wellinghall | Another little episode

"LONDON FLYER: THE MYSTERY DEEPENS"

"POLICE STILL CONFIDENT"

"The midweek London Flyer dirigible airship service is still detained at its Alexandra Palace mooring*, following the discovery of a dead body in one of the cabins. The body is believed to be that of a passenger, Mr Jepherson Habbakuk of Salt Lake City, Utah. In his capacity as an agent for the Vinland and Norumbega Rail Road in both continents, Mr Habbakuk was a regular traveller on the dirigible service, and will have been a familiar sight to those of our readers who frequented the Alexandra Palace terminal.

"We understand from the London Flyer offices that the dirigible had been forced to fly at a greater altitude than normal, in order to pass above the storms encountered over the Atlantic Ocean last week. In common with other passengers, Mr Habbakuk was confined to his cabin during this period, to make use of the oxygen provided. However, Mr Habbakuk did not leave his cabin when the dirigible descended towards the coast of England, and was found there when a search was undertaken after the other passengers had disembarked.

"Beyond this, no official communications have been issued. However, we understand from a senior employee of the company that Mr Habbakuk had been stabbed in the heart by a stiletto. The only other clue is that Mr Habbakuk's clothing was a little damp, although this could have been caused by rain entering the porthole of the cabin at an earlier stage of the voyage.

"One's first thought is naturally to blame the notorious air pirates. However, the service had a full complement of gunners on this occasion, and even those gunners defending the second-class passengers were fully trained. It is, therefore, difficult to see how the pirates could have gained access to Mr Habbakuk's cabin without being observed.

"Others may suspect the renegade Jarl of Akureyri. It is true that he has confined his attentions of late to raiding the submersibles of the Danish federation, frequently using his specially trained attack-narwhals. However, such a dangerous criminal can never be ignored for long in any sphere, and we urge our government to re-double their efforts to bring this miscreant to justice.

"The London police force are actively engaged on the case, and are confident of making an arrest."

"*Details of the revised timetables being operated by cross-Atlantic dirigible, surface, and submersible services can be found on page 12."