Wheeling register. [volume] (Wheeling, W. Va.) 1878-1935, 1895-07-02
THE SPHINX.
a Story Of q Mwderer's Fate.


COPY boy q padded story Of q caole
car smash-up. and wheeled about in Nd
desk chair and addressed the oiilce In
general and no one i'm particular. Ten
o'clock and only two display heads up,
and neither Of them worth It's place.
How much'u that shipping story make
Harris?"
81 can FIJI it ont to a half column,
answered the person spoken 10, LOOKING
up ig0u his desk
MAKE all you can out Of 1t. Wen
need every bit we can get.
lt was Just lhen that Marsh came IN.
"Got a good story here, Mr.. Camp
bell: how much space can / haVe!' ne
said. stripping OIL his coat.
"All you want returned the city
editor. q half smile replacing the froWn
his face had worn. Now, that's what
/ call luck he added. Whats IL
about2"
"You remember the Kremer muir
der9'
Yes, wen enough. -
"WeH. they've got them; at least
they think they have. The police lii
che Twenty-third precinct arrested
fellow to-day who turned ont 10 be
B0ch. the German who was with Are-
mer he night the murder occurred; ana
the circumstantial evidence is strong
they saw. Let's see, how long aso was
1t that the murder happened? Twelve
years. ! think.
Just about" said Campbell, ment-
ally checking of the time. 1t ought
10 make q good yarn. DO your best
with it.
Marsh nodded and fell to work.
Tor time only the scratching OF q
men broke the silence in the room.
Then the city editor suddenly said: 81
saw. Marsh: suppose you see the SPHINX
about the story. Ten TO one he mas
something filed away about It, II he
has. and can give good history OF tina
crime let him do it. You do the story
of the arrest and make It as circum-
stantial as YOU can VOL see II We
can't save that front page from stag
nation somehow
"Au right" answered Marsh, as he
dropped his pen and rose Irom his seat
perhaps the old man can give us q
heat on the story" he jOkingly added
MS he turned TO go.
The city editor laughed. The idea
of the Sphinx supplying such tnlns as
a "beat" was too absurd TO TAKE SER
ously: for he had never been anyJhlns
but q machine, grinding out addehuN
and obituary notices in nonpurel IyPr
since he became q member OF the stan,
three Years before. He was, according
IN his fellow lab0rors. a queer lot.
None of them prolessed 20 know him
hotter after that lapse OF time imam
when he first came among them ana
WAS given charge of the newspaper
CLIPPINGS. which were filed away oally
ana made use of again whenever new
event recalled an old subject
SDfrftlcss and silent, always IaltnIul-
lv executing what was given him 10 dof
Inn never Offering o suggestion, and in
mn instance miugling in the amuse-
meDts or conversation OF his compan-
IONS he had been dubbed the SPHINX be-
fore be was Ia the office a week, anc
tina s0briQuet had chung TO MN ana
seemed thoroughly to nj HIM,
John Hardin was the way he was en-
tered on the pay roll, and the most that
anyone knew Of him was that he hyed
DIV himself in a bare room near the
Globe building, and took his meals al
a neighboring eating house, lie seem
od 10 have no relatives and no acQualnt-
9nces except FOR the nOdding sort.
In appearance ne was one OF the class
which figure in many newspaper oIilceS
--superannuated veterans they are
generally called, and their thin, gray
hair ualiid faces. eyes strained Dl
close application TO newspaper PRINT
ing. and sbruEken fingers, winch seem
a afflicted with q continual paralysis.
eyplain their classification. Inc eA-
preston OF his eyes indicated keeA
mental suffering. the secret OF which
if there was q secret. his lips never I0iu.
Marsh walked over TO the little cub
bv hole of room the sphinx occupied,
Quietly opened the door and stepped IN
Size. For an the Jokes they poked al
Hardin behind his back, there was
certain something about him which
oomDelled respect when they were In
his Dresance. And so Marsh, when th.a
man looked up from some clippings
over which he was bending, said al
,osf I'm the same tones he used In adj
dressing the dreaded managing editor,
MIR. Hardin, have the story OF an az
arrest here which Mr. CampOeil though
YOU might have some lnIormatloA
upon.
"What is it. MT. Nar5h?' asked Har-
din. reaching for his register wherein
he had. alphabetically arranged, the
-ifes of the subjects with which his