The Arkansaw traveler., 1886-03-13

turning to the empty bed. "Hullo 1 he's gone-not accustomed to society, sHp- pose If some of you people don't speak soon, I'll think I'm in for bad attack, and look out for snakes and blue fire"
 "Young man." said the policeman, "you are my prisoner, and l warn you that anything you say may be used in evidence against you.
 "Your prisoaerl" echoed the young man, whose manner suggested that he had not yet slept of the effect of heavy ibations; "give me room to laugh, will you ?" and with vigorous push he sent the policeman reeling several paces. "And, now, gentlemen" he resumed, after indalging in a bcisseyocs l2ugh, which from a mau upon whose soul the guilt of murder had but just been laid, made me shudder, you w,n excuse me i; faia would rest my weary limbs; call me in time for early mass. And you, Charley if you wish to take me to the dungeons, you had better return with ha6-a-dozen of your fellows. Leave me, varlets. would be alone. We'll" after a pause, "arent you going2 If you wish to avoid swift but undigni6ed passage
 
 yourselves ot the staircase at once.n
 had read and heard many tales of the inhuman character of some criminals, and had sometimes received them with scant credencs but nothing had either read or heard paralleled the brutal au dacity of this man, who, a few minutes after committing what must have been a savage and cowardly murder, could make the means he employed the subject of a jest. That the man had first beaten aud then thrown his comrade from the win- dow, could feel no doubt; for when we had hrst entered the room and discovered tue disorder of the furniture, the old lady had garrulously related how there had been iii blood between the men for some days, and how they had violent quarrel that very evening; and the chair against the door proved that no one else could have entered the room and done the foul work. In my horror and aversion the something familiar to me in the mans face b ad faded away and was forgotten. saw only a desperado with the form of Apollo, murderer endowed with his trionic genius.
 "l have to detain you here until the sergeant comes," said the policeman firmly "and 1 mean to do it. You've done quite enough throwing .out .ofthe- window business tonight, so you'd better lie there quiet"
 "What do you mean2" demanded the young man, halfleaving the bed, and ap- bearing to accept the situation seriously for the first time.
 What play-actors you fellows are l" rejo ned the policeman, quietly pushing the shivering old won au from the room, and taking seat 10 font of the door " Perhaps you'd like it put plainly. You are detained on suspicion of having mur- dered your mate, Bill as you call him. by throwing him through the window"
 was watching the man narrowly, and the shock this direct accusation appeared to give him was so perfectly natural that could not altogether believe it to be act ing. l never knew a man who could change color at will; and this man turned deadly pale and sprang out oi bed. He stood at least six-feet-oue on his bare feet.
 "Bill thro wn through the window" he faltered. "lt's d-d lie."
 "lt was done in the height oi drunken frenzy" mentally deternined, feeling a strange relief at the thought that he was not 90 utterly bad as had supposed. He is just awakening to the conscious ness of the crime"
 The accused man turned to me. Tell me what he meaas," he said. Ipoiuted to the great splashes of blood about the room, which he did not appear to have noticed before. He looked at them vacantly perhaps the fumes of al- cohol still Clouded his brain.
 "What of Bill2" he asked.
 "l saw him fall down to the pavement"
 And was he-is he dead2"
 He Is dead"
 There was a pause. was not looking into the questioner face, but was gazing fixedly at the dark wet stain on his arm and hand. The intensity of my gaze at- tracted his attention. He looked at the arm aud started violently.
 Blood he gasped. Then he ad- ded, You think murdered him 2" "Well, it looks uncommon like it," said the policeman, "It's my duty to detain you"
 "You detain me ?' repeated tho young man scornfully. "lf had murdered the poor fellow, and wished to escape, no two men in Scotland could keep me in this room. AS am innocent, remain " and without taking any further notice of either of us, he quietly began to pull on his clothes.
 Presently we heard steps on the stairs, and the door opened to admit two police officers. The dead man, whose name it transpired was William Stokes, had meanwhile been carried into a room on the ground flat, which was unoccupied. The policeman and myself having been questioned, the lsndlady was called in. and from her the following facts were with some little difficulty elicited: The two men had been staying at her house for some days, during which they had be- haved so badly that she had given them notice to quit that very day. By behav- ing badly she meant getting drunk, mak- ing row, and quarrelling. She could not swear what they quarrelled about, but from what she heard believed 1t was | somothiSg about money thev had vvon a,