:24):
was lost in admiration at the rapidity as well as
the thoroughness of his inspection. He tested the nature of
the various liquids, measured their receptacles, took drippings in each cask,
and otherwise satisfied himself as to the quality and quantity.
Finally had a look over the lory. Then, expressing himself satisfied,
he endorsed the certificate, and with a fusive wards to
(13:44):
the men in charge, the two detectives took their leave.
That's all square anyway, Hunt remarked, as they re entered
their taxi. I suppose we may go and do the
same thing again. They did three times more that day,
and four times on the next day. They followed mess
Ackroyd and holtz Lauris in every instance with the same result.
All eight consignments were examined with the utmost care, and
(14:07):
all were found to be accurately described on the accompanying certificate.
The certificates themselves were obviously genuine, and everything about them,
so far as Hunt could see, was in order. Doesn't
look as if we're going to get it that way,
he commented. As late that second evening they sat once
more discussing matters in their private sitting room. Don't you
think you've frightened them into honesty by our persistence. Willis
(14:29):
queried no doubt. The other returned, but that couldn't apply
to the first few trips. They couldn't possibly have foretold
that we should examine those consignments yesterday and to day.
I expect they thought their visitation was over. But we
have worked it as far as it will go. We
shall have to change our methods. The inspector looked his question,
and Hunt continued, I think tomorrow I had better go
(14:53):
out to the works and have a look over these
certificate blocks. But I wonder if it would be well
for you to come. Archer has seen you in that
hotel line Longe, and at all events he has your description.
I shall not go. Willis decided see you when you
get back. Hunt, after showing his credentials, was received with
civility at Messrs Acroyd and Holts. When he had completed
the usual examination of their various apparatus, he asked for
(15:15):
certain books. He took them to a desk, and, sitting down,
began to study the certificate blocks. His first care was
to compare the list of outward lories which he and
Willis had made with the blocks for the same period.
A short investigation convinced him that here also everything was
in order. There was a certificate for every lorry which
had passed out, and not only so, but the number
(15:35):
of the lorry, the day and hour at which it left,
and the load were all correct so far as his
observations had enabled him to check them. It was clear
that here also he had drawn a blanket for the
fiftieth time. He wondered, with a sort of rueful admiration,
how the fraud was being worked. He was idly turning
over the leaves of the blocks, gazing vacantly at the
lines of writing while he pondered his problem, when his
(15:57):
attention was attracted to a slight difference of color in
the ink of an entry on one of the blocks.
The consignment was a mixed one, containing different kinds of
spirituous liquors. The lowest entry was for three twenty five
gallon kegs of French brandy. This entry was slightly paler
than the remain order. At first, Hunt did not give
(16:18):
the manner serious thought. The page had evidently been blotted
while the ink was wet, and the lower items should
therefore naturally be the fainter. But as he looked more closely,
he saw that this explanation would not quite meet the case.
It was true that the lower two or three items
above that of the brandy grew gradually paler in proportion
to their position down the sheet, and to this rule,
(16:38):
Archer's signature at the bottom was no exception. In these.
Hunt could trace the gradual fading of color due to
the use of blotting paper, but he now saw that
this did not apply to the brandy entry. It was
the palest of all, paler even than Archer's name, which
was below it. He sat staring at the sheet, whistling
softly through his teeth, and with his brow puckered into
(16:59):
a frown, as if he wondered whether the obvious suggestion
that the brandy item had been added after the sheet
had been completed was a sound deduction. He could think
of no other explanation, but he was loath to form
a definite opinion on such slight evidence. He turned back
through the blocks to see if they contained other similar instances,
and as he did so, his interest grew. Quite a
(17:20):
number of pages referring to mixed consignment had four Their
last item kegs of French branding. He scrutinized these entries
with the utmost care. A few seemed normal enough, but
others showed indications which strengthened his suspicions. In three more
the ink was undoubtedly paler than the remainder of the sheet.
In five it was darker, while in several others the
(17:40):
handwriting appeared slightly different, more upright, more sloping, more heavily
or more lightly leaned on. When Hunt had examined all
the instances he could find stretching over a period of
three months, he was convinced that his deduction was correct.
The Brandy items had been written at a different time
from the remainder, and this could only mean that they
had been added after the certificate was complete. His interest
(18:04):
at last keenly aroused, he began to make an analysis
of the blocks in question, in the hope of finding
some other peculiarity common to them, which might indicate the
direction in which the solution might lie. And first, as
to the consignees, Ackroyd and Holt evidently supplied a very
large number of licensed houses, But of these the names
of only five appeared on the doubtful blocks. But these
(18:24):
five were confined to houses in whole, and each was
a large and important concern. So far, so good, thought Hunt,
with satisfaction. If they're not planting their stuff in those
five houses, I'm a Dutchman. He turned back to the
blocks and once again went through them. This time he
made an even more suggestive discovery. Only one Loryman was
(18:45):
concerned in the transport of the doubtful consignments. All the
lorries in question had been in charge of a driver
called Charles Fox. Hunt remembered the man he had driven
three of the eight lorries Hunt himself had examined, and
he had been most civil when stopped, giving the investigator
all possible assistance in making his inspection, nor had he
at any time betrayed embarrassment. And now it seemed not
(19:07):
improbable that this same man was one of those connected
in the fraud. Hunt applied himself once again to a
study of the blocks, and then he made a third discovery, which,
though he could not at first see its drift, struck
him nevertheless as being of importance. He found that the
fake block was always one of a pair. Within a
few pages, either in front of or behind it was
(19:29):
another block containing particulars of a similar consignment, identical in fact,
except that the brandy item was missing. Hunt was puzzled
that he was on the track of the fraudy could
not but believe, but he could form no idea as
to how it was worked. If he were right. So far,
the blocks had been made out in facsimile in the
first instance, and later the brandy item had been added
(19:52):
to one of each pair. Why he could not guess.
He continued his examination, and soon another interest in fact
became apparent. Though consignments left the works at all hours
of the day, those referred to by the first one
of each between the hours of four and five. Further,
the number of minutes past one and past four were
(20:13):
always identical on each pair that showed the brandy item
was nearly always the later of the two, but occasionally
the stuff had gone with the one o'clock trip. Hunt
sat in the small office of which he had been
given undisturbed possession, pondering over his problem and trying to
marshal the facts that he had learned in such a
way as to extract their inner meaning as far as
(20:33):
he could follow them. They seemed to show that three
times each day driver Charles Fox took a lorry of
various liquors into Hole. The first trip was irregular, that is,
he left at anything between seven thirty and ten thirty
a m. And his objective extended over the entire city.
The remaining two trips were regular. Of these, the first
always left between one and two, and the second the
(20:57):
same number of minutes past four. Both were invariably to
the same one of the five large tide houses already mentioned.
The load of each was always identical except one. Generally,
the second had some kegs of brandy additional, and lastly,
the note of this extra brandy appeared always to have
been added to the certificate after the latter had been
(21:17):
made out. Hunt could make nothing of it. In the evening,
he described his discoveries to Willis, and the two men
discussed the affair exhaustively, though still without result. That night,
Hunt could not sleep. He lay tossing from side to
side and racking his brains to find a solution. He
felt subconsciously that it was within his reach, and yet
he could not grasp it. It was not far from
(21:40):
dawn when a sudden idea flashed into his mind, and
he lay thrilled with excitement as he wondered if at
last he held the clue to the mystery. He went
over the details in his mind, and the more he
thought over his theory, the more likely it seemed to grow.
But how was he to tested? Daylight had come before
he saw his way. But at last he was satisfied,
and at breakfast he told Willis's idea and asked his
(22:01):
help to carry out his plan. You are not a photographer,
by any chance, he asked. I'm not a one, but
I dabble a bit at it. Good that will save
some trouble. They called it a photographic outfitters, and there
after making a deposit, succeeded in hiring two large sized
Kodaks for the day. With these and a set of
(22:22):
climbing irons, they drove out along the Fariby Road, arriving
at the end of the lane to the works shortly
after midday. There they dismissed their taxi as soon as
they were alone. Their actions became somewhat bewildering to the uninitiated.
Along one side of the road ran a seven foot
wall bounding the plantation of a large villa. Over this, Willis,
(22:42):
with the help of his friend clambered with some loose stones,
He built himself a footing at the back so that
he could just look over the top. Then, having focused
his camera for the middle of the road, he retired
into obscurity. Behind his defenses, his friend settled. To his satisfaction,
Hunt buckled on the climbing irons, and crossing the road,
proceeded to climb a telegraph pole which stood opposite the lane.
(23:04):
He fixed his camera to the lower wires, carefully avoiding
possible short circuitings, and having focused it for the center
of the road, pulled a pair of pliers from his
pocket and endeavored to stimulate the actions of a linemen
at work. By the time these preparations were complete, it
was close on one o'clock. Some half hour later, a
large blue lorry came in sight, bearing down along the lane. Presently,
(23:28):
Hunt was able to see that the driver was Fox.
He made a pre arranged sign to a complice behind
the wall, and the ladder camera in hand, stood up
and peeped over As the big vehicle swung slowly round
into the main road. Both men, from their respective positions,
photographed it. Hunt, indeed, rapidly changing the film, took a
second view as the machine retreated down the road towards Hull.
(23:50):
When it was out of sight, Hunt descended and with
some difficulty, climbed the wall to his colleague. There in
the shade of the thick belt of trees, both men
lay down and smoked peacefully until nearly four Then once
more they took up their respective positions watched until about
half an hour later the lorry again passed out, and
photographed it precisely as before that done, they walked to
(24:11):
Hassel station and took the first train to Hull. By
dint of Baksheish, they persuaded the photographer to develop their
films there and then, and that same evening they had
six prints. As it happened, they turned out exceedingly good photographs.
Their definition was excellent, and each view included the whole
of the lorry. The friends found as Hunt had hoped
(24:31):
and intended, that, owing to the height from which the
views had been taken, each several keg of the load
showed out distinctly. They counted them. Each picture showed seventeen.
You see, Hunt cried triumphantly. The same amount of stuff
went out on each load. We shall have them now,
willis next? Day, Hunt returned to Ferraby Works, ostensibly to
(24:53):
continue his routine inspection, but in three minutes he had
seen what he wanted. Taking the certificate book, he looked
up blocks of the two consignments they had photographed, and
he could have laughed aloud in his exultation as he
saw that what he had suspected was indeed the fact.
The two certificates were identical, except that the second, an
item of four kegs of French brandy, had been added.
(25:14):
Hunt counted the barrels. The first certificate showed thirteen and
the last seventeen. Four kegs of brandy smuggled out under
our noses yesterday, he thought, delightedly, by Jove, but it's
a clever trick now. To test the point, he made
an excuse for leaving the works and returning to Hall.
Called at a licensed house to which the previous afternoon's
consignment had been dispatched. There he asked to see the
(25:36):
certificates of the two trips. On seeing his credentials, these
were handed up without demur and he withdrew with them
to his hotel. Come, he cried to Willis, who was
reading in the lounge, and see the final act in
the drama. They retired to their private room, and there
Hunt spread the two certificates on the table. Both men
stared at them, and Hunt gave vent to a grunt
(25:57):
of satisfaction. I was right, he cried, delightedly. Look here,
why I can see it with the naticd eye. The
two certificates were an accurate copy of their blocks. They
were dated correctly, both bore Fox's name as driver, and
both showed consignment of liquor identical except for the additional
four kegs of brandy on the second. There was, furthermore,
(26:18):
no sign that this had been added after the remainder.
The slight lightning in the color towards the bottom of
the sheet due to the use of blotting paper, was
so progressive as almost to prove the hole had been
written at the same time. The first certificate was timed
one fifteen p m, the second four fifteen p m.
And it was to the four of this second hour
(26:39):
that Hunt's eager finger pointed. As Willis examined it, he
saw that the lower strokes were fainter than the remainder. Further,
the beginning of the horizontal stroke did not quite join
the first vertical stroke. You see, Hunt cried excitedly. That
figure is a forgery. It was originally a one, and
the two lower strokes had been added to make it
a four. The case is finished. Willis was less enthusiastic.
(27:04):
I'm not so sure of that, he returned, cautiously. I
don't see light all the way through. Just go over
it again, will you? Why? To me, it's as clear
as daylight, the other asserted impatiently. See here Archer decides.
Let us suppose that he will send out four kegs
or one hundred gallons of the smuggled brandy to the
anchor bar. What does he do? He fills out certificates
(27:25):
for two consignments, each of which contains an identical assortment
of various liquors. The brandy he shows on one certificate.
Only the blocks are true copies of the certificates, except
that the brandy is not entered on either the two blocks.
He times for a quarter past one and past four, respectively,
but both certificates he times for a quarter past one.
(27:48):
He hands the two certificates to Fox, Then he sends
out on the one o'clock glory the amount of brandy
shown on one of their certificates. Hunt paused and looked
interrogatively at his friend. Then the latter, not re applying,
he resumed, You follow now the position of affairs, and
the office is Archer, with his blocks correctly filled out
as to time, but neither showing the brandy. On the
(28:10):
one o'clock lorry is Fox, with one hundred gallons of brandy.
Among his load. In his pocket are two certificates, both
timed for one o'clock, one showing the brandy and the
other not. The inspector nodded as Hunt again looked at him. Now,
suppose the latter went on that the one o'clock keg
gets through to its destination unchallenged, and the stuff is unloaded.
(28:32):
The manager arranges that the four kegs of brandy will disappear.
He takes over their certificate, which does not show brandy,
signs it, and the transaction is complete. Everything is in order,
and he has got four kegs smuggled in good willis
interjected him. On the other hand, suppose the one o'clock
trip is held up by an excise man. This time
(28:52):
Fox produces the other certificate, the one which shows the brandy.
Once again, everything is in order and the excise officer
is satisfied. It is true that on this occasion Fox
has been unable to smuggle out his brandy, and on
that which he carries duty must be paid. But this
rare contingency will not matter to him as long as
his method of fraud remains concealed. Seems very sound so far,
(29:16):
I think. So let us now consider the four o'clock trip.
Fox arrives back at the works with one of the
two certificates still in his pockets, and the make up
of his four o'clock load depends on which it is.
He attempts no more smuggling that day. If his remaining
certificate shows brandy, he carries brandy. If not, he leaves
it behind. In either case, his certificate is in order.
(29:38):
If an excise officer holds him up. That is, when
he is attended to one little point, he has to
add two strokes to the one of the hour to
make it into a four. The ease of doing this
explains why these two hours were chosen. Is that all
clear clear indeed, except for the one point of how
(29:59):
the brandy eyes is added to the correct block. Obviously,
archer does that as soon as he learns how the
first trip has got on. If the brandy was smuggled
out on the first trip, it means that Fox is
holding the brandy bearing certificate for the second and Archer
enters brandy on his second block. If on the contrary,
Fox has had his first load examined, Archer will make
(30:20):
his entry on the first block. The scheme willis declared
really means this. If Archer wants to smuggle out one
hundred gallons of brandy, he has to send out another
hundred legitimately on the same day. If he can manage
to send out two hundred altogether, then one hundred would
be duty clear. But in any case he must pay
on one hundred. That's right. It works out like that.
(30:44):
It's a great scheme. The only weak point that I
can see is that an excise officer who has held
up one of the trips might visit the works and
look at the certificate block before Archer gets it altered.
Hunt nodded. I thought of that, he said, And it
can be met easily. I bet the manager telephone's Archer
on receipt of the stuff I'm going into that now
(31:06):
I shall have a note kept at the central of
conversations to Ferraby. If Archer doesn't get a message by
a certain time, I bet he assumes the plan is
miscarried for that day and fills in the brandy on
the first block. During the next two days, Hunt was
able to establish the truth of his surmise. At the
same time, Willis decided that his co operation in the
work at Hull was no longer needed. For Hunt, there
(31:28):
was still plenty to be done. He had to get
direct evidence against severally of the managers of the five
tide houses in question, as well as to ascertain how
and to whom they were passing on the stuff. For
that they were receiving more brandy than could be sold
over their own counters was unquestionable. But he agreed with
Willis that these five men were more than likely in
ignorance of the main conspiracy, each having only a private
(31:50):
understanding with Archer. But whether or not this was so,
Willis did not believe he could get any evidence that
they were implicated in the murder of Coburn the French
end of the affair. He thought the supply of the
brandy in the first instance was more promising from this
point of view, and the next morning he took an
early train to London as a preliminary to starting work
(32:10):
in France. End of chapter seventeen.
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