The Famous Plantation Mystery: Detective Thriller Series, #1

By Teddy Donaldson

The lawyer drew some documents from his desk.

“I want you to sign these,” he said.

Hutton gave a violent start.

“What are they?” he asked.

“The articles of agreement.”

“What agreement?”

“You are exasperating,” said Grayson. “What do you expect? Am I to take your word, simply, for everything? I think not. Here is the agreement you must sign.”

The lawyer unfolded the document and read:

“These articles of agreement between Bill Hutton of the first part and Barry Grayson of the second part do hereby…”

“Cut it short!” Hutton growled. “What is the use of so much red tape?”

The lawyer read on calmly a long string of legal verbiage.

In brief, the substance was an agreement between the two plotters that Grayson should receive twenty-five thousand dollars for his legal services within one month of Hutton’s accession to Reston Plantation.

When the lawyer concluded the document, he placed a red seal on it and said:

“Sign here.”

At first, Hutton hesitated. But finally he sat down and signed the document. Arising from his chair after this, he started for the door.

“I don’t know what that amounts to,” he sneered. “You never would dare take it into court.”

“I wouldn’t?”

“No.”

“And why, my dear sir?”

“Why, in a criminal sense, it would show collusion. The detectives would get onto the game at once.”

The lawyer laughed easily. “Allow me to know my business,” he said craftily. “I believe that I know enough about the law to regulate that. You need have no fear. I have done very valuable work for you and I mean to have my pay.”

“Do you dare to insinuate that you will not get it?”

“I insinuate nothing, but I insist upon having it, be certain of that.”

Hutton laughed sneeringly.

“All right!” he said. “If you wish to be distrustful of me, you can.”

“It is simply a matter of business. I never take any man’s word. His signature he cannot go back on. That is all in black and white.”

“All right!” Hutton agreed, who was now at the door. “I’ll see you later, old man. Just now, I have some other business which claims my attention.”

“One moment…” the lawyer began. Then he paused. From the window there came a crashing sound, and then the loud noise of breaking boards and timbers.

In an instant, Grayson and Hutton rushed to the window and looked out. The sight which met their gaze was both surprising and ludicrous. The frail piazza, upon the roof of which James Benson had been lying, had given way.

Down it went, with the old detective entangled in the debris. The fall did not really hurt him, but the detective was for a moment unable to extricate himself. And when he had succeeded in doing so, it was only to look up into the scornful and grinning faces of the villains above.

• Language: English
• Publisher: Teddy Donaldson
• Release date: Jan 18, 2017
• ISBN: 9781386480945

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TEDDY DONALDSON

Contents

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Chapter 1

Chapter 2

Chapter 3

Chapter 4

Chapter 5

Chapter 6

Chapter 7

Chapter 8

Chapter 9

Chapter 10

Chapter 11

Chapter 12

Chapter 13

Chapter 14

Chapter 15

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Chapter 1

Stating the Case

THE BENSONS, KEENEST of all detectives, had just finished the Harlem murder case, and were taking a bit of a breathing spell after their arduous efforts when the following message reached New York:

"Chief of the Secret Service.

"At once, send two of your best detectives to Reston Plantation, Heston Township, Louisiana. A case of great mystery.

CARTER, New Orleans Chief of Detectives.

At once, the chief dispatched word posthaste to the Bensons.

They are just the men to tackle this case, he declared. If anybody can, they will fathom it.

Now, for some days, the Reston Plantation case had been the subject of newspaper talk and treatment. The detectives were not entirely familiar with all its details. But they knew that it was an affair of no light sort. So, they were at once interested when the message came.

I reckon there’s something cut out for us now, Henry, said James Benson in his laconic way.

Henry Benson, who was the old detective’s pupil and protégé, replied:

I am of that opinion myself.

James Benson drew out his notebook and scanned it. Let me see, he said. I made some notes on that case.

I am sure that you did, replied Henry.

"Yes, here they are. The Reston Plantation mystery. A case of peculiar atrocity. Judge Reston, owner of the plantation, is found in a cotton press with his head and shoulders crushed to a pulp and beyond recognition.

"Two black field hands, Jake Small and Tom Scott, are hunted down by a Vigilante Committee and lynched. The clothing, however, was Reston’s. Then it transpires that the committee was hasty and that Small and Scott were not guilty. They were elsewhere at the time of the crime.

The mystery resolves itself into these questions: who is the murdered man? Who put the body in the cotton press? How can the mysterious disappearance of Judge Reston be explained? Not a clue is offered.

There was silence for some moments after James Benson’s statement of the case. The young detective was thoughtful. James Benson made some notes. Then he said:

Yes, Henry, there is work cut out for us. It will be as shrewd a case as we have tackled for a good while!

I agree with you, said Henry. But, all the same, we shall succeed.

I hope so!

So it came to pass that the Bensons accepted the case. They collected all the material that they could in New York. Then they took the train for New Orleans. They proceeded from there at once to the Reston Plantation.

Heston was a typical town in Louisiana, with its ramshackle buildings, its black huts and general air of sleepiness and quiet.

The detectives alighted from the train in secret disguise. They were ostensible cotton buyers from the city. They visited all the cotton warehouses and checked prices. But they did not purchase. That was not their purpose.

In the course of their quest, they visited the Reston plantation. They found that it was a very fine estate sloping down to the waters of the bayou. Judge Reston was considered one of the wealthiest and representative men.

His family consisted of only a daughter and a nephew.

Esther Reston was the belle of the region about, and altogether a lovely girl.

Bill Hutton, the cousin, was a lazy, shiftless fellow, and always to be found lounging about the levee, or hunting and fishing in the swamp.

There ain’t no work in that boy, declared Uncle Hokey, the ancient watchman of the plantation. Ain’t no bone in him. He just comes natural by it.

The judge would laugh and say:

Oh, well, Bill will come around in time. He hasn’t got his growth yet.

The judge was kind to Bill for the reason that he was the son of his dead and dearly beloved sister. But in spite of his shiftlessness, Bill knew enough to fall in love. He was completely gone over his fair cousin, Esther.

Now this lovely young miss on the other hand cared little or nothing about him. But this only added fuel to the fire of Bill’s passion.

Finally, he had the nerve to ask Esther for her hand. The answer was a flat refusal. Bill plunged into the swamps and was missing for a week. When he came out, he seemed to be a changed person.

He became happy, and to a certain extent, clever. He affected the society of the young men at Heston and improved his dress and manners. But he did not press his suit with Esther further.

The young girl showed a decided preference for another. That other was Lester Caldwell, the son of the owner of the next plantation.

Thus matters were when the fearful crash came and Judge Reston dropped from sight in so mysterious a manner.

Then things were turned upside down at the plantation. When it was first assumed that the dead body found in the cotton press was that of the judge, steps were taken at once to administrate upon the estate. Lawyers were called from New Orleans and the will was read.

And a most startling revelation it was. To the amazement of everyone, it bequeathed the bulk of the property, including the plantation, to my dear sister’s child, Bill Hutton.

Esther, his own daughter, was cut off with a paltry five thousand, with another five thousand added if she would marry her cousin at once. It was a most astounding will.

At first, Esther’s friends and sympathizers were inclined to dispute the document. But Barry Grayson, the family lawyer, stood up and swore to its correctness, and nothing more could be said.

There was talk of a contest. But it was conceded that this would avail little. It was a fearful shock to Esther. But Hutton was noncommittal. He would certainly have been able to claim all but for and un-looked for incident.

The startling discovery was made that the body found in the cotton press was not that of Judge Reston at all. This created a tremendous sensation. The administration of the estate and the probating of the will was stopped. It was not known but that Judge Reston was still alive.

All sorts of theories were advanced. One was that the judge had murdered the unknown person and placed his body in the press and then fled. But the judge’s best friends strongly contested this. They would not believe it. Judge Reston was by far too well and favorably known. It could not be true. He was