The Palatka daily news. (Palatka, Fla.) 1884-1888, 1885-10-22
A DETECTIVES, "REMINISCENCES
More Truth than Poetry in vhe &c
I;cfthat Murticrers Cannot Sleep.

More Truth than Poetry in vhe &c
lief that Murdcre-s Cannot Sleep.
New York Letter in Galveston News
One Of the most experienced members
of the detective force of New York was
talking day or two ago about murder
ers. The old superstition" he SAID,
''about murderers being unable to sleep
in the night has more truth in it than
people may imagine. I've had good
deal of experience IN murder cases dur
ing tho past thirty years and | know
what I'm talking about. With ont-and-
out murderers the ability TO sleep comes
strangely enough. as soon as they have
been tried and found guilty. | am in
clned to think that the fear Of being
caught has more to % IN preventing
them from enjoying repose at night than
their disturbing conscience.
Il once caught a clue that led to the
conviction Of a woman in Brooklyn
named Allen, who had never been sus-
pected OF the murder of her husband un-
til l chanced to get on to it. The Old
man had been dead two years when the
woman first began to attract my atten-
ton. / was patrolman then, on the
Brooklyn police force, and l got home at
8 or o'clock in the morning. Ny room
was the fourth story back OF a house in
Henry street, and l noticed that the
lights We're always burning when l got
in, in solitary window in the back OF
the house or the next street. At day
light the gas was turned out and the
shade raised By this time / had grown
in the habit of watching the window
carefully. The programme was never
varied until the hot weather set in. Then
the light went out with the same fegu-
larity as soon as dawn appeared. \
woman slept in the rno,:l, and after Sic
had turned ont the gas She s.iways raised
the shade and opened both The lower
and upper sash. She always locked
hcavv-eycd, and after day light Lad got
thoroughly into the room she would
throw herself on tie bed and fall
asleep in an instant, as though from
sheer exhaustion. That's the way | came
to get at the points in z poisoning case
that earned ne my first important pro
motion. Leave mrrderers out of the
question and take men who have killed
other men, either in self defense, during
a sudden spasm of insanity or az a means
of justifable revenge. Do you think
they sleep well at night: Not bit of it.
/ know an officer who was standing one
day on the corner of his street with his
brother when q saloon keeper came CUT
and shot the brother through the back Of
the head. My friend whipped out his
own revolver and killed the murderer
before he could fire a second shot. That
justified the homicide, of course. Wei.
sir, that nan is only thirty-six years Old
and he looks iiity. He can't get Up be
fore ten o'clock TO slve him. because HC
never sleeps till day light. Take a case
like that OF Ell Stokes. Isn't he the
--latest of the late rounders? He docsL' /;
seem to ENJOY standing up to bar and
drinking, and yet at three or four o clock
in the morning he is always to he found
in some public place with 4 friend CT
two. He does not seem happy and lie
moves restlessly all the time. There's
more in the old traditions than the
know-it-all young men OF the year 1888
are willing to admit.