Wood County reporter. [volume] (Grand Rapids [i.e. Wisconsin Rapids], Wis.) 1857-1923, 1886-07-08
THE ALDEN MURDER.
.Then | SUPPOSE you'll 90, Jack?n


THE ALDEN MURDER.
'Then | suppose you'll go, Jack?"
eyes, I'll go,' my friend replied slowly.
''I'n go, of course, though I hardly see
what good I am except to pocket the
money. I'll admit that it is great con-
sideratiOn in these hard times, but hate
to take it, knowing how small the return
is like to be-
''The return? Nonsense! You'll clear
up the mystery in no time, my boy, and
return from Michigan with an additional
success to help your already brilliant rep
utation."
My friend smiled sadly.
ESYou are probably thinking of one of
those alleged detective stories now," he
said, ''where the detective always wins
right triumphs in the end and the cur
tain goes down with red fire and slow mu-
sic"
[ brushed aside the smoke from my CT
gar and turned lazily in my chair to look
at him.
He was staring at vancany and his
handsome face wore an unusually grave
expression.
''You are not generally so hopeless" I
said at last.
L am nOG lOp6lSSS, ne replied, QUIET
Iy. "I shall go to Detroit and close up
l will at least try honestly. That is if
"Well?' [ inquired, eff what?"
He started from his easy chair with I'M
usual energy.
Erred, old boy" he said, almost stern
Iy, II may be wrong, but I somehow feel
as if I had been employed by the wrong
side, and | don't like it. "Mind," he
added, stopping in his rapid walk up and
down the room, sit may be all right-if it
amt can drop it. But you mark my
something will occur in connec-
ton with this case that will affect my life
or reputation
[ laughed softly. Jack Wilmarth was
not generally superstitious.
"What do you suspect?" l asked.
He dropped lazily back into his chair
and his face resumed its usual impressive
expression. Il suspect" he replied cody
''that am employed in behalf of Charles
Alden's murderer"
''Then why do you go?"
"a detective would be nothing with
out his curiosity" he replied with quiet
laugh, 'and have got my blood up. I'm
going to find out all about it."
II wish EN- luck with YOU" 1 rejOined.
"Only don't proceed to extremities, my
dear boy. If you don't take the case I
dare say they can find plenty who will
and / suppose the money is worth as
much to you as it is to anyone else?"
"Isuppose you would recommend me to
accept it, right or wrong?" he inquired
sarcastically.
[ blew out volume OF smoke, but
made no answer.
"Bah! you hypocrite," he said indig
nantly. "You would as soon think of
robbing the bank.
I made no reply. Jack was always
terribly in earnest and so, after few
Oantering remarks, my friend set to
work packing his satchel and left me
alone.
We had been friends for many years,
Jack Wilmarth and l, and our friend
ship had been cemented by many kindly
acts and sacrifices in those old days
when we were together striving for
foothold in the world. We had known
poverty together, had Jack and /, and
had met our share of heart-breaking dis
appointments. But we had stood to-
gether through it all, with loving care
to each other in sickness and sorrow. And
now Jack Wilmarth was famous detec-
tixe, and well, l had plodded along un-
til [ had plodded my way from an insig
nifcant clerkship to the post of cashier
in sour bank 1t was not so many years
after all, for we were both young men
yet. But they had been busy years for
10th of Us, SO busy that we had never
found time to fall in love with any but
ourselves. And now we were likely to
stay as we were, bachelors, both-too
much in love with each other to care for
other ties.
The case that provoked our present
discussion was rather peculiar. Nearly a
year before this brutal murder had been
perpetrated in one of our western cities A
young man, scarcely more than boy, had
bren shot down at the door of his house.
1t was still early in the evening, and a
crowd collected at once, but no clue has
been found TO convict the assassin. True,
one man had been detained by the coro-
ner, but he stood his examination well
and was discharged. No cause for the
murder had been found. Charles Alden.
the murdered man, had been universally
beloved, and so far as known, had not an
enemy in the world. The local police had
done what little they could to unravel the
crime. But they had only succeeded in
adding to the fog of mystery that sur
rounded the case, and so, after a time, the
excitement had died out and the case was
almost forgotten by the public.
And now, after the lapse of year, my
friend had been retained to solve the
Alden mystery. if possible. First, he had
received a letter inquiring if he was at
liberty. Replying in the affirmative, he
received a second letter, containing a
large retaining fee, and requesting his
Immediate presence. With this came a
bulky parcel containing clippings from
the local papers, report of the Co1oner's
inquest, and full description of all per
sons mentioned as connected in any way
with the case. But-and here was the
first mystery-both of the letters, and the