Gloucester County Democrat. (Woodbury, N.J.) 1878-1932, 1882-12-28
Tom s1nithson's Legacy.

NEW YORK DETECTIVES STORY.
Thomas Smithson, dealer in curl
osities, junk man and reputed miser,
Baxter street. has been found dead in
his store. The place appears to have
been broken into before or after his
death, so you had better go there with
the departmental surgeon before the
body is removed, and see what you can
make of it."
This news, with the order accompany
ing it, was the first thing that greeted
me one cold, sleety morning in Decem-
Der, when | made my appearance at
headquarters.
was not long in starting for the
discovery.
Suspicious as the mans death looked
it seemed to have caused neither ex-
citement nor concern in the neighbor-
hood. With the exception of few
boys about the door, doubtless at
tracted by a policeman guarding it,
there was no crowd.
The body lay face upward on the
floor of the back room, just where it
had been found. A hideous snarl ap-
peared to mantle the features, as if his
last idea had been to growl and spit at
mankind, and tightly clenched in both
hands was heavy piece of wood, like
two fiat boards nailed together, which
l at first thought he had been using as
weapon against the burglars, when
death had stricken him down.
This singular weapon.we took from
his grasp and tossed aside. without
thought or examination, though l had
afterwards occasion to look at it closely
enough.
1t seemed to me that the burglars
had been suddenly scared away with
out having effected any great search
for valuables. The window and the
shutter of the room had been ingeni-
ously opened from a yard behind, and
left so but beyond the things knocked
about in thestruggle, nothing appeared
to have been disturbed.
A peculiar appearance about the
mouth of the dead man struck us both,
and after close examination and
some trouble we succeeded in getting
his teeth open, and took out a round
bit of cloth. bound at the edge with
silk braid.
"The lapel of somebody's coat has
suffered" said the surgeon, as he placed
the scrap in my hands.
carefully put it away, and was
then called into the front room to at
tend to queer little pair. who it
seemed would take no refusal, but
would see Mr.. Smithson.
looked about and at last discovered
two little heads peeping above the
edge of the counter.
/ soon decided by the dim light from
the half-opened door, nearly blocked up
by the figure of the policemen in
charge, that the heads were those of a
girl and boy of, at the most, six and
seven years.
They were poorly clad, but the faces
were so unlike anything that | ex-
pected to see in such locality and at
such time, that / stared at them in
mute amazement. The girl attracted
me most, and it gradually dawned
upon my mind that she had the most
beautiful and winning little face /
ever beheld on child.
If you please. sir, it's only Billy
and me-" she began, in voice and
tone that strangely thrilled me.
Her little courtesy seemed to imply
that | knew and understood every
thing.
"Oh. and that's Billy. is it?" said l.,
stroking the bright-eyed little man on
the head. "And your name is"
Maggie-Maggie Dayton" she an
swered with simple sweetness that
made me feel like great monster for
not knowing it before.
!" All, to be sure how foolish Of me
not to know" I stammered, guilty.
"And so you wanted to see Mr.. Smith
son, Maggie, did you?"
"Oh. yes. He told us to come" she
quickly responded with bright look
which instantly told me how little she
suspected the awful truth. "He's a
strange man and was terribly afraid
of him at first. But he does not seem
quite 50 ugly now, and ! like him
pretty well.''
Are you any relation Of Mr.. Smith
son's ?"