The Republican. [volume] (Oakland, Md.) 1877-current, 1877-04-07
A SEREWD DETECTIVE.

MURDER will out, some time, surer'
exclaimed Daniel Wonder to a few
hearers, as he laid down a paper from
which he had just been reading aloud a
case of mysterious murder, the per-
petrator of which had been discovered
after years of ingenious and tortuous
search. Il have many time noticed
it. 1t is according to the laws of nature,
and must be 50, if not right off, then by
and by; if not to-day, tomorrow, next
day, then year, ten, fifty, perhaps a
hundred years hence. The murder and
murderer are sure to come out. If | was
on plank alone with a man in the
middle OF the ocean, and was to murder
him and sink him, with no ship in sight
i couldn't feel safe! Some time or
other something would bring me out.
If | didn't tell of myself, asleep or
awake, his bones would rise, Or"
"Or his sperrit?" suggested somebody.
No; l don't believe in spirits-but
his bones, clothes, or the plank-or it
might be somebody was looking at me
from a ship out of sight, through a
powerful spy glass, or perhaps from an
other plank, or perhaps happening to
pass overhead in silk balloon and see
me doIt-and so | should feel sure was
not safe until at last was led out to be
hung. You see there is always a chain
of evidence between the murderer and
the murdered. 1t may be short or long.
1t may be broken into many separate
links; but in time one man picks up one
link here, another link there, another,
another, and so on, until all the links
are found and put together, and they are
strong enough to hang the man"
cit does seem So" said one of the
listeners, in thoughtful awe.
"Seems so? 1t is so! always know
that murder will out, and have seen
many singular cases of it. But the most
singular case | ever heard of was the fate
of Paul Picra, of Mosscreek, a clerk in
a dry-goods store, and so covered up,
according to the report, that no evidence
was supposed to be left of it, He was
Unexpectedly missed one day, and his
body was not found till three years after
ward. People gave up all hopes of hear
ing about the poor fellow, how he came
to his death, or where, or what for, or
who or where his murderer was, until a
traveller came to Mosscreek, and, hearing
of the murder of Paul Picra, he under.
took to find the body, or, at least, the
real criminal and bring him to justice.
This travellers name was Solomon Fox
paw, and he prided himself on his de-
tective powers-his penetration and per
severance-and he had restless, roll.
ing staring, snappy kind of eye that
seemed to take in everything about
him at a glance. People wished him
success, but they didn't expect it. Yet
ne didn't care for what they expected
He set to work to find some links for q
chain of evidence"
But don't see"
" You can't see anything yet. You
must wait and see. Solomon FoxpaW
made inquiries for a month, but ascer
tanned just about nothing which would
and reflected alone for three days, anC
finally said'to himself: Here is a piece
of woods out here, and Paul Picra was
said to be poorly. What more likely
than he should walk in the woods for his
health-and there be murderedY"
"To be sure! What, indeed?"
"With this idea, Sol, without saying
a word to anybody-because he hated in
terruption as bad as | do--walks GU
alone into the woods, and kicks abou
among the dry leaves, and examines thu
ground, and the rocks, and the trees will
strong suspicion" Ibtr. nm .
"To find clew?"
"Why, of course, to find clew."
"But ] don't see"
" You never will see if you don't wal
and follow his idea. He pretty sool
found various letters, carved on varlou