The Arizona sentinel. [volume] (Arizona City [Yuma], Yuma County, A.T. [Ariz.]) 1872-1911, 1890-04-05
This made Messing smile.


"That will do, but / prefer doing it
crowd"
"Well, let us 60"
'I will go, too," said Holbrook, who
was strongly attracted by Messing,
GAS you please" rejoined the SER
geant; then turning to an officer he said:
Watch the body; will send litter to
you as soon as l can"
Arriving at the station house, after all
had been excluded except the coroner
and Holbrook, Messing gave straight
! forward account of his coming into the
city from Philadelphia the night previ-
Gus, and his determination not to regis
ter himself at any hotel until after he
had taken something to eat; that having
eaten at an eating house on Fourteenth
street and Lit cigar, he thought he
would smoke it in the park and cool off
before he returned to the hotel.
He gave names and addresses in Phil
adeIphia whereby his statements could
be verified by telegraph.
The sergeant, however, determined
to hold him until verifcation could be
made.
To this Messing acquiesced so readily
that Holbrook was convinced he had
nothing to fear from investigation
So expressing himself, he remarked to
the sergeant; ''Be careful you do not
have a suit for false Imprisonment on
your hands"
This made the sergeant uneasy.
The coroner laughed, but would say
nothing to relieve the officer.
Have no fear" said Messing, "you
are only doing your duty"
This complaisance secured for Wessing
the captains room for the night rather
than a cell.
Holbrook, having nothing to detain
him, went away.
When he reached the square he went
over to the spot where the murder had
been done. He had no purpose in going
there; an irresistible impulse-a strong
fascination-drew him thither
The square was deserted again and
quiet reigned. The revelers had gone
back to their haunts, the tramps to their
benches in the park, the might hawks"
slept again on their boxes, while they
awaited the belated ones who might re-
quire their services. The moon shone
brightly. The silence was oppressive; I'M
broken only at intervals by the snatches
Of drunken song in the distance and the
occasional rumble of the trains on Third
avenue.
Holbrook meditated on the uncertainty
of life. The man Tenpleton was young,
strong, in health, and in a moment he
had been struck down and was dead. He
walked the streets late at night himself
at times, and the same fate might as
easily have been his. But this manifestly
was not a murder for the purpose of rob
berry. And was it wanton blow struck
in sheer wickedness through lust for
blood? Hardly such things do not occur
in our civilization. There was a motive
for the act, a strong one doubtless. Tie
discovery Of the motive would lead to the
discovery of the murderer. The first
effort Of the police would doubtless be to
discover that motive.
AS he stood something sparkled, under
the sudden faring Of distant electric
light, at his feet.
He picked up the shining object.
It was cuff button-a round, gold
button with diamond imbedded In its
top.
Holbrook looked about him. The
murdered man must have lain upon it.
"When was that lostY he muttered
to himself, "Does it have any connec-
ton with this murder?"
"Pshaw," he added, sit may have lain
there all night. But stopl The street
sweeping machine passed over this spot
twenty minutes or less before the two
met and would have swept it away"
He examined it closely.
"The button belongs to a man who
commands money and is particular in
his dress. Good! Bar keepers and Do
icemen do not wear diamond buttons Of
this kind, nor cabbies, nor tramps sleep
ing in the park, nor indeed many law
yers. 1t belonged either to the muir
dered man or his murderer"
He felt pleased with himself and
thought he would make a shrewd de-
tective.
Perhaps it belongs to the coroner" he
said aloud, mot probable, he added,
on another thought. "A coroner awak-
ened in the middle of the night to view
a body recently killed would hardly ar
ray himself with diamond buttons. At
all events l suppose l must turn it over
to the authorities. In the meantime l !
shall go to bed"
He put the button in his purse and en-
tered his hotel.
It was q curious coincidence that at
the moment Holbrook picked up the but
ton young man Of fashion, who had
just returned from his club to his apart
ments, half a mile distant, took off his
coat and discovered that the buttonhoIes
Of his right cuff were torn out and his
cuff button gone
He looked at it g moment, muttered an
oath and asked himself, "How was that
done?"
Then he proceeded with his disrobing.
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