The Vancouver independent. (Vancouver, W.T. [Wash.]) 1875-1910, 1882-12-28
Thomas Crane felt doubt, but he

"Will you give stranger dying
stranger-a year of your timer"
"Will give" began Crane.
1T isn't long now, barely fortnihgt;
and you may put what evidence You have
in the hands of the authorities and be
free yourself, then. Be brave and true
only little longer" she said.
"And Thomas Crane answered, 81
will"
"Listen,'' with sudden energy. II
hadn't an enemy in the world. I am
dying by the hand of murderer. Will
you give one year to find the man who is
responsible for this? And will you make
1t cost him his life?" &
Crane hesitated, but looked into the
eyes turned towards his face and said
"Yes" again.
"Swear it?'
A longer pause, and then Crane said,
solemnly, 81 do swear it!'
A wilder blast swept across the park,
and when it had passed Crane was look
ing down on the dead face of the man
whose path had crossed his that fearful
night, and to whom he had pledged q
year of his life.
II.
Thomas Crane testified at the inquest
to the conflict he had seen, and to being
with the man at his death. To his father
and to Harry Fenton only did he tell of
the fearful oath he had taken in the tenn
pest of that January night. Both grieved
that he had taken it, but neither said
one word to induce him to break it.
"My legal knowledge is at your com
mand," said Harry Fenton.
"My fortune is at your command"
said his father.
Long before noon the dead man s rel
atives had come to claim him-hls wild
owed mother and his sister, but they had
nothing to tell which would throw any
light on the murder. Charlie Jackson
had spoken the truth when he said he
had not an enemy in the world. He had
no great amount OF money. It was
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 found its mate at
last in 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 had sold
it to glass of beer, praised the little
child who came into the store from the
dwelling 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 llkeliest 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. What
ever 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.
of the knife which had killed Jackson,
and two months of hard work had come
to nothing. Crane was Disguised, not
disheartened.
The next day he was on his way back
to begin again.
The other man was an express messen-
ger. An honest, Woodworking, straight
forward man, it seemed almost mockery
to follow HIM. Crane took another step
forward in regard to the knives them
selves before he began. He went to the
manufacturers, and from them to the
Wholesale dealers, telling them Just
enough for his purpose to secure their
aid, and traced the knives from the
place where 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 found him one morning in his neat
yard at home. He was cutting limbs
from the trees next the walk; and, to
Cranes disappointment, 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
sone time that he was following mp the
case, and he had been to see them sew
eral times. He told them what he had
done. and what he had fonnd out; but
he did not tell them why he was follow
ing the murderer. It was beginning TO
be CHASTITY piece Of business in his esti-
nation, yet he scarcely dared hope for
so welcome thing as failure. Think Of
i'll A man bending all his energies to one