Frostburg mining journal. [volume] (Frostburg, Md.) 1871-1913, 1873-01-25

one in the records of our city; and as
there were many influential personages
who loved Roger Lyon better than all
their friends besides, and many poor
washerwoman who blessed the day that
he saved her bit of ground from the
auctioneer's hammer-to have him, the
peoples favorite, charged with such II
deed, seemed to be an outrage upon all
classes of our citizens
well remember when Lansing, Lyons
lawyer, called upon me and begged me
to try my best to clear up the mystery.
At this time | had been i'll the detective
force nearly four years, and of course,
knew the ropes pretty well. But for a
month l confess that at times I was
nearly bafiied.
But | will come directly to my story.
AS first step, L went to the cellar where
the body was found, and, as 1 had or
dered it to be left there after the inquest
till 1 could examine everything myself,
it still remained there. Being something
of doctor, l naturally examined the
wounds, and was satisfied they would not
cause instant DEATH But did not rely
upon my own medical skill in this, but
sent for physician. He came-a sharp
fellow named Denning-and probed the
wounds. One of them went close to the
heart, the other two were in the lungs,
evidently intended to cause hemorrhage,
which had followed, but not sufficient to
cause death Immediately.
Roger Lyon knife, with which the deed
had been committed, silver-mounted
affair, lay near the wall
The doctor soon finished his work, and
giving me look that l interpreted in
stantly, went out, taking Lansing with
him, to whom he communicated the re-
suit of his examinations. When they
had gone l walked over to the wall and
picked up the knife AS soon as L
stopped over to do this | saw some marks
on the wall that appeared to have been
made by sharp instrument of some
hlllt. w ullt Ndo tIltot
Gilbert Stuart and Albert Firftone en-
tered. was about to call their atten-
ton to the marks when a sudden thought
caused me to close my mouth upon the
words that were almost on my tongues
end.
After obtaining permission they took
the body to his late residence.
As soon as they were gone, l again ex
amined the marks, and found they We're
Il combination of letters and figures az
ranged like this:
S-1225-D
| copied them on paper, and then,
taking the knife with me, went to my
office downtown, to study out, if posi-
BILE, the cipher [ had discovered. l had
no doubt that it was made by Cecil,
probably after he had been stabbed; and
| was convinced that the cause of its be-
ing in cipher was, that no one would be
apt to notice it enough to obliterate it.
But by what means could l obtain a key
was now the puzzle.
Acting according to a suggestion of
Lansing, l went to the library, and for a
week l rummaged its shelves for any
work that mentioned cipher writing. |
continued bringing home books until
my den looked more like reading room
than detectives Office, while in their
midst sat Lansing, searching every page,
and occasionally jotting down something
in a book by his side.
One day, as entered with my arms
full of books, l noticed look akin to
triumph on his face as his pencil flew
over the paper. In answer to my in
quiry he handed me slip of paper up
on which he had copied table giving
the relative number of each letter that is
used in common English words. [
looked it over, and waited for him to
speak In moment he looked up and
said:
"You see that table gives Sc the
prominence over others; call 'e' one.
Then you see It is second best; call It
two. Then run your eyes up to the fifth
in Importance, and We have 81 and Il. ,
Take last number five, and the figures,
with the addition of the two letters that
were expressed, read, 'settl'd.' SO you
see I have translated the cipher in one
way"
admitted that it was very ingeni-
ous translation, and was very much en-
couraged by it, although. the word
''settled" might not have any special
relation to the case in hand. But L did
not doubt that it was nearer the true
rendering than any we had reached,
and it convinced me that the figures
We're to be changed, i'll some way, to let
ters, before the cryptogram could be en-
tirely solved.
About week after this, Lansing was
called out of the city by the sickness of
his mother. AS l parted with him at
the depot, I told him to keep up his
courage, and to write out his defense,
while would attend to the remainder.
During all this time the opposing
counsel were striving in every possible
manner to make an adamantine chain of