San Marcos free press. [volume] (San Marcos, Tex.) 1877-1892, 1883-04-05
HUNG BY THREE HAIRS.

month of November, 1881, bruta
murder was committed in the villag
of Las Bosques, Mexico, the victin
an aged banker, named Juan Cas-
tiilo. He was wealthy, and beint
of charitable disposition, mad
many requests to the poor in tina
locality. The announcement of hi
murder created the widest excite
ment in the community, and as cir
cumstances seemed to point towards
his son as the guilty party, numer
GUS threats were made to lynch the
young man.
Shortly after the discovery Of
the crime, the chief of police
accompanied by rising young de-
tective, arrived OH the spot. The
news had spread like wild fire, and
the crowd in front of the murdered
mans house was dense and excited.
When the officers entered the room
the dead man lay on the floor in
the same condition as he had been
found by his son.
Upon investigation it was learned
that Signor Castillo, contrary to his
usual custom had retired early on the
night of the murder. Early in the
morning, Pedrillo, his son, entered
his fathers room and found him a
corpse On the floor. Pedrillo was
strongly suspected of having caused
his fathers death; but the detective
listened to his statement of the facts,
and was satisfied the young man was
entirely innocent of the charge.
Left alone with the murdered man,
the detective knelt over the corpse
and found that the mans face had
been beaten out of shape by some
kind of iron instrument, which had
also aided the murderer in opening the
victims safe. Blood was everywhere
on the doors, windows, walls, bed
stead; nothing save one thing, escaped
the crimson mark. The murderer
had entered by the window, and
aroused the banker, whom, to escape
recognition, he murdered. One of
the dead mans hands was open, while
the other was closed. The tiniest of
something glistened in the clenched
hand as the light fell on it. With
difficulty the detective opened the
nerveless fingers and found sticking
to them three white hairs.
This closed the investigation, and
with no other clue to work on save
three white hairs, the detective deter
mined to bring some one to the gal
lows.
The murder became a nine days
wonder. Various theories were ad-
vanced regarding it, and it was gener-
ally believed that the dark mystery
would never be solved. Pedrillo came
forward and proved himself beyond the
peradventure of a doubt, innocent of
the crime of parricide.
The detective with three white
hairs set to work to unravel the mys-
terry. He immediately came to the
conclusion that q man of the age
which the hairs indicated could not
have overcome Signer Castillo who
possessed great strength for his years.
Upon submitting them to micro
scope, lie discovered that they were
dead-that they had been pulled from
a wig. The murderer then, had worn
a wig to conceal his natural hair.
On the following day the detective
entered a large hair emporium and
asked to be shown some white wigs.
The salesman looked Significantly at
the detectives hair, which was raven
black.
You need not look at me, said the
detective this wig is for my father"
THAT is what another gentleman
said last week, said the clerk, as he
handed down box from the shelf.
Quietly plucking a couple of hairs
from the uppermost wig, the detect
i've placed them in his pecket-bcok.
MY fathers nephew is looking for
a suitable wig for my uncle, proba-
bly, he is the one you refer to. Would
you please describe him?" asked the
He was about thirty years of age,
dark complexion, small black eyes,
and wore a heavy black mustache.
The detective left the store.
Elated with his mornings success,
he I'm a short time found himself in q