The Democratic press. [volume] (Ravenna, O. [Ohio]) 1868-1901, 1895-02-06
THE CRIMSON BOW.

Il see," said my friend, the state in
spector, as he lazily stood on the corner
and followed with his restless eyes the
two bank clerks who were carrying a
heavy load of currency to the clearing
house, Il see that it's quite the fad now
adays to fill up the papers and maga-
zines with detective stories. l suppose
this here Sherlock Holmes fellow is re-
sponsible for it."
"Well," he continued as the bank
clerks disappeared within the entrance
to the clearinghouse, Il have read some
of these stories, and think could tell
few myself that would go them one
better. l have one in mind now that
would interest you, and a local one at
that, bnt I've got to meet my partner
around on Milk street in twenty min
utes, and don't believe ought to start
on it now."
l insisted that he should, however,
and he rather reluctantly, as thought,
began to tell the tale.
THE story am about to tell you,"
said he impressively, concerns one of
the most Interesting and mysterious
cases that ever came under my observa-
ton, and goes to prove, among other
things, that even frst-class college
education will sometimes fail to restrain
mans criminal propensities. In fact,
| sometimes think it has tendency to
augment them.
"But I'm not talking to you about the
philosophy of crime. I'm going to tell
you about the commission Of it.
"One evening in the summer of 1882,
shortly before o'clock, two men, walk
ing through one of the side streets of
the west end of Boston, stumbled over
the PROSTATE form of man. 1t was
y ing on the dark sidewalk little dis
tance from a couple of small stores,
which furnished about the only light to
the street. the electric service being
only in its inception about that time.
"a hasty examination on the part of
the two startled pedestrians discovered
that the body had been subjected to the
most horrible mutilation. A terrible
cash had been made in the side of the
head, evidently with a sharp hatchet.
One of the arms was chopped clean off,
and various other mutilations had been
made by the fiendish assailants.
How such a dreadful deed could
have been committed in thickly set
tied neighborhOod within stones
throw of two open stores without in
stant discovery was something the two
men could not understand
Il was connected with the JOY street
station at that tine-and, by the way,
l never could understand why they
didn't either change the name of that
street or move the station-house off of
it-and. being special officer, L was
assignedto work up the case.
Il had mighty little to work on when
l started, but when got through I felt
that was farther along toward promo
ton than was when first began.
"Even the very victim of the crime
was useless in the way of furnishing a
clew. The body was neatly attired in
a new suit of rather pronounced blue,
but there was an utter absence of watch,
cards, letters, or anything else upon
which Identification might be based.
II wasted no time in trying to iden-
tify the victim. but gave my first atten-
ton to looking sround for motive and
an assailant. This may strike you as
apparently reversing the usual process
of unraveling crime of this sort, but l
had my reasons for doing it, as will ap-
pear later.
"My first discovery was the ak with
which the deed had been accomplished.
This really helped me very little, how
ever, for was not long in finding that
it had been taken from in front of the
farthest of the two little stores. The
instrument was what is known as a
broadax, and had been taken from
case in front of the store, where lot of
other tools were displayed for sale.
ntb Sfn 7 Shn hoy
marked, was one of those furnishing
stores so common in the west and north
ends of the city. Strange to say. the
proprietor of neither saw the theft of
the ak nor heard anything of what had
happened so near them.
"From the hardware dealer, however
did elicit the information that he had
heard, probably about ten minutes be-
fore the two men had made their sensa-
tional discovery, a party of young men
pass the door, evidently full of enthusi-
asm or something stronger. He knew
they were young men by the tone of
their voices, although he had not taken
enough interest in them to turn round
and look in their direction.
This news might prove of import
ance, so l made a mental note of the
circumstance. You see, we detectives
are a good deal like you newspaper
men-we have to study the trihes as
we'll as the manifestly important things,
for it is the sum total of the trifes that
usually counts in our case.