two o'clock
By this time the public excitement had risen to fever-heat . It had by some unaccountable means leaked out that at the post-mortem we had been puzzled ; therefore the mystery was much increased , and the papers that morning without exception gave prominence to the startling affair . The coroner , seated at the table at the head of the room , took the usual formal evidence of identification , writing down the depositions upon separate sheets of blue foolscap . Samuel Short was the first witness of importance , and those in the room listened breathlessly to the story of how his alarum clock had awakened him at two o'clock ; how he had risen as usual and gone to his master 's room , only to discover him dead . `` You noticed no sign of a struggle ? '' inquired the coroner , looking sharply up at the witness . `` None , sir .