Western liberal. (Lordsburg, N.M.) 1887-1919, 1889-08-02
THE FATAL POTATO.

"One Of the queerest cases I ever had"
anid the old detective. occurred some-
thing over twenty years ago Then !
still had much to learn IN my business,
and. fortunately for me. knew that ]
had. II was memorable as an ~illustra-
ton Of the Importance Of small things,
and | have pigeon holed it in my memory
as the affair Of the fatal potato
"A red headed servant girl, so scared
shat her eyes stood out like Holsters,
rushed into the station house early one
morning, bowling that all the police
were wanted around at Mr. Morton's.
The sergeant at the desk. supposing there
wa probably just some row among the
servants, .grinned at the sight Of her
and asked what was the matter.
'She gave a whoop of 'murderr that
raised his hair and startled every one in
the station. The idea Of murder in the
a%ristocratic mansion Of Mr.. Samuel Nor
ton, on Fifth avenue, within Ave blocks
of the station, naturally rather excited
us. Two detailed men and myself
was then ward detective-ran around
there as quickly as we could.
Sure enough, there had been a muir
der. The cook, a sturdy built, middle
eyed Englishwoman named Harriet
Wardrop, lay on the kitchen floor, in
the back basement, with a dirty cotton
handkerchief twisted and knotred about
her neck. stone dead and quite cold.
When she had not sent up her employ
er's coffee, which he was accustomed to
taking in bed, or answered the bell, the
red headed girl came down to see what
was the matter, and that was the plight
she found her in.
1.-THE last seen Of Harriet alive was at
neal 10 o'clock the night before, when
the two upstairs girls left to go to their
room In the attic. Her room was In the
basement, and she said that she wasgoing
to bed in a few minutes. She had had
no visitor. never. indeed, had any, was
perfectly sober, and seemed to be always
u woman of perfectly correct habits.
Really. however, not much was known
about her, further than that she had come
there from Philadelphia seven or eight
months before with good references, had
behaved herself well and made no con
iidantes. But she must have admitted
20 the house the man who choked her.
"Thcre were no signs of any struggle,
and there had been no robbery. Her
gold watch was on the kitchen table, two
months wages In her pocket and no at
tempt seemed to have been made at
plumber In the still richer field up stairs.
Why had she been killed. 1t was mys-
terious One of the cops with me was
80 puzzled that he declared it must be a
casa of suicide.
Il saw that she had been strangled
and | wondered what q strong fellow the
murderer must have been to have twist
ed, with fatal effect, 80 soft a band as
handkerchief about 80 big and solid {
neck and to do Il go deftly and power
fully as to prevent az OubCry or oven
struggle. II takes a good deal of pres
sure 3 squeeze In a wholeneck so Tight,
as to cause death.
But when ] oene 70 examine NOR
closely ! found that a novel and iuge
NOUS device had been employed to max
the job easier. Folded into the handkel
chief and placed 80 that L would pres
directly upon the wlndpipe, was a potat
about the size of a hens egg. Will
turning the tuber over in my hand,
noticed that there were two deep curv
ing cuts In its smooth, creamy skin, sue
as would he made by finger nails scratch
ing it, and each showed a thin line &
blue color. At first l thought nothin
Of that, for / knew that some potatoe,
such as the N%eshannocks, havea delicat
skin Of violet tint under the white on
aide. But when . led more CAREFUL
saw that IT, pel..1 vas not o NeshaI
mock. but an garry i,ose, which-as
soOn proved by scratching it-had n
such colored second skin. and | observe
that the blue color seemed to go deepe
thar merely the surface.
who, | asked myself, would be Like
~ to habitually carry under his fnge
nails such an abundance of color q
would leave deposits like thesel Well,
dyer, for one. Yes, Of course. a dye
but there were more dyers in the city
for aught | know. than one could shak
a stick at, and it would be ridiculous {
seek a blue handed dyer. since hand
that were blue one day might be red {
green the nex
THE newspapers, the next day, !
their sensational treatment OF the inc
dent, characterized It as a profoun
mystery, and said that the police ha
absolutely no clew to the murderer
SAs ] had hoped, that encourage
some person who had known HaTri,
Wardrop to come forward. A sma!
neatly dressed. respectable looking, mi,
die aged man. with keen, furtive ey'
and an habitually dePrecatoEy name
presented himself at the inquest. Il
came TO see II the woman. whose deaf
he had read Of In the morning pape
was his wife. from whom he had sop
Tetsd In Philadelphia q year before, an
had not seen or heard from since. II
manner John Wardrop. His Occupation
Dyer. Where did ne work. With Hen
Detaille & Co., Partisan dyers, {
Bleecker street. Yes, the dead womi
was his wife. ae recognized her pc
f~rily and the sight made him wee