Macon beacon. [volume] (Macon, Miss.) 1859-1995, 1886-09-25
A LIGHTNING FLASH
Which Led to the Tracing Out of a
Great Crime.


indeed, | should not care to be one.
am simply a reports for II of the
New York daily papers. But either by
sheer chance or because of some special
mental gift, | have been enabled sew
cral times TO unearth the bottom facts
in criminal cases which had sorely
puzzled the members of the detective
force. So that now, whenever a partic-
ularly interesting murder, robbery or
disappearance takes place, it seems to
have become a matter OF course in the
office that | should be the one detailed
TO write it up.
The West side affair, however, came
into my hands by chance. pure and
simple. My wife wanted to 20 to the
thcater. 1t was a very warm evening
in June, and | was not anxious to 90,
ut what my wife wills usually
takes place, and we went. After the
play | would have taken the nearest
route to the Brooklyn ferry and home.
For some reason, but known to herself,
my wife preferred to return by the
one elevated railroad which happened
To be the turthest from the theater,
though distant growlings of thumSer
warned us Of approaching storm and
we had no umbrella. | love peace even
better than a dry coat, so we walked
across town and took a train on that
road. We were the only occupants of
the rea car. She took a seat BY the
open window, while | busted myself
with my note book. The storm was
coming on rapidly, the thunder growl-
inc louder and nearerand the lightning
flashes sharper and more frequent, but
! paid little heed to them, until at last,
as the train slowed down, while round
ing a curve, one vivid, binding flash
filled the car, paling the lamp-light,
and | distinctly heard a shrill cry,
drowned, however, quickly by Il crash
of thunder. My wife grasped my arm
eXcitedly. her eyes staring.
Great heavens she cried, did
you see that?"
''les, it was a sharp one.n
"No, no; don't mean the lightning,
John. A woman is being murdered.
! saw her by the flash. She's hanging
from a window close to the track and
man is pushing her of, Didn't YOU
hear her shrick?'
''Oh, nonsense | said. You
couldn't have seen all that. Some one
was frightened by the lightning and
screamed that all
'ltell you | did see it. She had hold
Of the window sill, and the man stood
in the window above her, trying to
wrench her hands loose. Why, | saw
his face plainly. He had a o face
and his head was bald-perfectly bald.
j couldn't be Mistaken
She was considerably agitatcd and
would have had me get out at the mex
station aud 90 back to the spot; but il
was now raining hard, and, feeling
sure that her eyes had deceived her, .
fatty refused to leave her to make hel
way home alone at such q time.
Still, a poor man a not well neu
iect the smallest chance of a good item
and when had seen her safely home
hurried back to New York and TO tn,
police station nearest the place, wher,
found, somewhat to my surprise, tina
some time before a young woman ha,
indeed been carried there. unconscious
and SO terribly injured by falling from
the window Of a lodging house a few
blocks away that she had died within
few minutes. Nothing was known o
her but that she had hired a room il
the house about a week earlier. givin,
the name of Smith and paying in ad
vance. Her landlady had spoken G
her as a quiet, ladylike person, VIII
kept much by herself and received n
callers, and, as her room door ha
been found locked on the inside, it wa
supposed that she had lost her balanc
and fallen from the window while tr,
ing to close the shutters during tn
storm. | saw the body. 1t was tn;
of a medium sized woman, twenty-for
or twenty-five years Of age. with fei
lures OF the ordinary American Twp,
Her light brown HAIR must have bee
hanging loosely down her back whc
She met her death. In life she migl
have been thought n rather attract,
loohing girl. despite I'm uncommon an
unpleasant thinness of the lips, bu
living there cold and dead. the face W;
moi an agreeable sight, and ! clad
turned away. There was nothir
about her to show her identity, Il
loose wrapper which she wore havir
no pockets, while her underclolhir
was unmarked and she wore only OF
plain gold ring on her right hand; 5
as ! could gain no further informant,
from the police, and the lodging hou
was tightly closed for the night, | sil
ply wrote out a few lines describir
fhc occurrence MS an accident, too
thrm TO the office and then went to
h%cigbhoring hotel 10 sleep.
There was evidently something in n
wifc's story. after all, and | drtcrmin,
20 look into it further witic sayir
aothing to the police until | had son
definite clue to work upon. Ia Il
morning. therefore. | took my way
Au iodSing-hous~ Tbs luhalad, W