Crawford avalanche. (Grayling, Mich.) 1879-19??, 1894-05-03

II wish you TO spare no expense In
bringing the criminal to Justice"
Receiving my friends promise to
call at her home and report II any
| important clew was discovered, she
stepped into her carriage and was
driven away.
At his request accompanied him
to the scene of the tragedy. An
hours investigation bore rather bar
rem results. The only important
fact brought out beyond what we al
ready knew, was that the suspected
young man had been seen near the
factory shortly before the discovery
of the murder. Banks, / thought,
began to look little blue.
HAS the desk of Stanton's been
touchedr he inquired, presently,
pulling out the upper drawer.
1.-The contents have not been ma
terially disturbed" responded the
head clerk. Detective Gregg sim
ply noted the missing articles, and
the bloody finger marks on the paper
where it had been lifted to get at
some old letters Stanton used to
leave lying around the bottom. The
whole matter seemed so clear to him
that he was here scarcely ten min
utes before he started of in hot pur-
suit"
"Uml" said Banks in his peculiar
way, and then he proceeded to go
through the drawer. Being slightly
acquainted with one of the clerks,
stepped up to him for a moments
conversation. When / returned to
my friends side he was pocketing q
sheet Of paper which he had been ex-
amining with his microscope. A quick
glance ut his face showed me that he
hit upon promising clew.
81 think we have seen sufficient"
he said Immediately, and in few
minutes we were on our way back to
town.
Found something, Banks?"
"A mere trif1e," he responded, "but
NUNS the word, my boy, even for
you. A little spice of mystery, you
know, will sharpen your interest,""
was hoping it was of sufficient
Importance to lead to an immediate
and favorable report to our charming
client" said /. Comforting the dis
tressed, when aforesaid distressed are
feminine, young, pretty and rich, is
right in my line"
Banks laughed good humoredly and
then relapsed into Illuminating ST.
lence.
1t was about A o'clock in the after
noon when we again entered the fac
tory Office, Banks carrying q package
about fifteen inches square. 1t was
wrapped in plain brown paper, bore
no label, tag or address of any sort,
and, as far as / knew, might be any
one Of the thousand things between
q tin of biscuits and an internal ma
chine. Neither Gregg nor his quarry
had yet been heard from.
"You will oblige me by gathering
all the employees of the factory to-
gether in this Office, Mr.. Williams"
said Banks, addressing the head clerk.
Let the outer doors be locked, and
when the men are all in here see
that the Office door is securely fas-
tened also. wish to try an inter-
esting little experiment.
II observe that you use q type
writer" he went on after Mr.. Will
liams had given orders to have the
men called, "Will you kindly re-
move the ribbon, or if you have an
unused one better still"
This being brought Banks proceed
ed to unite his package. Removing
the outer wrapper he laid bare plain
cardboard box. the cover of which he
was on the point of lifting when he
looked up to see the eyes Of all pres
ent gazing upon it with eager curios-
ity. Mine, he afterward told me,
were fairly popping out of my head.
AS there was no particular hurry he
stayed his hand and with a most
quizzical expression of countenance
lounged back in his chair and coolly
pulled at his cigarette.
In five minutes the men, looking
somewhat mystified, were all assem-
bled, and everything was ready for
the next step. With a quick glance
Banks ran his eyes over the forty
faces before him. Then turning to me
he whispered mysteriously: "Stand
close beside me and when it comes to
names jot down those l give you the
signal to. 1t will save time"
Now, men," he said, addressing
the gathering, las little more can be
done in the matter of the murder
until we hear from Detective Gregg,
Mr.. Williams here has kindly con-
scented to allow me this favorable OPP
portunity to put to the test little
theory which has been brought
to my notice. 1t is said that in China
all holders of public Offices and espec-
tally soldiers are known by their finger
marks. The arrangement OF the
grooves or burrows on the skin, it is
claimed, is alike in no two individu-
ais. That / wish to prove or disprove
conclusively. As each mans name is
called he will please step forward,
press his right thumb upon the type
writer ribbon and then make an inn
preston on this strip of prepared
glass. To distinguish one from an
other / desire each man to record his
name on the label have affixed un-
der the space for each impression.
Banks eyed each man keenly as he
came up in answer to his name and
did as requested. One, two, three,
all innocent looking fellows enough
uap< nv b,,k <bo fourth individ \, nj cd