The Northern Pacific farmer. [volume] (Wadena, Minn.) 1878-1885, 1880-06-10

fingers and hold up his thumb. No:
the thumb on the left hand was miss
ipg-cut off at least at the first joint.
This was a clue and all my subse-
quent investigations proved that I was
correct in believing 60. There was
another thing. The man had torn up
the carpet Of the bed room in several
places; had got cut the Bible and look
ed between it's covers; had taken down
and searched the clothing in the closet;
and had been so cool and thorough in
his search that I knew he was no ordi.
nary offender. A common thief would
have fed after committing murcer, or
at most stopped only long enough to
search the bureau. Whoever the man
was he had not secured a dollar in
money. He had, however, taken away
an old fashioned gold watch belonging
to Arnold, which was out of repair, and
chiefly preserved as an heirloom. A
dozen persons could identify the watch,
if found and here Was something which
might prove good clue.
I did not expect to get much out of
the boy, owing to his youth. Taking
him on my knee, I made his acquaint,
ance, gave him some pennies, and
hen asked him what he saw.
''You see, began the child very
gravely, II heard grandpa talking and
getting up, and then l saw a big rob.
Der Jump up and hit him with an axe.
Then grandpa fell down, and the big
man went over and struck grandma.
Then he looked in the bureau, on the
bed, in grandpa's box, in the closet,
and then went of, and then I went to
Sleep"
dreaded to ask him how the man
looked. for much depended on his ans.
wer. But he was ready with his reply,
and all my cross questioning could not
alter his statement.
"Big MANFRED collar (necktie) on
great big breast pin-like MIR johnson
there-shining ring on bis fnger-one
eye almost shut up"
I tried to make little Jack believe
that the murderer had black hair, and
was little man, but he stuck to his
story. Then one Of the constables talk
ed to him for ten minutes, and then
questioned him as to the appearance Of
the man; but the story was the same as
he told me at first. Several of US wrote
it down and charged the child to re-
member it.
1 Was convinced that the murderer
was q stranger in that part of the
country. No one had seen him come
or go; no one knew the hour Of his ar
rival or departure, and he had left no
clue behind nothing but my theory
that the thumb was missing from the
left hand. rode up to the toll gates
but he had not been seen to pass. /
questioned the stage drivers, but they
could give no satisfaction. I went to
the railroad station but no one could
remember having remarked the pres
ence of a stranger on that night. The
murderer had arrived and departed
like bird.
1 was considerably discouraged in
not striking his trail, but determined
to pursue the case until I had found the
criminal. Visiting Pittsburg aud Har-
risburg laid my plans to trap him if he
tried to dispose of the watch. I wrote
letters to various officials, and then
could do no more. For six months
had the case uppermost in my mind,
while trAnsacting other detective bust
ness, but had failed to find the least
clue. Then one day + got trace.
was riding on the cars of the Penn
sylvnnia Central railroad, when I OBJ
served al old lady shaking a gold watch
in her hand, and then holding it to her
ear to see if it would run. Crossing
over to her I asked to look at the
watch and she handed it out with the
remark:
ut isn't much good, but I don't
know as It ought to be. My husband
only paid $40 for it."
found out that her name was Allen,
that she lived within dozen miles Of
where the Arno]ds had been murdered;
that on the morning after the murder,
as near as she could remember, her
husband had purchased a watch of a
traveller on the highway, who was look
ing for work and out of money. She re-
membered that the man was a large
man, had red hal and full beard of
the same color, but could not say that
she had observed anything suspicious
in his action.
l found by questioning that the
stranger had continued On the road to
the west, and that if he kept on he
must have struck the railroad after an
hours travelling. I am convinced that
this was the murderer, and that he had
made long journey on the hi hway in
order to battle pursuit and hide his
trail.
But it was little comfort to know it as
so many months had passed that the
man might now be in Europe or under
ground. 1 took the lady's address, al
loved her to retain the watch I knew
had belonged to the Arnolda, and