Marshall County Republican. (Plymouth, Ind.) 1856-1878, 1858-03-25

FINDING A CRIMINAL.
FROM THE NOTES OF AN ENGLISH DETECTIVE

and hence kept my bed longer than usual.
By the time my wife had reached my
room was up and half dressed. She told
me that Inspector Startling. one Of my
brother detectives, wished to see me. |
hurried down, and found him pacing to
and fro across the room in state of con-
siderable excitement. r
''Ah, GofI. we've got some work to our
hands, he cried, the moment he saw me.
''There's been murder-a strange one
by Newgate Market. Bat come along.
and I'll tell you as | CO.
As soon as we gained the street, Star
ling resumel-
''Last evening one of the butchers pack
cd box of meat to go off to day, but this
morning he changed his mind and concu-
ded to unpack it, as there was some doubt
about the stu1's keeping. When he re-
moved the cover he found the body
of man cut up, and slowed snugly away
in place of his meat, and the latter article
was afterwards found in neighboring eel
lar"
asked if the butcher was not suspect
ed.
"No," replied my companion. "Wo
know it could not have been him, for his
time is all accounted for; and besides, his
character is above suspicion. No-some
one who knew that the box was packed to
go off this morning, must have taken adj
vantange of the circumstances, and thus
hofed to gain time for escape. or perhaps,
to have thrown the blame upon an
other. 1t was an old man who was muir
derel, and it was evidently done for re-
venge."
"Why do you think so?" Iasked.
Because fragments of clothing were
upon the limbs, and watch and some
money were found in the pockets. Strange,
isn't it,
acknowledged that it was.
We overlook a party OF men at this
junction, and ere we had opportunity to
converse much more we had reached New
gate. The box was in small office, and
commissioner had arrived. The parts of
the body had been taken out and placed to-
gether. thus forming whole frame with
the exception of the head, this part being
absent The victim had been not far from
three-score; tall. we'll formed man, and
as far as we could Judge from the frag-
ments of clothing and the appearance oi
the hands, member of the better class OF
society
Our first object was to find if the re-
mains could be identified, but in this we
fai.e entirely. Two days passed without
the least new light on the subject, but on
the evening Of the second day, we received
notice that human head hal been
found in small pond or pool, at Epping.
and was in possession OF the officers oI
that place. ~
Here might be clue, and / was fin ally
set upon the track. | chose to go alone
for on such an crranl too many cooks most
cInphatically spoil the broth. L felt sur,
that if could once get my eye upon lh(
murderer, should know him. There i,
something in the very look and bearing O.
a man who has done murder, as palpa
ble to me as the color of the Ethiop.
can see it written on his face, though how
cannot tell. 1t may be an intuitive per
ception, or it may be from long habit ii
hunting rogues.
1t was late in the evening when start
cd, taking the saddle for my scat, anc
reaching Epping at midnight | found tn,
coroner, and with him l found the human
head. 1t was the very one knew it by
the gray hair, and by the manner in which
it had been cut off, the neck having beer
divided close to the shoulders. | re
qucstcd my host to keep my visit secret
as it might be necessary that my coming
shouid not be known. He assured me tha
no one save himself and the messenge
knew that word had been sent to Londoi
I of the iinsling of the head. In the morn
ing we went out to the place where The
terrible truth of crime had been found
anl l examined the sandy shore of tn,
! pond thoroughly. There were too many
tracks. however, for lne to make anything
of them. OF one thing | was sure, tha
the head had been thrown in at night, fol
it. had rested in shoal water, with two
bricks tied to it, whereas, had it beer
thrown in by daylight, the villain would
have selected a deoperspot The e.coroncl
suggested that the murder had kept on by
the great stage road through Essex, but
felt differently. | believed he had strucl
across towards Waltham Abbey, and upol
this supposition determined to act. v9o
- Ny first movement after this was to oh
tain a suit of laboring-men's S clothes, whiel
my host procured of fellow who was a
work in a drain in his garden. They wer,
we'll worn, and when got them on look
ed as rough as l could wish ther
made a snug bundle of my own garments
which tied up in an old cotton banker
chief, and having swung it upon a stou
oaken staff, placed il over my shoulders
4 aId started off upon the Waltham Abbey
road etj-x3 ee1irf iofnisniais1e isii'i
| Ii the murderer had done his horibl,
work in the metropolis by dark. and tliel
come around by the way of Epping hl
could not have reached the next town be.
fore daylight. / made some guarded inqui
ries at tho house passed., but gained ns
information till I reached Waltham Al
! hey, and even here could only learn tha
aman had passed there on foot, just be
fore daylight, two days previously Onl,
one, pcrson-the hostler of the inn--ha,
seen hun, anil could not give me the slight
est description, not even the traveller
height 81 asaisgs ~ g iv
i The road by which I had come lc,lsnc