Waterbury evening Democrat., 1888-10-11

l lew WOruS Stalu iaSI nlgnG. II you VIII redu | what follows you will find that l was led to speak-perhaps imprudently-by think ing of events in my own past life, and you | will then understand and forgive me.
 l.
 When I was a young man of five-and- | twenty became a member of the London police force After nearly two years ordi- | nary experience of the responsible and i'll | paid duties of that vocation, found myself employed on my first serious and terrible case of crime-being nothing less than the | crime of murder.
 | The circumstances were these: | I was then attached to a station in the northern district of London, which I beg permission not to mention more particularly On a certain Monday in the week took my turn of night duty. Up to in the morning nothing occurred at the station house out of | the ordinary way. It was then spring time, | and between the gas and the fire the room became rather hot. I went to the door to get breath of fresh air, much to the sur
 prise of our inspector on duty, who was con- additionally chilly man. There was fine rain falling, and a nasty damp in the air soon sent me back to the fireside. I don't suppose had sat down more than minute when the swinging door was violently pushed | open. 4 frantic woman ran in with scream, and said, "Is this the station house?"
 Our inspector Otherwise an excellent off cer) had, by some perversity of nature. hot temper In his chilly constitution ''Why,
 bless the woman, can't you see it is?'' he says
 "Whats the matter nowg'
 Murders the matter!'' she burst out 'For Gods sake come back with me. It's at Mrs
 Crosscapel's lodging house, No. If Lefroy | street. young woman has murdered her
 husband in the night-with knife, sir! She
 cows she thinks she did it in her sleep" I confess l was startled by this, and the
 third man on duty Ia sergeant seemed to feel
 1t, too. She was nice looking young wo-
 man, even in her terrified condition, just out
 of bed, with her clothes huddled on anyhow
 I was partial in those days to a tall figure,
 and she was, as they say, my style. I put a
 chair for her, and tho sergeant poked the
 fire As for the inspector, nothing ever up
 set him. He questioned her as coolly as if it
 had been case of petty larceny
 Have you seen the murdered manG" he
 asked.
 "No sir
 Or the wifeF'
 ''No, sir. I didn't dare go into the room;
 I only heard about it."
 "Oh! And who are you one of the
 lodgersr'
 "No, sir; I'm the cook"
 ''Isn't there master in the house3'
 ''Yes, sir. He's frightened out of his wits.
 And the housemaids gone for the doctor. It
 all falls on the poor servants, of course. Oh,
 why did 1 ever set foot in that horrible
 house!"
 The poor soul burst out crying and shiv-
 cred from head to foot The inspector made note of her statement, and then asked her
 to read it and sign it with her name. The object of this proceeding was to get her to come near enough to give him the oppor- tunity of smelling her breath. ''When people make extraordinary state ments" he afterwards said to me- Lit some . times saves trouble to satisfy yourselves that they are not drunk. I've known them to be mad, but not often. You will generally find ) that in their eyes"
 She reused herself and signed her name; Priscilla Varley." The inspectors own test proved her to be sober; and her eyes-a nice, light blue color, mild and pleasant, no doubt, when they were not staring with fear, and red with crying-and her eyes satisfied
 him that she was not mad, He turned the case over to mein the first instance I saw that he didn't believe ill it, even yet. Go back with her to the house." he says. ''This may be a stupid hoax or a quarrel ex- aggerated. See to it yourself, and hear what the doctor says. If it is serious, send word back here directly, and let nobody enter the place or leave it till we come. Stop! You know the form, if any statement is volun- 8 ueeredY'
 a ''Yes, sir. am to caution the persons that @ whatever they say will be taken down, and ] may be used against themn
 :.Quite rightI You'll be an inspector your. l. self one of these days Now, miss" With }, that he dismissed her, under my care. + Lefroy street was not very far off-about 8 twenty minutes walk from the station. }, confess I thought the inspector had been t rather hard on Priscilla. She was herself d naturally angry with him. "What does he p mean," she says, ''by talking of a hoax2 Q wish he was as frightened as I am. This is g the first time I have been out at service, sir @ and did think I had found a respectable Il place."
 n said very little to her, feeling, if the y truth must be told, rather anxious about the l. duty committed to me. On reaching the el house, the door was opened from within be n fore could knock gentleman stepped
 out, who proved to be the doctor. He stopped
 the moment he saw me.
 :You must be careful, policeman a he says y :sThe man is dead, and there is knife wound s. through his heart.n
 n Hearing this felt the necessity of send 8 ing at once to the station. Where could Is find trustworthy messenger9 l took th' le liberty of asking the doctor if he would re d peat at the station what he had already saie t, to me. It was not much out of his way le home. He kindly granted my request. le The landlady Mrs. CrosscapeD opened the ], door for him. She was still young woman ,e not easily frightened as far as l could see 10 even by murder in the house Her hus e. band was in the passage behind her. H 8 looked old enough to be her father, and h le so trembled with terror that some peopl t. might have taken him for the guilty person C. removed the key from the street door, aftel
 locking it, and said to the landlady sNC re body must leave the house or enter the hous i'd until the inspector comes. I must examin y the premises to see if any one has broken in, r. t'There is the key of the area gate" sh Co said, in answer to me, "1t's always kep d. locked. Come downstairs and see for youl ae self" Priscilla went with us. Her mistres ag set her to work to light the kitchen firt he "Some of us," says Mrs. Crosscapel, ina Ut be the better for a cup of tea" l remarke h. that she took things easy under the circun of stances. She added that the landlady of lojo oFo {