The Wheeling daily intelligencer. [volume] (Wheeling, W. Va.) 1865-1903, 1895-07-16

Our train had boon Snnw bonna for
nearly two days. A, irat most OF ~
Wero very ua urNlIy r]sltlssa and impa'
tlent; but, as the hours drillel by We
grow philoaophically resigned. Two OF
thet linmOn, together with several pas
usngars, had volunteered to fight their
way to tho nearest station and bring re'
lei; 30 there was nothing to do but oc'
cupy our minds with cards, GonveT'a'
ton and smoke, and try TO forget that
Il Stomacha had been put on short al
lowRnce, ,
With this aim several non gathered
at one and Of tho Amokar aud took To-
%spinning yarns, first humorous, then OF
adventure. and, finally drifting into
what ara known as detective stories
There we're five Of us besides myself;
two drummeri, one from Now York and
one from Chicago; q F%TGnchmSn, who
had been "doing" the Counlryi \ tuaSy
old gentleman on his way east 70 A.
tend his daughters wedding, which he
was pretty personally sure TO miss, anu
a gaunt, powerfully built man, with u
sombrO nervous face and gray hair, who
| suggested q cross betweGt q New York
stock broker and a Kentucky colonel.
The FrOnchman, one OF tho best cont
| panions, by the by, l aver mot, mad just
concluded, amid an avalanche OF weird
ly accumulated English and a cyclone Of
gestiCulation, a true story Of tho most
pronounced Gaboriau type, when our
sombre nundescript cleared his throat
lie had shown no interest whatever In
tue humorous tales OF tho drunn0rs,
and had paid but little more attention
when the theme changed 10 travel and
adventure. The detective vOtn seemed,
however,to rouso him somewhat, though
hitherto he had svincsd no disposition
to bear his share OF tho telling. There,
fore, whon,ho did speak, We all turned
to him with the greater alacrily.
~ suppose some OF You will recall tho
name OF John PhllIips?n he said, look.
inG around,
"lhe big detective who died a few
years ago? Sur9I" put in one OF tho
drummnrs.
"YeI," continued the tirst speaker;
"lhe greatest, perhaps the only really
great detective this country has ever
produced"
"Let me sss-was no an American"
| asked. at sOems to inc heard ones
that he was au Italian"
mo. His father was a .NDapolttan.
Sebastian Phillips-the lame was origi.
nally Phillippi,h won't on tho other,
Sebastian came to New York when
quite Young, married q southern woman,
and wsntintp the business OF importing
fruit from Sicily. His son was born
here, and whom old enough, made aev.
eral voyages on his fathers ships. They
toll how hO had a quarrel with n Of
the captains once, deSertGd NJ Me'sina,
and wasn't heard OF for over n year
lived among the peasants in the in
terror. So, Won see, no wa m advCn'
turous young fellow, oven in those
days; but the experience was Just what
was needed to make him what he alter
wards became. Take the subtle iHteili'
gence OF an Italian. and add to It an
American mother and an American
education, topped of with several years
OF life right down among the lower
classes, and you'ye got the best founda'
ton for a good detective that I eau
imagine"
"WsIl, no was a good one" inter.
rupted drummer No. .. Somebody
told the once-but, pardon me, cir
II was going to tell you Of perhaps
the most remarkable case that John
Phillips ever unraveled," said tho
sombre man.
Lets have it by all means" cano
from us in n chorus. in which the
offending drummer joined heartily.
Tho aombrs man leaned back IN his
seat, half closed his eyeS and began:
A number OF years ago | was residing
with an older brother at II certain VII.
lage situated on tho Hudson river not
far from tho northern end OF the Pail.
sades. Our family was composed oil nv
brother Robert, his daughter Mary,
myself and a negro servant OF the nanO
ot Pompey Augustus Anderson. My
brothers wife had died shortly after
the birth OF my niece, who was, at the
time | speak Of, a remarkably hand.
some though delicate girl. She was
clever, too, and, a, times, erraitcaIly
brilliant; but abe was a creature
Of strange moods, and there were