The Abbeville press and banner. [volume] (Abbeville, S.C.) 1869-1924, 1895-05-29
Ter father, he proceeded to examine the

her father, he proceeded to examine the
dead.
"Ah, shot through the back Of his
head! Burglars work, no doubt" con-
tinued the officer, glancing at the open
: safe.
HI'll turn in the alarm and we shall
have help here in no time" he added;
and running to the street door he began
to rap with his club to call an officer
| from the next beat
In moment or so the policeman he
| was calling arrived, and his co-lab borer
sent him to telephone the alarm to
headquarters while he returned to the
office
In few moments a sergeant OF police
and several officers Of the precinct, with
MIR. Paxton, of the detective service Of
| the city, arrived
Marion and Judith Kredge had re-
NAMED in the Office.
The detective and the police at once
began to make the usual investigation.
First, the body of the victim Of the
crime was examined, and the nature OF
the wound which occasioned death was
duly noted. The face Of the dead was
then covered, and the sergeant ordered
that the body be not disturbed until the
inquest
After this the room was carefully ex-
amined, and every detail OF its appear
ance minutely observed.
The contents of the large safe, the
door of which was open, were strewn
about as though some one had hurriedly
searched It; but the lock had not been
forced, although it was one Of those in
tricate combinations devised to battle
burglars.
The key Of the safe was in the lock,
and as Marion stated that 1t was the one
her father always carried, Mr.. Paxton
said:
@Probably the old gentleman had him
self opened the safe when he was sur
prised by the assassin"
II do not agree with you, SIR" said the
police sergeant stiffly. at is my impress
sion that this safe was opened by some
one besides John Oakburn who knew the
combination, and who took the keys from
his victim after killing him"
"Possibly," assented Paxton.
The table which was overturned be-
side the dead man was righted, and pen,
Ink. pager. and a small clock which had
fallen upon the floor, were replaced.
The ink on the pen was scarcely dry, and
It was noted that the clock had stopped
at twenty minutes OF one o'clock-the
very time when Stuart Harland had
awakened from a sound sleep.
"The murdered man clutched the table
and overturned 1t as he fell, and then
the clock stopped. infer therefore that
the shot which killed him was fired at
twenty minutes Of one o'clock" said
Paxton.
"The ink yet on the pen may be ac-
cepted as proof that the victim OF this
crime was engaged in writing just before
he was killed Let US see II we can dis
cover what he wrote?" continued the de-
tective.
He then examined the papers on the
table, but he could find none that had
been recently written.
Paxton shook his head as If he was not
fully satisfied.
The Office was divided into two COM
partments, and having now concluded
their investigation OF the outer office,
the police and the detective entered the
interior room.
This apartment was the clerks room,
and it was provided with the usual desks
and other necessary Office fixtures.
There was also small safe in the in
terror office which was found to be
locked.
Marion and Judith Kredge had fol-
lowed the investigators into the interior
Office, and when the latter turned their
attention to the small safe, Marion said:
3That is my fathers private SAFE"
II congratulate you, then, for its con-
tents are probably secure" said the de"
tective.
TO BE CONTINUED.