The Stark County Democrat. [volume] (Canton, Ohio) 1833-1912, 1895-07-25

, "yoU SEEM TO BE A LITTLE AHEAD OF TIME"
ly, for had great liking for such cases,
and read the whole article. The SUBJ
stance of IL was that James Blake Of Taun-
ton, Mass, had murdered the lady with
whom he boarded, one Mrs. Slimdiet, and
had escaped. A note was found upon the
bureau, saying:
When you read this, shall be far away.
have committed murder, you will say, but
when tell you that l have had nothing to eat
but hash for the last two years perhaps you
may drop pitying tear for me. l have killed
her outright. She was killing me by inches.
JAMES BLAKE.
I got up, put on my hat and coat and
\Valked brislkly to the home Of my friend,
Mr.. Paddock Homes the celebrated anna
pr detective, in Faker street.
walked right in without knocking and
ind Homes playing "And Her Golden
hir Was Hanging Down Her Back" on
s violin. He put the instrument down
Nth scared look as / entered and shrank
berceptibly in his chair, as If fearing that
4 would strike him.
"Homes," said 1, IT have read the ac-
count Of a mysterious murder and the
disappearance of the murderer Have you
seen itp''
"Yes," said he, ~ have and I was just
wondering If could not persuade you to
help me in working it up, for have de-
cided to try 1t.
"Certainly, Homes, replied; "that is
what came over here for"
"Ah, yes" he said. "Please be quiet
1 for short while, and L will think it out" :"
I watched my friend carefully. He was
evidently engrossed in thought, for he
hon fno oY,1
nervously scratching his skinny shins with
1 his long finger nails. Presently he looked
intently at fly on the window and said: :
81 have 1t, old mani Be ready to go to
Taunton on the 10;30. Meet me at the
depot"
Promptly at 10:30 that night we board
Ped the train for Taunton and were soop
rushing along the darkness at the rate of
40 miles an hour. Homes spoke not, nei
ther did he spin, and as sleep was out of the
question soon began to feel the spell of
solitude settling down upon me. How
sublime, how awful, 1t seemed with no
porter yawning in the seat across the aisle,
for he had long since retired.
We arrived at Taunton about O'Clock
In the morning and Immediately went to
the house where the murder had been COM
mitted, an ordinary dwelling on the out
skirts of the town. Homes made bee
line for the cellar and was looking around
when arrived q moment later. He fell
ON his knees and began to inspect the
ground very closely. When he looked sat
isfied, I ventured to ask him whether he
had clew or not, but he answered rather
sharply that he was not sure. We now
carefully examined the walls all the way
from the room where the deed had been
done to the cellar. We saw some spattered
blood, but to me this meant nothing more
than that the murderer had gone to the
cellar after doing his wicked deed. There
were marks as If disturbance had taken
I>d)lace in the cellar. Where had the MUIR
eerer gonei There were many people near
he house when the killing took place, but
no one had seen him leave 1t.
looked anxiously at Homes, whose face
wore the asinine expression which he al
ways assumes when satisfied, and was re-
3assured. Suddenly he broke out with:
R"Come on. We must 60 to New York. I"
! And chat evening we were again in the
metropolis.
For several months after this time work
on the case was suspended, Homes, how
ever, making frequent visits to builder
Of iron ships but upon what business
could not find out. At the end of four
| months he wrote me hurried note ask
ing me to meet him in Taunton the next
(day, SO, quickly packing my valise, left
New York that night.
Upon arriving at Taunton found
Homes waiting for me, and we Immediate
ly repaired to the boarding house. In the
cellar was queer machine, not unlike q
huge cigar in shape built of STEEL and
with two massive spiked legs on the sides
The point of the machine was at right an
giles TO the ground and was sharpened
Homes smiled at my astonishment and
said:
'sWe are going to hades, my boy, to
capture Jimmy Blake. You Will observe
that the machine, which Is my own inven-
tion, Is painted bright red to harmonize
with the surroundings where we are going
hemotive power is furnished by pow
erful storage battery, This battery will
communicate its energy to these huge legs,
which, digging into the ground, will force
the whole downward You see, when
Blake came here he knew that there was
some communication between this house
and hades, through which the evil one
could pass up the hash to the landlady
He located 1t in the cellar, and after he
had committed the murder he went down
the tunnel connecting the two places, plao-
ing some feet OF earth over the opening
hence the disordered condition of the
ground. With this machine we shall force
the earth away and arriving In hades we