The Abbeville press and banner. [volume] (Abbeville, S.C.) 1869-1924, 1888-03-21
AFTER AN EMBEZZLER.

During the first three years of my
career as detective l had some singular
jobs given to me to work on, and the
manner in which one of them was worked,
and the Developments of the case, may
interest the reader
About three miles outside the limits
of a large city in Pennsylvania stood a
large farmhouse. There had been a
murder committed there, and whisky
had played havoc with an heir, and the
house had stood vacant for three years
before l saw it. The farm had passed
into the hands of a New Yorker on a
mortgage. Naturally enough the cry
of "haunted house" was raised, and
presently you could not have hired a
neighbor to enter the house in the day
time. There were people living within
aquarter Of a mile of the place, and by
and by they began to tell some queer
stories. On two occasions parties of
three and four went out from the city to
stop in the house all night, but in each
instance they were driven away by
strange noises before midnight lived
in town forty miles from the haunted
house. and consequently heard nothing
of
Ihad case against an absconding
treasurer. He had the funds of large
and prosperous lodge in his hands, and
got away with $4,000 belonging to it.
He furthermore borrowed about $4,000
of his friends, and got $500 more on a
forged draft. This occurred in town
about thirty miles from the haunted
house. The defaulter had bought a rail-
road ticket for Chicago, and had left be-
hind him, as if by accident, parcel ad-
dressed to party IN the Garden City.
It ought to have been reasoned that this
party was he under another name, and
that he had gone to Chicago as fast as
steam could carry him, but reasoned
just the opposite. He had gone without
his trunk or clothing, but when I came
to overhaul his things, his landlady
figured out that two clean shirts, several
collars, stout pair of boots, and an old
suit of clothes wee missing from the
house. The boots and old suit had be-
longed to boarder who died months
before.
There were three highways leading out
of the town. 1 worked two Of them
without success. On the third I soon
found farmer who ha6 seen foot trav-
eler resembling my man pass on the
evening he absconded. Five miles further
on I became positive of his IDENTITY. He
walked all that night with only two
brief halts before midnight to inquire
about roads, but once on his trail I soon
picked up plenty of pointers. The ab-
sconder's name was Kelly, and he was a
keen, shrewd fellow. lie lad planned
the embezzlement and escape weeks
ahead, and he followed out regular
programme. He left town dressed as a
laborer, and carrying valise. He had
light felt hat, black felt hat, and a
cap, and about once in ten miles he ex-
changed his head dgear. He was asmooth
faced man, but he had provided himself
with goatce and side whiskers thus
heard of him as a smooth faced young
man wearing cap and having one arm
in sling: next as youngish man with a
goatee and back hat; again as full
whiskered man with light hat. Icon
fe>s that was badly puzzled and about
ready to despair when I came to farm
house where he had stopped for dinner.
He was then smooth faced and wore a
cap, ard claimed to be an agent for a
windmill company whose rights had been
infringed on, and who wee takirg steps
to collect royalty.
When Kelly entered the kitchen for
dinner hired boy who was not per-
mitted to eat with the family, was left
in the sitting room. His curiosity le-
aroused, and he picked the lock and
overhauled them. He was careful not to
say anything of this to the family, but
when l came along on my errand l soon
discovered that he had secret. The
sight of a silver p:ete loosencd his
tongue, and he told me of the hats and
false whiskers. After that 1 had no
trouble in following Kelly, no matter
what disguise he assumed. There was
direct highway from the town he let
to the city with the haunted house, but
he did not keep it. He would branch
off here and there and make half circle
to come back again. One or two nights
he slept in barns, and so lost track of
him for few hours. On another occa-
sion his fee, became sore and he lay by
at a tavern for two days and then l ac-
tually got "h"ad of him.
While the towns were only thirty
miles apa,:, Kelly treveled all CT 100
miles in making the distance, and was
twelve days about it. I followed him
mile by mile, and owing to a severe
storm was thirteen days. l traced him
into the suburbs of the city and there
lost him, and, though had the help of
three or four local officers, we could get
no further trace of him. At length we
heard of person q lndred miles away
who bore Kelly's dc$cript on, and l was
about to start after him when l o., er-
heard the following conversation in q
restaurant:
$50 the boys who went to the haunted
housc not q scare 2"