The Cape Girardeau Democrat. (Cape Girardeau, Mo.) 1876-1909, 1893-10-28
HIS SINGULAR CASE.
A Detectives Strange Experience
with a Sleep Walker.

"BRoXToN, y. Y, May II, lS1a-Send your
best man TO me Immediately.
"wILLIAN HARDY"
Such was the telegram received by the
chief of the bureau of which l am a
member, and | was deputed to work
upon the case; not because | was the
s.best man. connected with the bureau,
but by reason of the fact hat ! was the
only available man.
Four hours su bsequent 10 the recep-
ton of the message l was comforting
with Mr.. Hardy-a man nearly sixty
years of age, the proprietor of a 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 a four years service in behalfo OF
nv country. ! returned to my home in
this town, my health vas so impaired
that 1 could not follow my former vo-
cation-that of a carpenter. So | con-
verified one of the rooms in my house
into a store and began to sell confec-
tionery. cigars and other small articles
With the growth of the town my bust
ness has increased until it affords me
an income sufficient to support my wife
and myself have no children-in a
comfortable manner; and / have been
able to pay all the debts whicE !, owing
TO my impecuniousness. was obliged to
contract during the earlier part of my
career as a merchant" and he smiled
as the last word fell from his lips
Early last evening" he continued,
81 was called upon by a 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. lie did pay mt
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,
CHANGING at one of the windows in the
q man. who looked like a 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 what | did with it /
to the window. raised the sash
still higher, put my head ont of the
window, looked up and down the
street, but nowhere was the stranger
to be seen.
'Whcn ! closed the store for the
night ] was inclined to take the money
with me into the house proper. On
consideration l deemed it wise
to let it remain where it was, as the
safe is furnished with a combination
and | could leave the doors be-
tween the store and my sleeping
room open and thus be enabled TO
near anyone who effected an entrance
TO the store and was tampering with
the safe.
This morning, to my intense amaze
T found that the money was
from the safe, though nothing
indicated that the store had been forci-
bic entered or any tampering with the
combination is known only
to me.
Il decided to employ a detective with
out delay and wired your bureau for
assistance"
May not the burglar have gained &C.
cess to the store from some other part
of the building?" l inquired.
"He could not without passing
through my sleeping-room, as you will
find by examining the premises, and |
do not think he could have done this
waking me-" was the reply.
Il am o SO sure that you would
lave been Weakened by his passing
through your sleeping apartment, as a
professional manages to get about a
building without making much noise.
Have you looked through the house?"
Il have not"
Let us do So" arising from my seat
In the store as ! spoke.
We started on our investigation of
The premises and in the kithen found
an unfastened window above a sinh.
below which, out of doors. were the
tracks of a mans bare feet in the dirt
tIdl q UGH hOiStCuCu w d SllRuI
rain about half past ten the previous
evening.
A careful examination revealed sim
liar tracks on the floor in the kitchen
and on the carpet in his sleeping-room,
Mr.. Hardy that l was cor
rect in my superstition that the burglar
had not directly entered the store.
Though he passed through my
sleeping DOL without waking me I
cannot comprehend how he could have
the interior of my safe with
put injuring the receptacle" Mr.. Hardy
remarked.
From long experience ones fingers
so sensitive as to enable him
open a safe when the combination
S unknown TO him." I rejoined; after
pause adding: Can you give me any
description of the man who watched
,ou through the Window
81 cannot, further than to say that
lie was evil-looking, had a heavy mus
and beard, was probably about
'ix feet in height" vas the reply.
Were his mustache and beard light
II dark"
81 should say they were almost
Il will see if I can learn anything
concerning the whereabouts of this
With these words / went from Mr..
1ardy's presence. but two hours later
eturned to the store, to find him its
ole occupant, greatly to my satisfac-
ion.
Well" at once dropped from his lips
n an inquiring tone.
Il found your ev%il-looking suspect
nd in him a detective, who, SO made
IP' that his parents would not recog-
Iize him. is working on the mysterious
of a young man from a
town, some four or five
avs ago." 1 said.
The disappearance of Charles
yalker?'
Yes, that is the name of the missing
1T is a sad affair and wonderfully
TRANCE, too, as he was a person of spot
sss character and highly esteemed by
who knew him" !
81 did NOT recorn;za ~v brofhar do