The Hot Springs star. (Hot Spings [Hot Springs], Dakota [Dakota Territory, i.e. S.D.]) 1886-189?, 1889-09-27
A RED CHAPTER.
An Old Detective TALKS About Mur-
der.

An Old Detective Talks About Mur-
der.
It is an old saying in the detective
service that the man who plans muir
der is sure to be caught. The records
of crime prove the truth of the saying.
In almost every instance the murderer
who escapes arrest had no thought Of
murder ten minutes before he committed
the crime. He acted upon an impulse
born of sudden passion, and had only to
turn his back on his victim to get safely
away. The mysterious murders r the
unprecedented. They are mysterious
because there are no Witnesses. and be.
aus the murderer left nothing behind.
The detective assigned to one of these
mysteries perceives from the start that
he must depend almost entirely on luck
andaccident. The case of the Chicago
millionaire, Smell, proves the point. He
was murdered offhandin his own house,
by u burglar, whose operations he had
interrupted. The murderer seems to
have departed from earth. Rewards
a~ggregating an enormous sum have
been offered-an thousands of officers
lave been on the lookout for months,
but the supposed murderer is still at
large. Had he planned to murder Smell
he would have been under arrest within
Q week.. I'm that case he would have
clues and loopholes. He would not
have fled, for in fleeing he would have
left traces. ~a
The first murder case I ever had,
twenty-six years ago, had its parallel
last winter. The two'cases might be
called twins. Ny case occurred in
Rhode Island. The parallel is the Lati-
mer Ease at jackson, Mich, One win
ter morning, away back in the sixties,
Ileft the Providence train at q village,
about thirty miles away, to look for a
man for whom I had a warrant for
grand larceny. In walking from the
depot to the hotel Icame across o group
Of women OF the gate of o fine old man.
sion which stood back several rods from
the street. They we're nervous:.and fret
full. The house was the residence of a
Mrs. Brush and her son, she o widow
of 60 years ofage, and he a young man
Of %. The hour was II o'clock and they
were alay because there was no
stir about g.. house. It was known
that the son James had gone to Provi.
dence the evening before, but the
mother was an early riser and the house
should have been open at 2 O'clock.
The milkman had been there, as also the
butcher boy and q laborer, but thei,
knocks had been unanswered. The
neighbors had at last come to have a
) dreadful suspicion, and aconstable had
already been sent for to make an in.
vestigation.
II was in my line to be interested and
to remain. When the constable came
we found that we had met before, and
he asked me as q favor to assist him.
He was nervous and excited, and we
bothehad the same feeling by the time
the house was entered. I would have
bet my life that the old woman was
dead and he was just as sure, I'VE
knocked ct the kitchen door until any
living person would have been aroused,
iSndthen We broke il open and entered.
Everything in the kitchen was in orde,
and the same was true Of the sitting
room and parlor.. Mother and son .oc,
cupied rooms up stairs. One Of the
women piloted us directly to her room.
She lay upon the floor in her night
clothes in apool Of blood, stabbed in
i've places. Foul murder had been
done. The first thing was to send fol
the coroner, the next was to turn every.
body out doors. The murdered woman
had relatives in town and as soon a
they got the news and reached the spot
was engaged to take charge of the
Gaze. I telegraphed. to my chief a
Providence and was told to 60 ahead.
Halt an hour later I was at work. Be
fore any persons were admitted I tool
the constable through the Aopse to lool
. i~orclues, and here is what Hound:
gsThel hey Of the back door was miss
ing. There wss ahsavy bolt on the in,