The Lambertville record. [volume] (Lambertville, N.J.) 1872-1968, 1894-08-08
A PIECE OF CLOTH.

When l was on the detective force
~ -. -
Mt your service-I had case on my
hands that baffled me. / wanted to get
on, for was at that time engaged to
Kitty Pease, and she had said that
though she was very fond of me she did
not mean to marry me until had
enough to marry on, which l should
have as soon as l had found out the
party who committed a certain murder.
Mrs. Jeffries, rich misery sort of
old lady, had been found dead in her
bed, murdered by some one. No one
knew who it was.
Everybody was under suspicion---a
manservant who had been dismissed
weeks before; adissipated nephew, who
had quarreled with her; a peddler; a
man who had mended the roof. But it
seemed likely that no one would be ao-
tually proved guilty To be sure, the
nephew would come in for her property,
being her only relative, but though he
had been to the door that evening he
had been seen to go away again, and no
doors were found unlocked, and the
servant had to call for help before the
bedroom door could be broken in.
The only clew l had was q bit of
black cloth clutched tight in the dead
woman's hand-a fine bit of old black
broadcloth torn in quite a singular
shape. We hid the fact that this had
been found from the newspaper men,
and | was looking for the coat it had
been pulled out Of That would be my
chance.
The dismissed servant was waiter,
but / bribed myself into chance of
seeing his black coat off duty, and it
had not been torn or patched. l hunted
up the nephew's boarding house and got
into his room under pretense of having
been sent from the telegraph office to
see the wires, but his clothes were all
of thick, coarse cloth. l talked these
things all over to Kitty, and she set her
wits to work to help me. She asked me
to let her go to the old lady's home and
show her the room she slept in, and she
went out ON the roof, as | had done
many time, and went along first In
one direction and then in another, look
ing at all the seuttle doors, until
thought she would go off into the street,
but she stopped at the last of the row
and beckoned me. hurried up.
Close to the scuttle door lay little
black button.
"This belongs to the garment the bit
of cloth CAME from, F" she said. There
are blacks and blacks This is button
that matches that black. Not blue
black, nor brownish black, nor foxy
black but black that is almost invisi-
BILE green Do you know No. 1902"
cts very respectable first class
boarding house." said /.
"Will they take ladies?" she asked.
eff they are well introduced. "
'I shall go there to board.
Next day l got card from her-she
hadn't been in the habit of having
cards-with that address on it. call
ed. She came down to see me in her
best black silk, with her bonnet and
mantilla on.
There was an old lady in the room.
She introduced me to her and then said
she was ready. / took the hint. We
went out together
"Of course you know why / came
here" she said "Im spending all my
salary and wearing my best clothes,
but I've found something out already.
Mrs. Jeffries' nephew calls here some
times. He calls ON young widow, who
has the upper front room. He has been
engaged to her for some time T"
She paused long time and then said:
HE was here the night of the muir
der +"
"Wellp' said. HAS she let him
out upon the roof"
az wish you wouldn't ask me any
questions, +" said Kitty. 81 shall know
before long. When | send for you, come
at once. Will you let me have that bit
of cloth?"
"It's more precious than diamonds, "
/ said.
Her answer was:
eyes, know it. " She put it into hei
pocketbook II have changed my
ROOM" she remarked. 81 am next to
her. There is locked door between us.
That is ALL And / have made peep
hole. "
"You are born detective, but as
this widow is respectable you can't
watch young Jeffries that way"
yesterday, she said without an
swering me, "Jeffries called. Isaw him
coming up the street and hid behind a
screen in the parlor i should have pre-
tended to be asleep in chair there had
been seen, but no one found me out.
She came to him, and he talked like an
innocent man.
" The poor old woman has done me
another injury by getting herself muir
dered, he said. Tbelieye I'm suspected,
because | shall profit by her death.
Why, what do they take me for? won
der who killed her? They say nothing
was gone.
Whoever it was, you ought to be
thankful thCt the grabbed creature il
dead, she said. Some common burglar,
of course. She'd scream and shrek IL
she saw one at her jewel case and gel
herself killed
Well. poor old woman, I'd have
been his death if / had been near, JEFF
fries said. She wasn't half bad. She
never made will and left things away
from me, as she might, after | told her
I'd never cringe to her for her favor.
Hang it, wish wasn't her heirl Peo
pie will suspect me secretly perhaps
can prove / wasn't inside the house
that night, but you know how the pa.
pers talked. Poor Bitzner, the roofer,
came to me and cried over what they
said about him. Kill Aunt Jessy! Why,
good LordP-
90 won Y,cad 70 call her Amt JeZe.