Savannah morning news. [volume] (Savannah) 1868-1887, 1886-12-13

Nh AZ -
From the NelD York Sun.
old detective who has landed his
all share of criminals on the gallows
~ babind the bars 1 have had some
"eing adventures and queer experts
ooe One Of the latter has been called
- MINI within day or two by reading of
w. death of a man in neighboring city.
r,r convenience sake / will call him
C1arles LennoX.
was attached to the force OF West
.-r citv. and we had been running along
or many weeks without any break on the
.,rt of eyIl-doers, when murder oc-
anrred. The Janitor of bank was found
5ood in the business office of the bank,
18th the outside doors open. The man
"ad been struck on the side of the head
Tn some heavy weight, and his skull
ornsbed. Nothing had been taken from
no hank. and so we reasoned in this way
Tne robbers had called the janitor to the
5oor on some DreteXt or other. and as soon
~ ha opened it they rushed in and dealt
him the blow. 1t was the night before
inoaI election. and the approach Of people
mo we're carousing or electioneering had
rattled the robbers, and they had fed. In
tSese DAYS a bank robber would have
coolly shut the door and gone to work on
t6e safe. but they were different class of
men then. If they had not been, we
should have probably argued differently.
An inquest was held, a verdict rendered
hat Jobn Shields came to his death at the
sands Of parties unknown, and he was
Snred The robbers had not left the
Fliebtest clew behind them, but as | was
omhitIous to make name [ was allowed
n hepin work on the case. In town
twelye miles away l found, after long
hunt a livery stable man who had let a
horse and buggy that night to two
Strangers, whom be accurately de-
scribed, and whom he believed to be
hrorhers. They had told him they were
Going to AmesOurY. but L traced them
Straight to Blankville, which was the
1Iace where the murder occurred. The
lawn where they hired the horse was
Bossburg, and they had come there by
train in the afternoon. They could have
come down to BlanEville by the same
ram. and that they did not l argued was
q sharp trick on their part. They had
driven away at 80 O'Clock. The body of
the ianitor was found about 10. The
horse had been returned just before mid
niyht. About 10 O'Clock, as had forgot
ten 10 tell you. there was an alarm Of fire
in Blankville, and the fire department
was called out to quench fire which had
been set in one corner Of a large tan
merry, The flames had not got much of
start and were speedily drowned out,
and the case was reported as the work of
boys.
had. then, after two weeks work, a
cleW, Two bank robbers, doubtless from
Chicago. had come to Blankvilie to do up
bank, but had been frightened away
after committing murder. l knew just
1ow they reached Blaukville and just how
they left it, and i had descriptions OF
both. You may say | had but little to
work on, as the men had come 200 miles
and might not then be within thousand,
or if they were, they had changed their
identity; but even the smallest points will
encourage a detective who has MS heart
in his work. In describing the men, the
stable keeper, who was naturally oDserv-
ing and had a good memory, remembered
that the older one carried lop shoulder,
had gold filling in his front teeth, and
there was a tremulous motion of the eye
lids. You have observed this in people.
Those who do it would stammer if they
did not wink. There were no points In
the description of the other which would
serve to identify him on the street. He
simply Cooked enough like the other to
be mis- brother"
spent two weeks in Chicago, looking
for my man, and, although l was we'll a s.
sisted by the detectives, my search was
vain. No one could remember a crook
bearing that description. l was at the
depot, ready to take the train for home,
when ran across c., b. & Q. railroad
detective whom had not seen for sew
eral months. AS we talked about the
Blankville murder l gave him descriD-
ton Of my men, and l had hardly done SO
when he replied:
Il know them both, or at least where
they can be found. l saw them in r -
Yesterday, and they are often on the
road"
The town he named was about seventy
five miles from Blankyille, on a cross-line
railroad, and | hadn't been in it two hours
Wnen l located my men. They were
brothers, and one kept a bakery and the
other saloon. Both had the reputation
OF being peaceful, law-abiding men, and
ihey had families. 1t therefore behooVed
me TO go slow, and the arrests were not
made until they were positively identified
by the livery man aud [ had positive evil
dence that they were away from home at
tne time. In each case, when making the
arrest, was asked concerning the ma
iure OF the offense or crime, and replied
Inat II was for the murder at ROssburg.
Inc prisoners were strangely silent, and,
dlOugh seemingly anxious about the tu-
lure, they refused to talk of the case. |
look them to ROssburg, put them In Jail,
ana IN two or three days they were ar
ralgned. They mad sent to Chicago for
counsel, but he had not arrived. Tenn
p0rary counsel appeared for them, they
pIeaded not guilty, and in an hour or two
were returned to Jail.
on may now ask yourself what case
l. mad against the brothers. AS l looked
IL over | came to the conclusion that my
work had just begun. They had left home
,"lthOut noise, il not secretly; had hired
horse and buggy under false prstenses;
mad driven secretly across the country
uhuer cover of darkness. They were OBJ
!ects OF suspicion, but had no proofs. 1t
was my duty to hunt Tor proofs. went
otle bank to have some questions an
s"ered. 1t was in summer, and the front
uood open. 4 new jauItOr had been en-
tIoyed, and as l entered the cashier was
Saying to him:
=, John, get paper and wrap around
tlat Drlek which holds the door back. IL
- no ornament as It's"
naturally enough, l glanced down at
. .ue orlck. AS the janltor lifted IL up l
woA IL from his hand, and the next in
o'anl HAD made discovery. There was
cIot OF dried blood on the prick, and in
we clot were sticking several hairs which
AneW mad come from the dead janltors
neSu. had made an important discoy-
cry, but at toe same time mad ruined my
vase vase. The brick had been in the office a
year or more. The blood and hairs were
e,,luence that IL was the weapon used to
otrlke the ianitOr with Then followed