Savannah courier. (Savannah, Tenn.) 1885-1979, 1889-07-11

ono uay mlgnJ De req OF green tne
next.
1.-THE newspapers the next day in
their sensational treatment Of the incl
dent characterized it as profound
mystery. and said that the police had
absolutely no clew to the murderer.
AS had hoped, that encouraged some
persons who had known Harriet
Wardrop to come forward. A small,
neatly-dressed, respectable looking,
middle-aged man, with keen. furtive
eyes and an habitually deprecatory
manner, presented himself at the in
quest. He came to see II the woman,
whose death he had read of in the
morning paper, was his wife, from
whom he had separated in Philadel-
phia year before, and had not seen
or heard from since His nameP John
Wardrop. His occupationP Dyer.
Where did he workp With Henri
Detaille q Co., Partisan dyers, on
Blocker street. Yes, the dead woman
was his wife. He recognized her per-
fectly, and the sight made him weep.
Poor woman, she was hard to get along
with, but she had good heart
81 made an excuse OF his signing a
formal recognition to get him to take
off one of his gloves. His hand was of
brilliant orange tint. While the
coroner kept him in attendance at the
inquest hurried to Detaille & Co. S
dye house to ask some questions.
"Yes, John Wardrop worked there.
He was quiet, steady man and an ex-
cellent workman. They had employed
him about ten months Did they know
any thing more about himP No. ex-
cept that they fancied there was likely
to be match between him and Jane
Blair, good-looking, plump woman,
about thirty years old who had been
their cashier for several years. Had
they done any dark blue dyeing latelys
Yes, only the day before yesterday.
Who did the work. John Wardrop.
~ saw Jane Blair. With a good
deal of hesitancy she admitted that
she and John Wardrop were engaged
to be married as soon as he got q
divorce from bad wife who had left
him, and expected that he would soor
be free. Was she well informed as tc
his habitsP Perfectly. They boarded
in the same house, ON West Washing
ton place, and he very seldom wen
out in the evening. Did he go out the
night before lastP No; they parted OF
the stairs going to their respectiv,
rooms at twenty minutes before ter
o'clock, their usual hour for retiring
He could have gone out afterward
without her knowing it? Yes, but o
course he didn't.
'.When 1 got back to the inques
the coroner's jury had just returned I
verdict that the deceased had come tt
her death by violence at the hand o.
hands of some person unknown.
had made up my mind to arrest Johl
Wardrop on suspicion, but was in n,
hurry about it. As l had not been OF
the stand l did not have to tell an,
thing of my suspicious and the potat
could not give any thing away, for
had it safe in my pocket, wrapped il
tissue paper. The reporters wen
away to write the case up as pro
founder mystery than before. job
Wardrop went to draw some none
from his employers to give his poo
wife decent burial. And !, havin
taken time to get a warrant for his ar
rest, followed him.
HE paled slightly and showed som
embarrassment when | entered tn
dye room, where he was doing som
work that had to be done by him an
could not wait until the morrow
Still he controlled himself. and sough
to cover his nervousness by talking
/ said little, and let him talk on. whic
was the worst thing he could hav
done, for thinking up so many word
led him away now and then from tn
straight story he had made up. A
last, when deemed the time ripe 70
it. Islipped the potato out of my poch
ct and suddenly holding it up befor
him, said:
You should have washed you
hands before you grabbed this potat
out of the dish-pan on the table.
He threw up his hands with
shrek and sank down on a bench, a
limp and broken up. Before he coul
recover himself he confessed. He an
Harriet had quarreled for years an
finally separated. Then after tim
she had made up her mind to get po
session of him again, found where b
was and sent him word that he mus
meet her late at night, when she woul
be alone, to discuss the situation. II
went, but the sight of her and thought
, of Jane Blair, with whom he had fal
en- in love in the meantime since par
} ing with his wife, made him desperat,
, asked him how he had managed |
straugle her so quietly and witho,
: any struggle, when she seemed to hay
| double his strength. He explained tn;
: he possessed sufficient mesmeric fort
II to render her passive and had en-
! ployed it on that occasion. Havin
J rendered her completely unconscior
| by mesmerizing her, the rest was cas-,
1 could not help feeling some sympath
; for him when he said she was ia
J tar still, business was business, an
/ when had heard him through l tol
him:
"'Now. John, get your coat on an
: come along.
"'In moment sir Let me was
, of some of this dye first
: II assented. He washed, pourin
| some stuff over his hands from DO