Wilmington journal. [volume] (Wilmington, N.C.) 1844-1895, 1871-10-06
a DETECTIVES STORY
OF
N EW YORK LIFE.

''Ycu are too young to remember the
case of Miss P" said the detective:
as he gave a twist to his moustache and
crossed one leg over the other, as if set
tling himself down for narrative in which
he had personal interest. "Well, it was
one of the most remarkable cases that
ever had anything to do with, and John
Young will tell you the same thing. He
took hand in working it up, and il he
wasn't as much astonished as any Of us
before we got things dead to rights
you can set me down as a donkey. Now,
if you've got time I'll tell you all about it. u
The detective was informed that he
would be attentively listened to.
s'1t happened-let me see, it's now 1870
well, it happened seventeen years ago.
old Man Matsell was in Office then, and
things were not allowed to go begging to
be worked up in those days, I can tell
you. I remember [ was sitting in the of
fee one cold night all alone. 1t was rain
ing furiously, and the wind shook the
windows as though bent on making short
work of the old shanty in Broome street.
A good fire was burning in the stove and
I felt particularly comfortable; so comfort
able, in fact, that was just falling into a
gentle doze when the Cffice door opened
without anybody knocking. The sharp
gust of wind that came rushing in brought
me to my senses, and on starting to my
feet, half unconsciously, saw the outline
of female form before me in the dim
light, for I had weak eyes then, you
know, and couldn't bear the gas at its
full height. 1 turned the burner hinge at
once, and saw that the. person who stood
before me shivering with the cold, and
with the water dripping from the shaw
she had drawn over her head, was a gir
kIx1o o1N0
Her face was a comely one, and as she
raised her hand to her eyes to brush away q
tear-for she was crying bitterly-I saw
the sparkle of a large diamond on the
forefnger of the left hand.
s'I had to ask her several timee what
she wanted before she could reply, so VIC
lent was her grief.
cat last she exclaimed
"Have you any record of an accident
to a person named Miss P"
"I went and looked over the telegraph
book and answered, NO
Heard nothing at all about any such
person 2 and the child-like face wore such
an expression of hopefulness that really
been able to say, Yes in reply.
"'Nothing whatever answered.
My God then it must be so, she ex
claimed, wringing her hands in anguish,
as she paced to and fro in the room.
81 tried to pacify her, and finally sue
ceeded in making her sit down. She
asked for glass of water, and, on its be-
ing given to her, dipped her hand into il
and then bathed her temples. She then
said:
"Listen to me I'm in a hurry and
can't waste time in words. Miss P is
friend of mine. She is three years
older than am, though she looks just hf
young. There's her picture. Look at ii
well, for you may have to make use of it,
She went to the country las It week, and
to day I received a letter from her friends
there ipquiring for her. They said she
had left the city for three days
before; they we're astonished by letter
from me addressed to her. They reasoned
that I on ght to be aware of her presence
in town."
"Here the young girl began to sob
sgain as if her heart would break. She
controlled her emotion after awhile, how
ever, and went on: 80
"What could do I bethought me,
Of course, of her folks, her own father and
mother, who were living at the - Ho-
tel. She knew him by representation, /
suppose. He is very wealthy. went to
the hotel. The father left town on bust
ness, and the mother. an invalid, found
in bed. I didn't tell what I had heard
from the country. but managed to find
out that she thought her daughter stiIi
cut of town. -. -Es =
"I left the hotel, an awful feeling OF
dread creeping oyer me, Surely Mr'