Alpena weekly argus. [volume] (Alpena, Mich.) 1871-1893, 1888-05-02
CLEVERLY TRAPPED.
An Incident in My Early Expert
enoe as a Detective.

lar jobs given me to work on, and thu
manner in which one of them wa
worked, and the development of tn,
case, may interest the reader.
About three miles outside the limits
Of large city in Pennsylvania stood ,
large farmhouse. There had been
murder committed there, and whisky
had played havoc with an heir, and tn,
house had stood vacant for three years
before saw it. The farm had passed
into the hands of New Yorker on {
mortgage, and he seemed to have for
gotten all about it. Naturally enough
the cry of "haunted house, was raised
and presently you could not have hired
neighbor to enter the house in the
daytime. There were people living
within quarter of mile of the place
and by-and-by they began to tell some
queer stories. On two occasions par.
ties of three or 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 it.
had a 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 81, 600
Of bis 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
railroad ticket for Chicago, and had
left behind him, as if by accident, a
parcel addressed to party in the Gar
den City. 1t ought to have been reas-
oned 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 OF cloth
ing, but when l 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
were missing from the house. The boots
and old suit had belonged to a boarder
who died months before.
There were three highways leading
out of the town. worked two of them
without success On the third / soon
found a farmer who had seen foot
traveller 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 mid
night to inquire about roads, but once
on his trail soon picked up plenty of
pointers. The absconder's name was
Kelly, and he was keen, shrewd fell
low. He had planned the embezzle-
ment and escape weeks ahead, and he
followed out a regular programme. He
left town dressed rs laborer, and
carrying valise. He had light felt
hat, a black felt hat and cap, and
about once in ten miles he exchanged
his headgear. He was a smooth-faced
man, but he had provided himself with
a goatee, and side whiskers. / thus
heard of him once as a smooth-faced
young man wearing q cap and having
one arm in sling; next as youngish
man with goatee and black hat;
again as administered man with n
light hat. l confess that l was badly
puzzled and about ready to despair
when l came to farmhouse where he
had stopped for dinner. He was then
smooth faced and wore cap, and
claimed to be an agent for a windmill
company whose rights had been in
fringed on. and who were taking steps
to Collect royalty.
When Kelly entered the kitchen for
dinner hired boy of color, who was
not permitted to eat with the family,
was loft in the sitting room. His curl
osity regarding the contents of the
valise was aroused, and ho picked the
lock and overhauled them. He was
careful not to say any thing of this to
the family. but when l came along on
my errand soon discovered that he
had a secret. The sight of silver
piece loosened his tongue, and he told
me OF the hats and false whiskers.
After that had no trouble in follow
ing Kelly, no matter which disguise he
assumed. There was direct highway
from the town he left to the city with
the haunted house, but he did not keen
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 a
few hours. On another occasion his
feet became sore and he lay by at q
tavern for two days, and then l actually
got ahead of him.
While the towns were only thirty
miles apart, Kelly travelled all of one
hupdred miles in making the distance,
and was twelve days about it. l fol-
lowed him mile by mile, and owing &c
q severe storm was thirteen days.
traced him into the suburbs of the city
and there lost him, and, though
had the help of three or four ioca
officers, we got no further trace Of him
At length we heard of a person hun
dred miles away who bore Kelly's de
scription, and was about to star
after him when overheard the follow
ing conversation in restaurants:
80 the boys who went to the haunted
house got scarep"
IAN awful scare. guess a new
ghost has taken possession"
"What did they SEQ or hcarp"
Saw doors open and heard groan
and various other noises"
"Wcll, its funny"
yes"
1t may seem strange TO you that I a
once decided that had located Kell,
again. 1t was quite probable that h,
had known of the haunted house TO
years, as its fame was widespread, an,
the fact of new ghost showing ul
just at this time made me suspicious
That night at len o'clock. acoompanic,
by local detective. | visited hhc place