Herald and news. [volume] (West Randolph, Vt.) 1878-1943, 1890-01-09
TRACED BY THE BUTTONS
SiORY OF THE DETECTION or a
SENSATIONAL MURDER.
A Minister who Shut Down one of His
Deacons.

"The detective stories nowadays,
remarked veteran thief-taker to
j, Memphis Appeal reporter, "are Away
1 highly colored and overdrawn to sui
the imagination of the small-boy read
4 ers, for whom they are written.
ga detective of considerable prom
inence, who was in the employ of tn
| Pinkertons once, related to me hi
progress in very mysterious murder
case which had startled the entire Eas
when ii had been discovered. One Of
the wealthiest men in village, dca.
con in the church and man beloved
by all, had mysteriously disappeared
and at the end of a week his body had
been found floating in pool of water
about ten miles from his home. The
body was naked, and the CHASTITY holes
in the back of the head and the other
in the left side told that he had been
shot TO death.
"IIe was not known to have an
enemy in the world, and robbery could
not have been the object, as he was a
very plainly dressed man, and was
never known to carry more than few
dollars at time on his person.
"The aid of the Pinkerton agency
was invoked, and they sent down my
friend to work upon the case, he being
particularly noted for his success in
working up murder cases.
'"There wasn't clue to guide him,
and after looking over the field for
day or two he began to think that his
efforts were bound to end in failure.
There was no one whom the murdered
mans death could benefit except his
wife and son, who would come into
bis property; but they were both
away from home when he disappeared
and their every movement was ac-
counted for.
"Finally the evening of the second |
day of his investigation he got what
proved to be winning clue, but
which at the time seemed very intangi-
BILE. He was sitting in the shadow of
some trees in the courthouse square
when great bulking fellow passed,
whom he recognized as Joseph Ward,
the man of all work at the village pas
tors. Ward was not favorite in the
village, as he made no friends, never
went out except on errands for the
and coldly repulsed any at
tempts on the part of the villagers to
make his acquaintance.
As he passed the detective he was
talking to himself, and these words
were plainly heard by the officer:
D it, Pm not going after the but
ons; no one will ever find them, and, ;
besides, they must be burnt up too"
Ward had not noticed the detective
IS he passed, and the latter kept still, '
'ondering over the words he had
leard. For an instant it flashed over
lis mind that it might refer to the t
Mysterious murder. The body when a
Ound was naked. and no trace had
cen gotten of the clothing the dead a
lan wore. e
The words kept recurring to him, \
nd day or two afterwards, impelled "
y some motive, he knew not what, a
Q visited the place where the body
ody was found. lie wandered
round in the vicinity for an
our or more, and finally becoming 81
red walked to the edge of a small
God a quarter of mile away to rest III
the shade. AS he was about TO sit u
OWN on q log he noticed the remains .
an old fire few yards away and he
aiked towards it. 10
What he saw was startling to him.
ne fire had been made of great heap =.
pine needles. Now this of itself a.
as not startling, but as it happened, '
ere wasn't a pine tree in the whole
bod. and the nearest place that pine :"
edles could be got was at least ten :"
lies away. -
Eagerly he examined the heap of -
hes and charredpine needles, and his "
arch was rewarded at last by the find =
: of half dozen or more burnt horn
tons to which were attached heavy
tai shanks. Almost like a wild
N he returned to town and called on -
widow of the murdered man.
ON her he learned that the coat worn
her husband on the day of his dis