The Wichita daily eagle. [volume] (Wichita, Kan.) 1890-1906, 1893-10-24
HIS SINGULAR CASE.
A Detectives Strange Experience
with a Sleep-Walker.

member, and l was deputed to work
upon the case; not because / was the
"best man" connected with the bureau,
but by reason of the fact that was the
only availabl man.
Four hours su bsequent to the recep-
ton of the message l was comforting
with Mr.. Hardy-a man nearly sixty
years of age, the proprietor of small
store connected with his residence-to
whom had made myself known, whose
story was as follows:
when, at the close of the rebellion,
after four years service in behalf of
my country. Ireturned to my home in
this town, my health was SO impaired
that could not follow my former vo-
cation-thatl OF q carpenter So con-
verified one OF the rooms in my house
into q store and began to sell confec-
tionery, cigars and othersmall articlea
With the growth of the town my busi-
ness has increased until 1T affords ma
anincome sufficient to support my wife
and myself have no children-in a
comfortable manner; and 1 have been
able to pay all the debts which l, owing
to my impecuniQusness, was obliged to
contract durin G the earlier part of my.
career as m merchant" and he smiled
Is the last word fell from his lips.
"Early last evening"" he continued.
II was called u pom by q gentleman-a
stranger to me-who said that years
ago he borrowed nine hundred dollars
OF my father and had come to pay that
amount and accrued interest to me-,
my fathers sole heir. He did pay mo.
nearly sixteen hundred dollars.
"As it was too late to deposit the
money in the bank l placed it in my
safe. had scarcely done SO when.
glancing at one of the windows in the.
store, saw the head and shoulders Of
a man, who looked like . tramp and
who was watching me closely.
The lower sash Of the window was.
slightly raised and the idea suggested
itself to me that this man might have.
been listening to the conversation;
which had been carried on in the room. !,
learned about the money and was.
watching to see whatI did with it r
stepped to the window, raised the sash,
still higher, put my head out of the;
window. looked up and down the
street, but nowheref was the stranger
to be seen. /,
"When closed the store for the.
night was inclined to take the money!
with me into the house proper. On
second consideration 1 deemed it wisei
to let it remain where it was, as the,
safe is furnished with q combinationi
lock, and could leave the doors BEL
tween the store and my sleeping.
room open and thus be enabled to-
hear anyone who effected an entrance ,
to the store and was tampering with
the safe.
This morning, to my intense amaze
ment. I found that tho money was,
from the safe, though nothing
indicated that the store had been forci-I
BILE entered or any tampering with the;
com bination is known only
to me.
II decided to employ q detective with!
out delay and wired your bureau for
assistance"
May not the burglar have gained ac-i
cess to the store from soma other part
of the building?" inquired.
HE could not without passing
my sleeping-room. as you will
6nd by examining the premises. and I
do not think he could have done this
without waking me-" was the reply.
II am not SO sure that you would
have been Weakened by his passing
your sleeping apartment, as q
professional manages to get about q
building without making much noise.
Have you looked through the house2"
II have not"
LET us do so." arising from my seat
IN the store as spoke.
We started on our investigation OF
The premises md in the kithen found
IN unfastened window above a sinh.
below which, out of doors. were the
tracks of mans bare feet in the dirt
that had been moistened by slight
rain about half past ten the previous
evening. a
4 careful examination revealed sim
liar tracks on the floor IN the kitchen
and on the carpet in his sleeping-roon,
Mr. Hardy that was cor,
rect in my suppos ton that the burglar.
had not directly entered the store
Though he passed through my
sleeping room without waking me I
cannot comprehend how he could have
reached the interior of my safe with
out injuring tae receptacle" Mr. Hardy
remarked.
From long experience ones fingers
become so sensitive as to enable him
to open a safe when the combination
S unknown to him" / rejoined; after
a pause adding: Can you give me any
iescr iption of the man who watched
you through the Window?
II cannot, further than TO say that
be was evil-looking, had heavy mus
.ache and beard. was probably about
six feet in height" was the reply
Were his mustache and beard light
,r dark?'
Il should say they were almost
olaclz"
Il viii see II can learn anything
the whereabouts of this
nan
With these words went from Mr.. I
Iariy's presence. bat two hours later
to the store. 20 find him its
ole occupant, greatly TO ny sasissac- I
ion
"weu." at once dropped from his lips !