The Abbeville press and banner. [volume] (Abbeville, S.C.) 1869-1924, 1894-07-25
determine whether there was any ground
for snsnectinr his friend.

determine whether there was any ground
for suspecting his friend.
That he might be able to do this, he
explained the nature of the work he was
engaged upon in the note he left on the
desk of the managing editor Of the
paper claiming his undivided attention.
Then he dispatched a message to
Simmons, and repaired to chop house
much frequented by writers on the
daily press and artists, and was sur.
prised at the appetite he manifested
when he cleared the table.
Having thus fortified himself for an
other hard days work, he went in quest
Of Simmons.
Mr.. Simmons failing him, Livingston
made all appointment for the afternoon,
and then went to work in his own way.
When p live newspaper mans resources
fail him, the average man may as we'll
sit down. Micawber-like and wait until
something turns up.
The newspaper man commonly turns
something up, and when necessity de-
mands supplies the pivot
1t was late in the evening when Liv.
ingston and Simmons compared notes
Livingston's expression as he grasped
Simmons hand heartily prepared the
detective for good news; only gratifying
discoveries could change Livingston's
mood. He was lively-cheery when
they sat down together.
"You begin, Simmons. After you"
Simmons report was q model OF
brevity. He had given orders to shadow
the store Livingston was positive gave
refuge to Beauchampe, with the follow
ing results:
l. The proprietor, long suspected,
proved to be a "fence" inside of an hour.
Brought to book, he was glad to confess
that man had entered his house before
Livingston rushed in. The man was an
artist in one sense. His name was well
known; numerous "fences" knew him.
2. He had not left anything with Mr..
Sharply; he simply passed in and out OF
the house. 1t was true, he went out
through q back window and in broad
daylight. Mr.. Sharply was not respon-
sible for that 3. The police were on
two disreputable haunts, and Simmons
confident tone and manner implied that
he would be in the hands of the police
within twenty-four hours, possibly less
time.
Livingston's report was equally brief.
He had begun with the theater. Ho OBJ.
tanned the addresses of the ushers, had
seen and talked with all Of them. Chance
remarks made by two Of the ushers
spurred him into extraordinary en-.
desvors, all well rewarded finally; but
he had encountered numerous obstacles
and experienced many disappointments
in his quest
All he had to begin with was few
chance words by three men as they re-
entered the theater. He did not know
the names of any of thes, men. One Of
the ushers was positive he described
their ages and dress correctly, and that
one addressed another as Harry" and
was called Med" in turn.
With this slender thread to begin with
Livingston had traversed half the city,
succeeded in finding neither "Ned" nor
Harry" but two of their companions,
who fully explained the origin of the re-
marks the ushers heard. They had wit
messed the recapture of an escaped luna
tic, and properly characterized the treat.
ment he was subjected to as brutal in
the last degree. This man, they be.
lieved, was the man who created the dis
turbance in the theater.
There could not be any misapprehen-
sion concerning the hour.
The people in the theater-hundreds
could testify to the time the acts began,
and the duration of the entire perform
ance. From this Livingston deduced the
following, which Simmons noted care
FULLY by nodding at every point:
l. That the man seized on the street
and placed in a carriage, with his hands
bound behind him, about 10 o'clock, corr
tainly not later than 1915, could not
have murdered Major Dabney ten min
utes before, or few minutes after l the
next morning. 2. Yet the man suspected
was seen long after that near Major
Dabney's residence. That much was
proved. 3. Simmons had satisfied him
eelf that the man handcuffed in the thea
ter visited two places within an hour
after he knocked the policeman down.
{. Finally, Sharply admitted we'll
known thief had visited his place tho
bext morning before o'clock, which
proved conclusively that there were two
men who bore striking resemblance to
ea:h other.
"My theory" said Livingston with un-
usual deiiberation, "is this, and I'll risk
all I have in the world on it. Pll risk
ny reputation-a years salary on it. l
uave been mistaken throughout. 1t
wasn't Beauchampe that struck the
usher, although was so positive about
that at first. 1t was somebody who
looks like him. And this man is the
man who killed Dabney. But Beau
rhampe is the man that was so horribly
maltreated on the street, pitched into
tho carriage, and is now-God only
knows where. We will have to-we
must, Simmons, search every mad-house
in the State-cverywhere where there is
the least likelihood of finding him. They
might drive to railway station and
take Beauchampe the Lord only knows
where. You agree with me?"
Simmons reflected perhaps q minute,
then he said in his deepest tone and with
unusual deliberation
81 do You've convinced me. It's as
plain as that clock there. There'sa 'dou-
ble' in this case-no room for doubt now.
What are you going to do now?"
"The first thing is to write up the af-
fair in the Record. That will be killing
two birds with one stone-it will supply
the evidence guaranteed when noti-
~ I III 4