The Worthington advance., 1881-08-25
at 6rst. Several Of us wrote it down, and
I charged the child to remember it.

! MOuCns nad the case 0ppefm06t IN my
mind, while transacting other detective
business, but failed to find the least clue
Then one day I got trace. F,a...:.,.-:.s ! :
vanias Central railroad when observed aI
old LADY shaking gold watch in her hanc
and then holding it to her ear to see if il
would run. Crossing over to her askei
to look at the watch, and she handed it ou
with the remark:
| rs isn't much good; but I don't knows,
it ought to be-: My husband OILY paid ter
dollars for it,"
| I found that her name was Allen; thai
she lived within dozen miles of where the
Arnolds had been murdered, that ON the
morning of the murder, as near as she
could remember, her husband had pur.
chased the watch of traveller on the high
way, who was looking for work and out oi
money. She remembered that the man
was large man, had red hair, and full
| beard OF the same color, but could not say
that she had noticed anything suspicious in
his actions:
found by questioning that the stranger
bad continued on the road to the west, and
! that it he kept OH he must have struck the
| railroad after an hours travelling. I was
| convinced that this was the murderer, and
that he made long journey on the high
| way in order to baffie pursuit and hide his
trail.
But it was but little comfort to know it,
as SO many months had passed that the nah
might now be in Europe or underground.
I took the lady's address, allowed her to
retain the watch, which knew had be-
longed to the Arnolds; and again I lost the
case foI several months, wrote over fifty
ln&$ III
miles on the lookout for big man and
nothing came of it.; But one day when ap-
proaching the village of Newfeld. New
lows got into the vehicle, and they were nv
only company. I knew them to be flash
as soon as saw their faces, and their talk
went to prove it. pretended to be very
deaf as eoor as they got in, not replying to
any OF their questions. assumed the
tone and voice generally used by the deaf,
and held my haud to my ear and moved
over and expressed by regrets if 1 had Of
tended them, saying could not even hear
the rumble Of the coach.
"Good!" exclaimed one ono of the men,
rs l sat down at the other end of the
vehicle. "Now you can go on with your
yarn"
Before proceeding the other one called
me an old fool, o thief, o robber and var
ious other things, closely watching my
cOuntenance to see If l could hear his
words.
"Thc old smooth bore is as deaf as a
stone," he remarked, having satisfied him.
self as to my deafness, and then he went
on with narrative which had been inter-
rupted.
soon ascertained that they were on
their way to Penfeld to rob a merchant.
they had everything arranged to co.nmit
the crime the very next night, and the enc
who had put up" the plan gave oil the de-
tails as to how the robbery was to be CON-
mitted, where they would "run" to, and
gave guess as to each ones shares,
What about Luke?" inquired the other
after the plot had been discussed.
"Oh, Luke will be there on time, replied
the man. He has kept devilish shady
| since that business at 1-,but now wants
to make haul and dig ont for the far west
You needn't fret-we can depend on him.
| Before We got into the village the mer
tried me again, but could not hear except
were sure that the conversation had been
strictly private.
When they put up at the hotel, I vent to
the house of a deputy sheriff, intending tc
remain concealed all the next day. had
of course, to state my business to the otii.
Ger as must have his aid, and he the sim.
pleton that he was, related the whole story
to his wife after they had retired. Thus it
naturally came about that next day, while
was lying shady, but planning how to cap.
ture t1e burglars, the woman was retailing
my plans to the neiehbors. When nighl
came there were six of US ready to pounce
upon the criminals, but t1e1e were no Grim.
inals to be found. The fellows had got
wind of the affair and were out, and I had
lost the second only reliable clue to the Ar
mold murder which had been ever able to
find. Some time after this, willie in the city
of Rochester. caught sight Of hand rest
ing on the window sill Of horse car-a
large, red hand. The hand was nothing
strange, butthe thumb was missing.
1 did not wait an instant to think, leap
ed from the car, entered the other, and there
! sat my friends of the stage coach on either
! side of the owner of the hand-"a big mar
| with led hair and whiskers." They ali
jumped up as entered, but hung fast tc
Luke, and soon had the bracelets on him
allowing the others to get away. He had
| no idea who I was, and took care not te
hint at the charge against him until I had
him back to L.
| My arrival created much excitement. a.
he pursuit Of the murderer had from the
irst been deemed hopeless. Many con-
tended that had not secured tho right man
and Luke professed never to have been in
that part of the state before. The chile
was several miles away from the village
but l sent for him. It had been yeal
since the murder. Little Jack had almos,
forgotten the circumstances, and, Of course
the murderer had changed some; but I had
strong hopes that the child would be able
to identify the man. and I was not disap-
pointed.
Waiting until evening conducted Jacl
into a room where Luke and dozen citi.
zens were sitting. The little fellow hat
no knowled2e of what We intended, and fol
some time did not see the murderer. Whe1
he did he uttered shrek, ran to me anj
exclaimed; ,.,-
There's the big man who hit grandp,
and grandma"
Luke braved it out to the last: eve,
when the purchaser of the watch testifie
to his identity he kept bold face, ant
went to some pains to attempt to prove NJ
alibi, but when convicted, mainly on tn,
testimony Of little Jack, who shivered a
the sight of the man, tho prisoner knew b,
l "ao uOuo AO1s AuO CIl6O OUT IN anger:
swell, I am the man. I saw the boyi
eyes looking at me after I had finished the
old 'uns, but I had done enough, and
could not kill him, curse the brat! I nov
regret nothing except that did not spill
his head open!" =.
And standing on the gallows, about t,
be launched into eternity, the man use,
his last moment to curse the child witness
who had convicted him of the awful crime
| The new ticket sellers 1T the Union Depot i,
st Paul are Messrs. George H. Knebel, Jr.
representing the Omaha line, and Mr.. HERNIA
Brown. representing the Chicago, 1ilwanke
l. St. Paul, who have been tho efficient ticke
sellers heretofore at the station ON the levee.
The commissioners Of Mcleod county hav
advertised for bids for ito construction OF
new jail to be completed by tho 18th Of No
vember.