Evening capital. (Annapolis, Md.) 1884-1910, 1891-05-20
THE WORK OF A SLUG.
BY DOUGLAS sLADER.

LIT. Dexter. q most respectable cltlZen
of New York, a bachelor, but none the
worse for that, had been keeping watch
night at his club the night that 1890 died.
Frozen slush lay thick on the ground and
gang of Italians were engaged in re
moving it from that eminently respect
able street, West 42d, as he made his way
back to the Percival. The pavement
had been cleaned some hours earlier,
leaving layer of snow water. Then
came frost, and it turned to sheet of
glass. As the jolly young doctor strobe
along-he was too Anglomaniac to wear
rubbers, and though by no means drunk
felt as il he had drunk well-he suddenly
slipped and, falling on the back Of his
head, lay stunned.
The door of quite handsome house
opened and well dressed man came out.
He walked up to the body. The stunned
mans coat collar was unbuttoned, show
ing a valuable but peculiarly shaped
pearl-a perfect heart-in his tie.
"What, Jim, old fellow, is that you? ?"
called out the last conner, and picking
him up tenderly, carried him to the door
from which he had emerged, waving off
the help proffered by the Italians. He
pulled out his latchkey, opened the door
carefully, and lifted in the man addressed
as Jim.
Once inside, between the street door
and the glass door, there was terrible
change. The pretense friend pulled out
his dark lantern and revealed, lying in a
corner, man killed by blow frem one
of those short, flexible, loaded clubs,
known as life preservers.
He was killed by blow at the back of
the ear. Not many minutes before, COM
ing back from ushering in the new year
at the Players he had felt so flushed that
he had left his overcoat open and his
gloves off, revealing his magnificent dia-
monds, two in his shirt front and one on
his little finger. A gentlemanly looking
man had been waiting outside the Club.
He followed the happy reveller, and,
wearing rubbers, his footsteps made no
sound as he shadowed his intended victim
right up to his own front doorsteps.
Had the man turned, his pursuer-with
a gentlemanly appearance and an unlit
cigarette in his mouth-would have asked
for light. He did not, and from the
time he took in opening the outer latch
was evidently none too clear headed. AS
he stepped between the two doors the
thug slipped in beside him without a
sound. He closed the outer door behind
him, never dreaming of looking If he were
alone, and stopped to tumble at the in
ner latch.
The thug had anticipated how he would
stand, and flashing the electric dark Ian
tern which he held In the hollow of his
left hand, struck him with the life pre-
server he held in his right tremendous
blow behind the ear which killed him
outright. Then swiftly removing his
watch and chain and the fatally magnifi-
cent diamonds from his shirt front and
finger, he slipped hand into his breast
pocket for the pocketbook. 1t held 500
or $500. He emptied it and threw it
down, and with habitual provision for
accidents picked up the latchkey.
Being ready for the emergency, fortune
favored him.
No sooner was he outside the door than
he saw DIR. Dexter fall and lie stunned.
A flash Of genius illuminated him. Pre-
tending to be a friend he carried the doc
tor up to the house IN which he had COM
mitted the murder and readmitted HIM
self with the latchkey which he had so
providentially taken. No one was likely
to disturb him. 1t was between and 3
IN the morning. Cleaning in the stunned
mans neclrtie was the glorious heart
shaped pearl which excited his cupidity
and argued its owner man worth rob
bing. But he discovered as soon as he
had the doctor inside that he had knocked
the pearl out of the pin In the effort of
carrying the heavy body up.
He was the king of the New York
thugs, murderers with the appearance Of
gentlemen, who, on the strength of their
appearance, follow wealthy looking VIC
TINS into private places, even their houses,
unguspected and then, stunning or slay-
ing them Gt is matter of indifference,
rob them. He wanted some fresh form
OF excitement in his ghastly trade. and
therefore he ran slight risk of detection
TO fasten the guilt Of the murder ON the
stranger 30 provideutially stunned.
He saw at q glance that the doctor
would not come 70 for hours. He had
seen so many men stunned by the sand
bag or the life preserver that he knew
more about the period Of recovery than
most hospital surgeons.
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