Martinsburg independent. [volume] (Martinsburg, W. Va.) 1875-1900, 1892-02-27
toes pointing toward Il e house. and

SotnctulnS Hcaf udu DStH uioESSu
over them. The murderer must have
gone out of the sitting room back
ward, dragging The boy of his vic
tim after him. Across the small
grass plot and halfway through the
belt of trees the footprints contin-
ued; there they ceased.
On the soft mud and leaves was
an impression as if a heavy body had
been laid there; near the impress
sion, lying on the ground, was a
spade, and at distance of few feet
the ground had been dug up if it
had been intended to bury the body
there. On the river bank the foot
prints were again found. This time
they pointed forward and not back
ward, and the impression was clear
and sharp.
The body must have been carried.
The river at this point was deep and
sluggish; there would be no little
difficulty in dragging it. Draes were
sent for and the inspector went home
to breakfast leaving policeman in
charge of the premises, with orders
to admit no one except on business.
The inspector had hardly finished
his breakfast when policeman Jones
returned from Balston. He had been
eminently successful The bank
manager had identified the numbers
on the paper as those of the bank
notes paid the day before to the Cap
tisn.
The money, it appeared, had been
paid to him in pursuanceo of an order
contained 10 letter received that
Saturday morning from their Lon
don correspond ents, Cogle, Nabob
& Co., the great China and India
bankers. Jones had then made in
quiries in the town and at the rail-
way station. At the station he found
that man in great coat and wide
awake hat, who was muffied up in a
comforter, and who seemed to avoid
observation had left that morning
for London by the $50 train. He
had offered f5 note in payment for
his ticket. The clerk remembered
this from the difficulty he bad in get
ting change so early on Sunday
morning. The note was produced
and found to be one of those stolen
from the Captain.
The drags had now been at work
some time, but without success. The
river had been dragged pand down,
and sideways and across, and at
every conceivable angle, but no body
had been found. The inspector was
getting impatient, when sig drove
up to the " building and dapper
little man in frock coat buttoned
to his chin, aud with heavy black
mustache, jumped out. The crowd
which had collected by this time
made way very respectfully, for it
was whispered that this stranger was
no other than Detective Perkins,
from London. In few minutes the
| detective had heard all that the in
spector had to tell. They entered
the building" The crowd outside
was getting more excited. They
| thought that now the London detec-
| tive had come. the murderer would
soon be dragged from his hiding
place and handed over to justice.
Time, however, went on, and Per
kins was still inspecting the prem
ises, while his character was rapidly
| falling in the opinion of the crowd
outside. "He's no conjurer. | told
We so afore," said one sturdy coun-
tryman; who had been a skeptic
from the first. And this time his as
sertion did not meet with the disap-
probation it had called when
pronounced half an hour before. The
crowd was tired of waiting. Perkins,
meanwhile, unconscious OF hostile
criticism, had looked over the kitch-
en- and Marys bedroom, but with
out making any discovery. When
he came to the Captain s bedroom
he stood in the middle of it and took
general survey. He then proceed
ed to the details. He raised the
chairs and then put them down again
in their original position, repeating
this operation TWO or three times,
watching with great interest how
they fell.
Then he came to the bed. He look
ed at it from all points-first at full
view, then at three-quartsrs, then
one side view, and then the other
side view, till be had exhausted it,
and the patience OF the inspector. He
then stood and mentally threw him.
self upon it in such position as to
make the impression which still re-
manned on it. There was some hitch,
for he shook his head. He pulled out
the drawers and examined the ward
robe of the deceased man. A pair
of boots lying in the corner of the
room next attracted his attention.
He examined them carefully. Some
thing in the lining of one of them
seemed to interest him, for he
brought out his pocketbook and re-
ferred to something written in it.
He then examined the boot again,
and seemed satisfied for he pocketed
| it