Smyrna times. [volume] (Smyrna, Del.) 1854-1987, 1883-09-12
Lured to His Doom.

Lured to His Doom.
BY AN ENGLISH DETECTIVE.
1t was a very singular, mysterious
and complicated case.
In bare room of an old house in
the vicinity of London Bridge Railway
Station man was found dead. hanging |
by small cord to Il hook driven into |
the wall, his feet resting on the floor.
He was discovered some days after |
his death, and by reason of the strong |
smell sent forth from his decomposing
body.
He was a stranger whom no one
knew, and why he should have come |
to that place to commit suicide was a
mystery.
He was well dressed, had a gold |
watch in his pocket, to which was at
tached heavy gold chain; he had a
diamond stud in his shirt front, and u
cluster ring of diamonds on one finger:
he had also pocket-bOok on his person
containing over two hundred pounds
in bank notes.
1t was therefore evident that he had
not committed suicide on account of
poverty, nor been murdered for his
money.
Was it suicide or was it murder?
There was no scrap of paper on his
person to tell who the stranger was.
nor his motive for the murderous deed.
if he did it.
The room, which was an upper story
of an old building, the lower portion of
which was occupied by commission
agent, contained no article of furniture.
1t had been rented about ten DAYS
previous to a rather notwithstanding
man, who walked little lame and
wore goggles, who said he wanted it
for an office for the sale of patent
that would soon become very popular
with sea-gOing people.
When questioned about the patent
he said he would not then explain it,
but would have some things on hand
for exhibition in the course of ten days
or two weeks
The dead man was not the one who
had taken the room, however; and
how and when he had got access to
the apartment no one knew.
There was an Old-fashioned fireplace
in the room, and some paper ashes in
this attracted the attention of a detec-
tive, who happened to be no other than
my humble self.
In turning over these ashes, discov-
cred two or three little bits of paper
not entirely consumed, and they had
these words written on them, though
now barely distinguishable:
found her and locked
| private room
meet you station G..
Now, after reading these disiointed
sentences, | began to study and ponder
them.
Might this not be portion of mes
sage sent to the dead man, to lure him
to the city for the purpose of putting
him out of the way?
But for what motive?
All, that indeed | could not Know !:
that was something only to be found
out after a serious investigation, in case
one should be made.
| examined the charred paper as well
as | could, and reached the conclusion
that what / had read was part of q
telegram which had been sent by some
body at distance, and that either the
sender or receiver intended to destroy
it.
Now, if the deceased had received it..
it must have been sent by somebody,
and that somebody intended to meet
him, and probably did meet him at the
railroad station.
Well, then, where was that somebody.
and why had he allowed his cores
pendent to visit that out-of the-way
room alone and commit suicide without
ever going near him afterward?
And why should the man come to
such place to kill himself?
And could he have found the room
without guide, and got access to il
unknown to any one, if he were not
the man who had rented it in the first
place?
But then it was certain that he wa.
not the man, unless he was in disguise
when he hired it; and why had hi
gone to all that trouble merely to hans
himself, when he could have done i
quite as eflectually in ten Thousand
$. better places?
Z No; look on it-reason as | might
e l could not bring myself to believ,
that the stranger hanging in that bar
room had put the rope around his owl
= bare neck.
told the coroner of my belief; bu
whether he conceded with me or not i
is certain his jury did not, for the,
brought in a verdict of suicide.
I The body was placed in the mortuar
for recognition, and requested that
a should be kept there as long as posi-
BILE, for had desire to see what
- could do in working up the case.
/ started out with the bits of paper
had secured to see if could find at an
telegraph Office any message recent
u sent off embodying the words l ha
y Transcribed in their consecutive ordel
1 was soon fortunate in gettin
possession of what believed to be th
original message.
! 1t was addressed to Horace Grange
1877 street, Manchester, an
read as follows, the words found anon
the paper ashes / inclose in brackets
6 have found her and locked her up in [pl
- vate roomE Come on and use parents author
ty.. Take the last day train and viii inject 70
at London bridge lstationl. q.
Judging fron this it was a case of
runaway daughter whom &C." hs
followed and captured in London, an
WnOm Jne duAlOuS laOheF Hau come
see and probably taken back with hir
AS the dead man appeared to be n
far from five-and-thirty years of age,
was natural to suppose that no daug
ter of his could be beyond her teens.
.iy A schoolgirl, perhaps, who had pla
ed truant and run away.
: But, then, if she had been caught al
locked up, it was not reasonable
NE suppose it had been in that bare roo
in mercantile building that contain
no other dodgers,
And then again, If the father h
= come ON and found her what h