Semi-weekly south Kentuckian. [volume] (Hopkinsville, Ky.) 1883-1889, 1886-08-03
A TELL-TALE INK MARK.
It Led to tho Detection Of q Muir
derer.


A few evenings since St. Paul
Pioneer Press reporter stepped into
small retail establishment on G side
street of St Paul to make the purchase
of a cigar. and after securing the weed,
was turning TO leave. when the propre-
tor remarked; "Somo time ago no
ticcd an item in your paper which said
that in San Francisco they photographed
the thumbs OF Chinese, and that there
seemed TO be greater difference in
their thumb nails than in their faces.
Now, that is II wrong impression Of the
matter. II is the underpart, or sole, of
the thumb which is photographed, as
the lines and circles in the skin are not
the same on any two persons in the
universe. This fact is not generally
known; but, If am not mistaken. Is
taken ns q subject OF illustration in
Mark THain's Life on the Mississippi,
in which murderer is fcrrotcd ont, but
at the end the wrong man pays the
penalty OF the crime. For many years
! was IN the dctcctiYc business, and in
one case the only clue | had was the inn
print Of mans thumb. 1t Is not
very long story, and il You are not in
hurry | will tell you about il. Being
requested to relate the incident, he re-
sumcd; AT tho outbreak of the war,
! enlisted from Illinois; and after re-
peiving my discharge at Memphis,
made my way up the Mississippi to a
city situated on the rivor-thc namo OF
the place will omit for various reasons
for the purpose Of visiting relatives
before returning to Now York, my
native State where ! had bocn offered
the position as head Of detective
agency. The city where was visiting
then hgd population Of perhaps eight
or ten thousand inhabitants, and by tic
time set for my departure had cult
waited quite an extensive acquaintance,
among whom was very eccentric old
man living alone with his granddaught-
cr young lady just verging into
womanhood and between whom there
was strong attachment Very little
was known concerning them, but from
the young lady herself | afterward heard
very remarkable history concerning
her parents and grandfather. They had
formerly lived in Virginia, where the
old man had beon highly connected.
His only child, daughter, married,
against his wishes, n shiftlcss, lazy fel-
low, and was disowncd by her father,
hor mother having died several years
before This man, finding that he would
get none OF tho fortune which rigltfulh
belonged 10 his wife, soon fired of hor,
and before they had boon married d
year, he kicked hor out Of the house on
winter night. She returned to her
fathers house and asked forgiveness,
but he was relentless, and in week $
time she died in the almshouso after
giving birth to daughter When it
was too late the old man repented of
the manner in which he had treated her
and took his little grandchild and left
for the West, hiding from the disgrace
to which he had subjected himself.
Buying u home, he devoted his life to
the education of his grandchild. Tho
house in which they lived was situated
ON q high bluff overlooking the river
and was gained only by narrow path
running up the side Of bluff.
This path, must confess, | had trav-
crsed almost daily for some time pre-
yious to my intended departure-not
for the purpose of viewing the scenery
hfter reaching the summit, but for the
pleasure OF an honr's chat with the old
mans granddaughter. On one of these
occasions the young lady told me that
one of. the peculiarltios of her grand
father was that he had for years kept
quite largo sum of money in the house,
not trusting the bank for its safe keep
ing, and that she was always in fear Of
her lifo in consequence. This story
had heard from my own relatives, and
was not greatly surprised when, OH my
way to the steamboat landing one morn
ing TO secure passage to st. Louis, |
heard that during tho night some one
bad broken into the old mans house,
murdered him as he lay in bed and
made his escape with the money, This
news banishcd all intention of leaving.
and at once hastencd to the spenp Of
the tragedy and prevailed upon tho
young lady TO accept tho hospitality OF
my relatives until the matter could bo
Strengthened up, which she thankfully
accepted. l then set to work to ferret
out the murderer. The entrance and
exit had boon made through window