The New Orleans daily Democrat. [volume] (New Orleans, La.) 1877-1880, 1879-05-25

finger, AZ last Tell asleep anu uIeaHeu III
began to swell, and kept growing larger till
1t was bigger than my head was In great
trouble. "a doctor came to cut 1t OIL, and Just
as he was commencing | heard scream which
woke me. There was my wife standing over
me, with q newspaperi In her hand.
"rThe awfuiest thing that ever happenedp
she cried, Mr.. P was murdered yester-
dav afternoon, and 1t was his murderer you
did that Job for. Read
"The account was short. Mr.. P had
been discovered In the basement OF his ware
house. near his vault quite dead, stabbed ever
40 many times. The vault-it was where he
kept his valuables-was open. Everything
dlsposable was TAKEN Of which was large
sum In bank bills-a tremendous robbery
From the basement into the vault you crossed
let light into cellar below. The murderer's
heel must have caught between the bars DUR
ing the scuf1le. It was wrenched off, and was
found stuck there. There was no clew what
ever to the murderer except the heel. This
was the whole story.
II jumped out Of bed.
CHOW, Peter, what are you going to do z
asked my wife.
81 am going to see lawyer E. (he was
one of my customers), and tell him all know.
"'That's right, said she.
Il hurried off as soon as was dressed
Lawyer E was not up. l waited 1oT
him AS soon as he came into the room,
told him my story. He took 1t coolly enough;
but that was because he was lawyer, !
"iWnit Till have my breakfast he said,
and will 60 with you to police headquar-
'0 a'To be locked up2' says 1. Won't that be
the way OF IL
81 will take care of you, Peter says he;
| will go bail for your appearance, IL neces-
sa Ty ,+or 10 b,d his breakfast We started Off
u 4 IL tr-y fx,< IVA
chief man; / forget what they call him:
| / told my story over again. Then answered
| SO many questions that began to feel as II
had killed Mr.. P myself.
Before they got through, they showed me
It ito on sv stack Of bibles. Then pulled or Tie
rag and showed him my finger.
R'What's that for?' said the police officer.
Never mind that. Let's see the bank
bill ! he exclaimed.
" took it from my pocket and gave it to
HE marked It carefully, and then made me
mark 1t, so should know it again. he said:
Then he pat the bill In an envelope, and
wrote on 1t, and put 1t In his safe.
"They handed me paper to go before the
coroner's jury that afternoon, and lawyer
E. gave his word that | should be there,
Then I went home.
Il told the story for the third time before
the coroners jury, and that was all the good
| 1t did.
sit was q nine-day's wonder-the papers
full Of it. Folks came crowding to my shop
4 to stare and ask questions. They only him
dered my work; it didn't do me any good
The police kept arresting people, and would
fetch me to look at them, but they never got
the right man"
Here the cobbler paused. He remained sc
long silent that Ibegan to think his story was
is that all r I at length asked.
"All!" exclaimed the cobbler, with start
Il wish it was all! have but just begun "
SO saying he took from his pocket large
colored handkerchief, wiped his face and pro-
ceeded:
five years. The whole affair went to sleep
forgotten-as things are 10 New York. Often,
though, used to think OF that sweet, pretty
girl, who opened the DIOR for me the day. |
took Mr.. P.'s boots home, dressed for her trip
to Boston, and OF her eager anxiety when she
asked me, DO you think anything has hap
pened to MIN y Oh, dear! oh dearl l never
could bear to recall it and to think had her
fathers blood on my finger the very time she
asked me the question!
"Well, as was saying, nothing more for
five years-fve years to month. was work
ing hard as usual-iust as expect to work
all the days of my life. | don't know what
made me cast my eyes up to the STREET. Is
seldom do it-but did do It, and-may the
LORD nelp me- saw gong ny, dL tllht uO-
ment, Mr.. P.'s murderer
"He had young woman on his arm, and
she held by the hand q little tot Of a child
not more than three years old, who tripped
along with her.
"Ihe wretch cast q strange glance into my
! place-he could not see me-and then turned
away.
| Il ethrew down my work and ran into the
other room for my wife.
az have seen him, have seen him, have
seen the murderer | screamed in her ears.
| put on your hat and shawl and follow him
follow him to the ends of the earth, and see
where he goes-young woman and child with
| him-young woman and child. Do you
hear2
"Qulck as thought, almost, my wife was on
the sidewalk.
"'Be careful says I; don't let him sus-
pect'
"Before the words were fairly out Of my
mouth, she was ought Of sight.
II sat like petritication for more than a
good long hour Nobody can tell what !
so crazy glad to discover that wretch I did
not know what to do. Then / began to settle
down more quiet, and when half an hour
passed and my wife did not get back ! fell
Into great thinking, and SO many things
""That Is his wife with him. l said to my
self, and that little tot trudging Is his child.
God forgive me. what am | trying to do? To
make that young woman a widow, and that
little tot an orphan
"The perspiration stood in big drops on my
FACET could scarcely breathe.
Suddenly, the vision of the young girl
waiting for her father to come home appeared
to me. There she was standing in the door
way.
"sHe shall hang" l exclaimed, aloud. He
shall hang! oWhat is his young wife to me,
or the little child. either?'
after that / settled down, weak as kit
ten, and remained in tremble till my wife
came back.
when she did come, she did not look to
me to be the same woman she was. She had
taken off her hat and was swinging It. crazy
like. In her hand. Her eyes We're as big again
as they were before, and she looked neither
to the right nor left, but pumped herself
square into her seat, and said nothing.
"'Well, where cid he 90 to- asked, after
waiting little.
Peter said my wife, solemnly. are you
sure he is the one?'
".Sure as am that we are now talking to-
gether.'