The herald., 1894-11-02
POKER JOE'S BLUFF.

The bowling wind that had sung it!
dismal song through the limbs of the
'quakin asp" trees ON the mountains
during the entire day spent its force and
died witi tho gathering Of the dark
clouds that ushered in the dreary night.
With the hnshing of the wind a 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 we'll 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 fedin fear of the storm to seek that
association with men which. to the fe-
male mind in 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 the
players and the frequent clatter of the
barkeeper's shoe heels on the uncovered
Hoor as he served his patrons at the gam
bling tables were the only soands that
disturbed the quiet of the place.
Major Downey, editor of the Lake
City Register, and Clare 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 victi:n-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-
tion of the mystery.
Sheriff Smith opened the discussion
with the sweeping assertion that the
Denver reporters possessed kcener per-
ception of the motives and q clearer
comprehension Of the methods Of crimi-
nails than the combined Denver police
and detective departments, with all
their boasted reputation, were capable
of. 1t was matter of surprise to tho
ladies that the major, being a newspa-
per man, should take issne with the
sheriff on this proposition, but the ma
jor was no more a partisan of the city
press than was the sheriff 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.
h! "Then you agree with the reporters, "
said the major, with 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,
sand am convinced that the motive
contemplated both revenge and robbery,
while the method employed was the re-
suit of long and patient deliberation,
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-
serting 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 you?"
The major admitted that there was
only one of whom he could speak with
any degree of assurance, and that one
be 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-
ioying 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 ono of whom he could entertain
such a suspicion.
The major, having failed of even the
opportunity to impress the ladies with
his proposed defense Of the police the
ories and inwardly agreeing with the
sheriff, retired to the faro table and
placed a two bit piece on the high card,
repeating the play until it had produced
enough of its kind TO enable him to pur-
chase :: stack of white chips at the regu-
lation price OF 81. Then the major s;.J
down to the game, which he never in