San Antonio daily light. [volume] (San Antonio, Tex.) 1886-1907, 1889-08-07

you simply that she was dead. How did you
know she had been murderedF
He saw the trap he had fallen into, and he
Casped and stammered and did his best to
smooth it over pretended not to lay it up
as q point against him, and speedily arranged
that he should return in my vehicle and leave
the cooper's rig where it was. After the first
shock he braced up wonderfully, and his de-
meanor on the way home was entirely that
of an innocent man. He expressed great
willingness to give us all possible informa-
ton, but at the same time advanced and
chung to the theory that no one but tramp
could have been guilty of the crime. Upon
reaching home he displayed considerable
grief and emotion. In fact, he rather over
did it. 1t was more like acting out part.
The people were indignant that he should be
suspected, and he was not put under re-
straint. Indeed, no warrant had been issued
for him.
Early the next morning, satisfied in my
own mind that Fergus was the murderer,
drove out to his aunt's found that he ar
rived there at Z o'clock Saturday night. Half
an hour later he complained of headache and
went to bed saying he would be down again
by 8 o'clock AS he did not keep his promise
the hired girl knocked on his door at that
hour. but, receiving no reply, was told not to
disturb him He was not seen by the inmates
of the house until o'clock Sunday morning.
The girl was up at 5, and as she crossed the
ward she saw that his window was up, and
some of his clothing was hanging in the sun.
At the barn | found the coopers buggy,
washed clean. Fergus had done this Sunday
forenoon. He had not made good job on
the horse, however. and | found plenty of
mud on his fetlocks. AS it was dusty Satur-
day night when he YVES driven over, this mud
must have been picked up after the storm. |
found the harness stiff and damp from being
wet, and the cloth cushion of the buggy was
still damp Hunting further, | found the
fresh tracks of horse and buggy turning into
the barnyard after the rain. The window Of
the room occupied by Fergus opened on the
roof of the she'd At the lower edge of the
roof stood leach. On the edges of this leach
and on the roof found mud On the carpet
in Fergus room found more Of it. He had
scraped and cleaned his boots and GuEG the
dirt into stove, whence got half a pound
AL this got without the aunt suSpecting
that was after proofs | then returned &c
the scene of the murder, and after an hours
search discovered the place where horse had
been hitchCd for some time. 1t was III the
rear of the house, on an open space and under
tree, and the horse had paved up the
ground and gnawed the bark of the tree.
The footprints Of man could be family
traced across the garden, and had 70 doubt
that Fergus came and went this way On
the fourth day after the funeral | learned
from the insurance man what he had seen
during the storm, and then warrant was
issued and Fergus was taken into custody.
By this time the townspeople had begun &c
think it a queer case. Fergus had gone over
the house and declared that nothing had been
taken. No suspicious characters had been
noticed in the neighborhoOd. Jewelry and
money had been left lying on the bureau,
showing that the object could not have been
plumber Did the woman have an enemy
No, not one, as far as we could learn. Who
could profit by her death? No one but Fer
gus, and yet this was one of the strong points
he brought forward. 1t was known to a score
of people that she had made her will in his
favor. Would not everything be his at her
death:
To ciinch our case and make circumstantial
evidence good We must show motive. This
seemed hopeless, but ! went at the task,
hoping evidence might aid me if Fergus
was guilty. Iexamined his personal effects
over and over again in search of hint, but
for two weeks after he had been sent to Jail
discovered nothing. Then l got the clew
where ought TO have secured it before. In
drawer in his desk / found several adver-
tisements plainly in the interest of swindlers
One of them read:
"a steady young man with $4,000 cash capital
- L.
prise. For particulars address box s9I," etc.
Another read:
If you have nerve and 5000 in cash we viii
make you millionaire in ona year We permit
the fullest investigation before investment Write
for particulars
4 third just hit his case:
Are you a young and ambitious man, feeling
that you could get ahead If properly backed and
encouraged? Have you any money Can you
get from one thousand 10 three thousand! If sc
We viii positively guarantee you Sl00 in return
for every dollar, and inside Of year
felt sure be had written some of these
parties, but as | could not find any letters
from them set out to hunt them up in per-
son. They were bold faced swindlers, and
they bothered me some, but in the end ! got
five letters written by Fergus. In one OF
them he stated that he would soon have
money to invest, and expressed his satisfGc-
ton at the particulars of the speculation as
far as given him. The greed of gain, then
was his incentive. The woman, who had
been mother and sister to him, came of long
lived race, and was in good health, and a
month before her death was told by doctor
in the hearing of Fergus that she was likely
to live to be 50 or 100 years old. Until her
death the young man could hope for little or