Martinsburg independent. [volume] (Martinsburg, W. Va.) 1875-1900, 1892-02-27

S1SdAkVfHdh1 oIJC<i SiNeAh $780, ~
SAS4SkGs man of about 40, with gray
S5o-s1sso7o hair and no whiskers, and
with nothing remarkable about him
except a deep cut over the right
brow.
When he first came into the neighss
borhood the gossips of Bradtown
had speculated great deal as to
who and what he was, but without
any basis for their conjectures.
About the time our story COM
mences this captain had got into
some trouble His landlord. an
easy going. well-do-do tradesman, be-
gan to think that, as he said, he
should like to see the color OF the
captains money. The patience OF
his creditors was nearly exhausted.
when one day circular letter was
sent to them appointing meeting at
10 O'Clock on the following Monday,
"when," the captain wrote, :" he
would satisfy all claims, as legacy
left by a distant relative had been
paid into his account at the Balston
bank
On Saturday the captain hired a
gig at the Kings Arms to take him
to Balston. Johnny Wilson, the
landlords son, drove himto the bank
Balston, where he stayed about 10
minutes, and came out at the end OF
that time bu:,oning into the breast
pocket of his coat fat looking pock-
ct book. Johnny waited for him
while he made few purchases in the
town, and then drove him straight
home to the building
At 6 o'clock on Sunday morning
the inhabitants of quiet High street
were aroused by a violent knocking
at the door of the police station.
The policeman who was on night
duty opened the door and Mary
Willcombe, the captains servant,
white with terror and painting with
exertton, nearly fell into his arms,
gasping out that her master, the
captain, had been robbed and muir
dered during the night. The inspec-
tor was Immediately called, and the
whole available police force of the
village, consisting of two policemen,
set off with him for the building. "
Mary Willcombe, who seemed ut
terly Frustrated, remained under the
care of the inspectors wife. On
reaching the building" the inspec-
tor found the front undisturbed, the
windows closed and the doors lock-
ed. On going round to the back,
the door leading from the dining
room TO the garden, which sloped
down to the river, was found to be
open, and on entering the sitting
room drops of blood were seen along
the carpet between the staircase and
the garden door. On the staircase
itself the drops of blood were more
frequent The bedroom, however,
was clearly the place where the MUIR
der was committed. The table by
the window hal been pushed out oil
its place the only two chairs in the
room were lying on the floor.
The bed, which had not been slept
III, was deluged with blood, and in
the middle OF it was a deep indenta-
ton, as if a heavy body had been up
on it. A large clasp knife stained
with blood was lying on the pillow.
and by the door on the floor was an
open pocketbook. So much the in
spector saw at glance as he enter
ed. He took the pocketbook and
looked carefully through it. 1t was
empty, but lying near it, and behind
the door, was piece of neatly fold
ed paper. 1t had evidently fallen
down from the pocketbook while the
murderer was emptying the contents.
1t was half sheet of note paper
folded in three folds, and written on
it were the numbers and values of
40 bank notes, the total of which
amounted to f2T0.
The murderer. evidently wishing
to carry about him nothing which
might aid detection, he lett the
pocketbook behind. but in his hurry
had overlooked the paper Police
man Jones had immediately set of
to Balston with the papers to in
quire of the bank manager whether
these were the numbers of the notes
which had been paid to the captain
the day before, and if so, to take
measures to stop them. He also re-
ceived orders to telegraph immed
lately to Scotland Yard an account
of the murder, and any facts he
might ascertain to Balston. After
locking the bedroom door, the in
spector proceeded to the garden.
Outside the door, on the grass,
were the footprints of a man, aud the