Evening journal., 1889-07-15
THE FATAL POTATO.

"One Of the queerest cases lever had,
said 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. 1t was memorable as an illustra-
tion 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
that 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
was probably Just some row among the
servants, grinned at the sight of her
and asked what was the matter
"She gave whoop of 'murderr that
raised his hair and startled every one in
the station. The idea of murder in the
aristocratic mansion of Mr.. Samuel Nor
ton, on Fifth avenue, within five blocks
OF the station. naturally rather excited
us. Two detailed men and myself
was then ward detective-ran around
there as quickly as we GOULD.
Sure enough, there had been a muir
der. The cook, a sturdy built, middle
aged Englishwoman named Harriet
Wardrop, lay on the kitchen floor, in
the back basemept, with q dirty cotton
handkerchief twisted and knotted 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 tho matter, and that was the plight
she found her in.
"The last seen Of Harriet alive was at
near 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 was going
TO bed I'm few minutes. She had had
no visitor, never, indeed, had any, was
perfectly sober, and seemed to be always
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
fidantes. But she must have admitted
to the house the man who choked her.
There 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 20 have been made at
plunder in the still richer field up stairs.
Why had she been killed? 1t was mys-
terious One Of the cops with me was
so puzzled that he declared it must be q
case of suicide.
Il saw that she had been strangled
} and wondered what strong fellow tn,
murderer must have been 10 have twist
ed, with fatal effect, so soft band as I
handkerchief about so big and solid 4
neck and to do it so deftly and power
fully as to prevent an outcry or even {
struggle. 1t takes a good deal Of pres
sure TO squeeze in a wholeneck so tightly
as to cause death.
/ 'sBut when came TO examine NOR
closely / found that a novel and inge
nious device had been employed to maxi
the job easier. Folded into the handker
chief and placed so that it would pres
directly upon hewindpipe, was a potat,
about the size Of a hens egg. Whil
turning the tuber over in my hand,
, noticed that there were two deep curv
ing cuts In its smooth, creamy skin, sucl
} as would be made by finger nails scratch
ing it, and each showed q thin line 0
blue color. At first / thought nothin.
Of that, for knew that some potatoes
such as the Neshannocls, have delicat
skin Of violet tint under the white out
side. But when looked more CAREFUL,
] saw that this potato was not q Neshan
mock, but an Early Rose, which-as
! soon proved by scratching it-had n
such colored second skin, and observes
! that the blue color seemed to go deepe
than merely the surface
! "Who, asked myself. would be like
! ly to habitually carry under his finge
nails such an abundance Of color a
would leave deposits like these? Well,
dyer, for one. Yes. Of course. a dyer
: but there were more dyers in the city
for aught know, than one could shak
stick at, and it would be ridiculous {
: seek a blue handed dyer, since hand
that were blue one day might be red G
b green the next
! "The newspapers, the next day,
t their sensational treatment of the inc
dent, characterized it as a profoun
s mystery, and said that the police ha
absolutely no clew to the murderer
As | had hoped, that encourage
> some person who had known Harri'
Wardrop TO come forward. A smal
neatly dressed. respectable looking, mi'
/. die aged man. with keen, furtive ey'
II and an habitually deprecatory manne
presented himself at the inquest. L
came to see il the woman, whose deaf
ne had read Of in the morning pape
l. was his wife. from whom he had sep
a rated in Philadelphia year before, ar
had not seen or heard FROM since. Il
name2 John Wardrop. His Occupation
! Dyer. Where did he work? With Hen
% Detaillc & Co.. Partisan dyerS
e. Bleecke- street. Yes. the dead woms
{. was his via. he recognized her pc
ID ss.--. 49, - -'..-.l lA.-1- In = wes c.