The Mount Holly news. [volume] (Mount Holly, Burlington Co., N.J.) 1891-1942, 1894-10-30


These dear. familiar savors Of the soil
A lesson of the calm of humble creed,
The simple dignity of common toll
And the plain wisdom of unspoken prayer
Charles G. d. Roberts.
POKER JOE'S BLUFF.
The bowling wind that had sung its
dismal song through the limbs of the
"qualSin asp" trees on the mountains
during the entire day spent its force and
died with the gathering of the dark
clouds that ushered i'll the dreary night
With the hushing of the wind heavy
fall of snow came ON, threatening to
blockade the roads and shut in the little
mining camp from the outside world.
The awful stiffness of the night was de-
pressing but afforded relief from the
terrors of the day.
The well dressed gamblers and rough
ly clad miners gathered in the barroom
of the Lake City hotel, spoke in low
tones over their cards and liquor, choos-
ing their language in Difference to the
presence of the ladies of the house, who
had fled in fear of the storm to seek that
association with men which, to the fe-
male mind il distress, is equivalent to
protection. The ticking Of the dirty
faced clock over the back bar, the rattle
of chips In the nervous fingers of tho
players and the frequent CHATTER of the
barkeeper's shoe heels ON the uncovered
floor as he served his patrons at the gam.
bling tables were the only sounds that
disturbed the quiet of the place.
Major Downey, editor Of the Lake
City Register, and Glare Smith, high
sheriff of the county, entertained the
ladies with a discussion of the mys
terious murder of Mrs. Mary Josephus,
committed in Denver ON Sunday night,
discovered by the police on Tuesday
night and detailed in the daily papers of
Wednesday morning, which were being
read on Thursday night in several Of
the mining camps of the San Juan dis
trict The interest in the crime, so far
as the mining camps were concerned,
was conferred in the opinion expressed
by the Denver papers that the murderer
was the husband Of the victim--a mi
gratory gambler, whose residence might
be in any of the dozen camps or towns
of that district. The police, with express
sions of contempt for the opinions Of
the reporters, maintained a contrary
view and INDUCED in theories without
submitting any possible clew to solu-
ton of the mystery.
Sheriff Smith opened the discussion
with the sweeping assertion that the
Denver reporters possessed keener per-
ception of the motives and a clearer
comprehension of the methods of crimi-
nails than. the combined Denver police
and detective departments, with all
their boosted reputation. were capable
of. 1t was a matter Of surprise to the
ladies that the major, being a newspa-
per man, should take issue with the
sheriff ON this proposition, but the ma
jor was no more a partisan of the city
press than was the sheriff a believer in
the infallibility of the police.
Sheriff Smith expressed the opinion
that organized police departments de-
pend too largely on an assumed knowl-
edge of the habits of criminals, while
reporters grasp the original possibilities
of crime. He was convinced from his
own limited experience, through ex-
tended observation in the detection OF
criminals. that murderers, unlike sui
cides, are originators, not imitators,
and this conviction, applied to the case
under discussion, led him to the conclu-
sion that the press opinions Of the mo-
tive and method of the murderer con-
tanned the elements of probability,
while the theories advanced by the po-
lice were beyond the bounds of reason.
"Then you agree with the reporters,
said the major, with a rising infection
of doubt, "that the incidents Of the
crime are strongly suggestive Of the
probability that it was committed by
the woman's husband, who deserted her
several years ago?"
81 certainly do, replied the sheriff.
'and am convinced that the motive
contemplated both revenge and robbery,
while the method employed was the re-
suit of long and patient elaboration,
which involved a knowledge of the
woman's habits and possessions that
could not have been acquired by any
other than her husband, who, since de-
sorting his wife and two children-one
of whom was absent at the time of the
murder-has no doubt been living
within the state That he is resident
of this section of the state is by no
means improbable. For instance. how
many men are there In this room whose
real name and past history are known
to your
The major admitted that there was
only one of whom he could speak with
any degree of assurance, and that one
he was proud to say was himself He
further admitted the possibility If not
the probability that the murderer of
Mrs. Mary Josephus might then be en-
joying the shelter Of the Lake City hotel
or sweltering under the broiling sun Of
an Arizona desert, according to his pref
erence for climate
One of the ladies ventured to ask the
sheriff if he really entertained the sus-
picion that the murderer was at that
moment present in the room. She was
somewhat relieved of a vague horror
that crept over her when Sheriff Smith
replied that he had not yet "spotted"
any one Of whom he could entertain
such suspicion.
The major, having failed Of even the
opportunity to impress the ladies with
his proposed defense of the police the
cries and inwardly agreeing with the
sheriff, retired to the faro table and
placed two bit piece on the high card,
repeating the play until 1t had produced
enough Of its kind to enable him to pur-
chase stack of white chips at the regu-
lation p1ice of 50. Then the major sat
down to the game, which he never in
obliged in with any other motive than
Willing away the dreary winter nights.
Sheriff Smith, having recently become
possessed of an exceedingly large official
foe, felt justified in indulging In the
more expensive game of draw poker.
One of the younger ladies, having tired
OF the revolving details Of the murder
story, relinquished her paper to another,
and being less timid than her compan-
| ions ventured near the faro table. She
became so deeply Interested in studying
| the game that her sentiment against
gambling was considerably softened by
the time that period Of the play desig
mated as calling the turn" was reached.
In her enthusiasm she loaned over