The Stark County Democrat. [volume] (Canton, Ohio) 1833-1912, 1882-07-20


a most terrible mystery.
The next day Thomas Crane began his
search. Search around the scene of the
murder was rewarded by finding the
knife with which the deed was done,
The police had failed to find it. Crane
found it himself.
Days followed in which he carefully
examined the stock of cutlery in one
store after another in his search for
knives like it. He n its mate at last
| in a little variety store far out in the
suburbs, the only one like it which he
| had seen for sale in the whole city. He
| bought it, treated the man who sold 1t
to a glass of beer, praised the little child
| who came into the store from the dwell
| ing behind it, and so won upon the man
that he learned where the other two
knives from the quarter dozen he had
had, had gone when sold.
He took the likeliest case first.
A fellow who had been indicted for
manslaughter once, and who was pOpu-
larly believed to have escaped by false
swearing, was followed first. Whatever
| he had been doing, he was evidently
covering up his tracks. But when found
| at last, late in March, thousand miles
away from where Crane had commenced
to follow him, he was sitting in bar
room whiting shingle with the mate
of the knife which had killed Jackson,
and two months of hard work had come
to nothing. Crane was disgusted, not
The next day he was on his way back
| to begin again.
The other man was an express mes
| senger. An honest, haTd-wOrking,
| stTaight-fOT ward man. 1t seemed almost
a nOckery to follow him. Crane took
another step forward in regard to the
knives themselves before he began. He
went to the manufacturers, and from
them to the wholesale dealers, giving
them just enough of his purpose to Sc
cure their aid, and traced the knives
| from the place they were made.
| In towns not far away knives like these
had been bought and sold again, but
only the three he had already known of
had ever been sent to the city in which
the murder took place.
There was nothing left to do but to
| follow the express messenger. Crane
| began his work. He had seen the man
once or twice, and so knew him by sight.
He was cutting limbs from the trees
next the walk and, to Cranes disappOint-
ment, the knife he used was not the
mate of the one which had killed young
jackson.
Thomas Crane went that afternoon to
see the Jacksons. They had known for
some time that he was following up the
case, and he had been tOlsee them several
times. He told them what he had done,
and what he had found out; but he did
not tell them yet why he was following
the murderer. 1t was beginning to be
a CHASTITY piece Of business in his esti-
nation, yet he scarcely dared hope fer
so welcome a thing as failure. Think
of it! man bending all his energies
to one dread end, and hoping that the
CHASTITY necessity of being the avenger
of a murder may pass by him. How the
man lOnged for January again, that
beautiful April morning. If he could
only fall sick; but his oath kept him
from exposure; the year of his life was
to be given in honesty, even though
unwillingly.
In 1he evening Crane called on Harry
FeUtOn.
"'d give anything for a book at the
Inside of that mans house," said he in
conclusion.
WELL" said FentOn, "the case is a
strong one already. If the express mes
senger is guilty, he could never be con-
yicted and hung on what we know now.
But with proof that you have given your
time for months to following up this
case, it would be the easiest thing to
clear you if caught and arTaigned as a
house breaker. If you want to examine
the inside of that mans house, break in
some night when there is no one at
home"
You, a lawyer, my friend, advise
this?"
"Under the circumstances, yes.'
The next day the express messengers
wife was sick, the day after better, the
day after that worse, and so on for
weeks. Thomas Crane watched the
premises, nights, for a chance to become
burglar, and spent large part of
every day at the Jacksons', homestead.
1t happened as might have been eX-
pected. Lizzie Jackson became the
wife of Thomas Crane, after an engage
ment of one short month, late in De-
cember. He told her of his fearful oath
before the marriage. She was shocked,
even though her husband was following
the murderer of her brother.
"It isn't long now, barely a fortnight;
and you may put what evidence you have
in the hands of the authorities and be free
little longer" she said.
And Thomas Crane answered: 81
will"
That night the evening paper contain
ed the following item:
eve are glad to be able to announce
that Mrs. John Land is able to travel.
The doctors have informed her, how
ever, that change of climate is abso-
lutely necessary. Mr.. and Mrs. Land
left for Florida this morning with their
two little ones. Mr.. Land will return n
a few days."
Thomas Crane laid down the paper,
kissed his bride, and said sadly:
DUTY first, you know, | must break
into John Lands house tonight"
An hour later Crane was inside the
express messengers house. His heart
ached as he looked around him. PriYa-
tiOn and sacrifice everywhere. Little
devices to make discomfort more COM
Portable, of the possibility of which the
rich man who was looking it over never
dreamed. Thomas Crane was ashamed
of his suspicious. He had half turned to
go, but vivid memory of the dead eyes
of man looking into his nerved him to
do what he felt was mean and treacher-
Gus. 81 swOTe it," he said, and he re-
manned.
The desk in which John Land kept
his papers was easy to find and easy to
open. Bundles Of letters were cast aside,
old account books were not opened.
Presently a neat bundle was found. The
first paper was "The Last Will and Testa-