The Dawson news. (Dawson, Ga.) 1889-current, 1894-01-24

| AS they came around the corner the gas
lamp gave me glimpse of their faces.
She was a woman of the town and he a
tough/ They were talking in excited
tones as they turned in, but the first SEN
tence caught was spoken by the tough:
q tell yer, Sue, I've got to hey mon
ey, or I'll cut up awful ugly"
What's the use to threaten, Bill?"
she protested.
iii do sunthin besides threaten if
yer don't come to time. l want money,
and want it tonight"
II haven't got dollar, and you know
it. :"
"Then git dollar-git 20 of 'em!
I'll come around at leven o'clock, and
if you don t put $40 in my hand I'll lay
ye up fur hull month. Mind what |
tells yer. I'm goin now, but you look
| fur me at 'leven o'clock
She stood there for FIVE minutes after
he went away, and | was certain that
she was weeping BY and by she turn
ed the corner into Beech street, and as
| the rain slackened bit took my way
up the avenue. Next morning ] heard
of murder on Beech street. A woman
of the town. known as Sue White, had
! been murdered in her rooms. 1t was
supposed that she had been killed at
about II o'clock at night, but the deed
was not discovered until o'clock in the
morning. At O'Clock, when left my
house, met the coroner on his way to
the house and accompanied him. A
professional detective was in charge,
and though he did his best to prevent
me from securing information never
theless, as a friend Of the coroner, was
granted certain privileges. There were
! but two rooms-a sitting room and
bedroom. The body lay on the floor OF
the sitting room. The woman had been
| choked to death, but there was no evil
dence that her clothing or her rooms had
been searched for plumber. Not chair
had been upset or an article pulled down
to prove that there had been a struggle.
, The murderer had used only his right
hand. There were the prints Of his fin
gers as plain as day, but there were only
four of them. The second finger on
that hand was missing.
The rooms of the dead woman had
been reached by public stairway. The
building was entirely given over to wo-
men of her class, and no attention was
paid to apy one coming or going. No
one had heard her cry out. but 1t so
happened that the woman across the
| hall had noticed a tough character nam
ed Bill Wheeler in the upper hall at
about II O'Clock that night. This man
| proved to be the Bill and the dead wo-
| man proved to be the Sue had heard
conversing in the doorway at 9 o'clock.
When arrested, he did not deny having
called at Ii o'clock, but he declared
that he found the woman lying dead on
the floor and hurried away for fear of
arrest. The first thing | looked for
when Bill was arrested was the fingers
of his right hand. None was missing.
| had heard him threaten the girl, but
was satisfied that he was not her mur-
derer. The doctor said she had been
strangled, but no one appeared to see
whether there were five finger marks
or only four. The fact that no struggle
had taken place was a great point with
me, but the others made no note of 1T.
A professional detective should under
stand human nature. Bill Wheeler was
a tough, but not criminal. He could
have no motive in killing the woman.
He might beat and abuse her, as | had
heard him threaten to do, but he would
not plan her death. The murderer had
not given his victim the slightest warn
ing. AS soon as he entered the room he
seized her by the throat and bore her
down. When he knew that she was
dead, he quietly left the place, and ltso
happened that he was not seen.
You no doubt read of the trial of Bill
Wheeler for the murder of Susan White,
though such trials are so common that
no one outside the police is interested.
Judging the man from my standard, he
was buffer, ~ with no more courage
than woman. | went among his ac-
uuaintances and ascertained that he was
all bluff and brag and had never been
known to strike a man. Such cur
would probably strike woman, but
he wouldn't grip her throat and hang
ehara while she died hv inches as it