Staunton vindicator. [volume] (Staunton, Va.) 1860-1896, 1894-09-28

was dlSprOyed by the fact that the man s
valuables had been untouched. The only
tenable theory, therefore, was that the
motive of the murder was revenge.
ga more mastery analysis Of case
never read, but here he branched off into
what at first supposed to be purely i'm
aginary speculations as to the wrong
which had led the murderer to seek the
life of the unknown man. These seemed
purposely vague at first, but gathered
in strength and certainty until / con-
cluded that he must have some good
foundation for them. Starting with
hypothesis, he soon began to state them
as facts. He described how the dead
man, once trusted friend, had entered
the home of another; how, by subtle
wiles and deceit, he had stolen the love
of the wife. Then followed an elope-
ment and the breaking up Of that once
happy home.
HE told, with the bitterness of truth,
how the scoundrel had deserted the
weak and erring woman and left her to
perish alone; how the idea Of revenge
had filled the mind of the wronged hus-
band; how, himself unseen, he had fol-
lowed every movement of the intended
victim for months and carefully plotted
his destruction; how he had decoyed the
doomed man to the city and to the very
spot where the murder was committed,
and how he had destroyed the only clews
"a couple Of letters in the pockets of
the dead mainland finally made his
own escape, the secret safe in his own
heart alone.
Gas I read this remarkable tale
through the conviction forced itself
upon me that this was the absolute
truth. If the writer himself had COM
mitted the deed, he could not have de-
scribed it more graphically. Suddenly
the thought flashed over me-could he
describe such a crime thus without hay
ing, in fact, committed it?
'We We're alone in the room. I
glanced at Jones apprehensively. He
was writing rapidly-fercely. His eyes
were fixed, but he seemed to be looking,
through and beyond the paper across
which his pen flew. at something fas-
cinating-terrible. When he finished, it
was with start, as if waking from
trance. Iglanced at the last page, where
was final confirmation of my fears.
My God, Jones, is this true?'
managed to say.
Every word of it, as live, he re-
piled firmly, if family.
4" Then you have written the war
rant fo- your own arrest, said.
Ellis head dropped on his desk, but
he said not word.
"'Jones, said I, finally shaking him
by the shoulder to arouse him to an i'm
derstanding of my meaning, enough to
hang you is already in type. In an hour
the papers will be on the street. In an
other hour the police will be after you.
Go-make the most Of your start!
1T was as predicted, F" said the city
editor after pause. Before daylight
a detective called on me to ascertain the
source of that story, 1 simply pointed
to Jones' name on the assignment book,
and they went after him..
''Did they catch him?" asked the cub
reporter eagerly.
''They found him in his room, with
a stiletto through his heart" said the
city editor. -Willard A. 'Holcomb in
Argonaut..
An Accommodating Earthquake.
Earthquakes play queer pranks some
times, and few ON record are queerer
than an incident of the trembler of
1868. The story is told by Colonel
George w. Grannis, who vouches for
its authenticity, as he witnessed the ex-
traordinary incident with his own eyes
and knows there was no deception.
Colonel Grannis was agent of the Mont
gomery block at that time-an enviable
position in more ways than one, because
the building was the legal and business
center of San Francisco. Here are the
veteran colonel's own words:
II was in my Office" said he, awhen
the first shock came in the evening.
That was the earthquake Of 1868, the
only tough shakeup we ever had in Cali
fornia Well, could hear the shouts
of people outside and the noise of fall
ing signs and chimneys, but knowing
that General Halleck had constructed
the building as he would fortress, &C
cording to his ideas of civil engineer
ing, I did not feel the least uneasy.
The moment the shock had subsidized |
ran toward the back of the building to
see that the walls were all right. was
on the second floor, and, do you know,
the back wall had sprung out and leaned
over. 1 could see the sky between the
wall and floors. This was a fearful
state Of affairs, so went to engineers
and architects. They said it was impos-
sible to pry that thick wall back into
place. There was no purchase to get a
move on it. Well, I just began that
evening to make arrangements to have
the wall torn down at considerable ex-
pense. That night another shock came
from east to west, and what do you
think, sir? Honest, SO help me, that
wall was put back into its place, with
the joists fitting perfectly in the holes
There was nothing but crack left in
the plaster. San Francisco Call
Superstition Among Lion Tanners.
Lion tanners, while not as supersti-
IL