Frostburg mining journal. [volume] (Frostburg, Md.) 1871-1913, 1874-08-29
ON HIS TRACK.

ONcr twenty years ago (Sllu MT. w MT
mire, a detective with whom | recently had
an intcryiew), | was on the police force of
New York. One summer night, few
minutes past twelve, was pacing my beat
in !, quiet part of c. Street, when a man
called out from a second-story window:
/ 81 say, sir, are you POLICEMAN"
"Yes," | replied. "What's the matter?'
81 heard heavy jar in Mr.. Bradley S
house, next door, and he may have fallen
and hurt himself. He just came in few
minutes ago. If | were you | would ring
the bell"
Mr. Bradley was wealthy old bachelor,
vino had lived entirely alone for years, in
an old fashioned brick house His riches
We're a subject Of frequent gossip; and it
was said that i'll his house, to which no out
slider was ever admitted, he kept large
amount Of money and >ilyer-ware. rang
the bell. but there was no response.
"Arc you sure you saw him go in?'
asked.
"Yes; suic of it. He hadn't been in
half minute before heard Il heavy fall
have heard no sound since
There must be something wrong,'
said, after ringing the bell second time,
and receiving 10 response. | tried the door,
/ but it was locked.
''lf We're You | would force the door, "
Suggested the man at the window.
81 don't like to do that. Is there any
other cntlancc?"
; "Ycs, that alley just beyond the steps
leads to Il back yard but the gate is pre-
baby locked, As well as the rear door"
81 will go and see" said and walking
up the narrow alley, I discovered, by the
dim light Of street lamp nearly opposite,
that the gate stood open.
| looked in, and perceived that the rear
door was opan, and faint light shonc out
All was perfectly quiet. | returned to the
street, and sail.to the man at the window:
The rate and back door are OPEN
Come down, and we go in."
In half minute he joined me on the side
walk, when recognized him as an ac-
quaintance, named Henry Collins.
".lh, is this you? didn't know you
lived here, said
"Ye%, anA ,!idn t recognize you when
first spoke"
"Wcll, ;" said !, there may have been
some fouI work in this house, and We had
better both @ in
We went up the alley, into the yard, and
entered the open door. The rear room was
evidently used as a Kitchen and guidcd by
the dim light. we passed through another
open door into narrow hall with stair
way. Near the street door was an old table,
on which stood Il lighted candle, that had
burned to within an inch Of the candleStick.
At the foot of the stairs lay Mr. Bradley
quite dead, and t'righSful wound upon his
head convinced me that he had been mur-
dered.
At my request, Mr. Collins hurried away
to the police station, two hundred yards dis
tant, to inform the captain, while | took the
candle and made a ha>ty examination Of the
premises. \ numbcr OF drawers in the sec
ond-story back room had been broken open
and ransackcd, and ON the floor lay half of a
lresh-looking newspaper. Knowing. that
the old bachelor was not i'll tine ait Of
spending money for newspapers, it struck
me that the robber mi ght have had it in his
pocket, and possibly used the other half to
wrap up some of his plundcr, leaving be-
hind him. in his hurry, what might prove
valuable clue. | therefore folded up the
fragment and put it in my pocket. a
moment later Mr. Collins returned, accom-
panied by several o licers and a surgeon.
To make this part of the story brief,
will state that the usual lormaiities followed,
the body being handed over to the coroner,
and the case was placed in the hands of the
detectives. | at first intended to give them
the bit Of newspaper had picked up, bat |
had some ambition to be Il detective myself,
and concluded to keep it, at least Il day or
two, to see if could find clue from it. 1t
was lucky did.
On the following afternoon, while off
duty, and walking around in ordinary dress,
| paused opposite well-known hotel, to
watch some painters who were at work on Il
swinging ladder under the caves, and my
eyes chanccd to alight on man who sat by
a third-Story window, apparently engaged
in packing yalse. The window was open,
and as he lifted some article from the ledge
to store it away, a piece of newspaper on
which it had been lying was carried out
over the street by draught of air, and
came auttering down into the gutter, near
my feet.
might not have noticed this trihing cir
cumstance, but for the manner in which the
paper had been torn-that is, not in a
straight line, but almost in the form Of the
letter V, as though it had been done hur-
riedly. This, remembered, corrcspondcd
with the piece had picked up in the mur-
dered mans house, and | snatched it up
Nnd went into an adjacent alley to compare
them. What a leap my heart gave, when
| discovered that the two halves Of the