The Abbeville press and banner. [volume] (Abbeville, S.C.) 1869-1924, 1895-07-31
A MIDNIGHT
TRAGEDY;
-OR-
The Crime Of The
Brokers Office.
w. F. MOTT.
w. F. MOTT.
CHAPTER xIv.-Continuod.

I will suppose that John OaKpurn
lreally saved the money his daughter
supposed he did, and that it was In his
small, private safe. Kredge, knowing
about this money, might have opened
the safe, taken the money, relocked the
.strong box and returned the key to
Oakburn's pocket. Or, it Is possible
that he may have privately provided
himself with duplicate. Though the
safe was not found open it does not fol-
low that it was not robbed. was very
near committing On oversight in neg
lecting this point in the case," thought
Paxton.
i Paxton shadowed Kredge back to the
city.
The detective next instituted an in
vestigatlon which elected the informa-
tion that Donald Wayburn, the author
OF the threatening letter found among
John Oakburn's correspondence, was q
young man who had been obliged to aee
from New York on account Of having
been the promoter Of gigantic swindle,
which had resulted In the financial ruin
of large number Of people.
Some Of his information the detective
received from Jason Garrison, who re-
marked in the course Of the converSa-
ton:
Yes, Wayburn was scoundrel. My
old cashier, John Oakburn, could have
told you more about him than l can, for
he had several thousand dollars in the
swindle Of which that man was the head.
Poor old Johnl He was never tired Of
denouncing Wayburn as villain.
Hal" thought Paxton. This in
formation favors my theory that Way
burn may have been the assassin, with
Kredge for q confederate. But stay
The name Pratt & Weeks gave the man
who carried the skeleton keys was Gar
mar, and yet that does not prove that he
Is not really Wayburn. Garnar may be
an alias"
Paxton continued his investigation
relating to Wayburn, hoping to thereby
arrive at revelation Of the truth re-
garding the secret Of the supposed as
sassin's identity.
He did not succeed In establishing the
fact which he had hoped to prove, that
;Wayburn had returned to New York and
was in the city ut the time Of the murder:
~ This failure left his theory wanting in
q most important link Of presrmptive
evidence.
! But Paxton thought:
If Donald Wayburn returned to the
city he would have the best possible rea-
son for concealing the fact, since dis,
covery would no doubt result in his ar
rest by the parties whom he swindled
years ago. Even if ho did return 1t is
not surprising that have been unable
to establish the feet"
/ A day or two later one Of Paxton's
agents snadowed Judith Kredge to
savings bsnk, wEere she was seen to
deposit money, and inquiry solicited the
fact that the woman had opened an &C
count there.
At Paxton's request an examination
Of the books was made, which resulted
In the discovery that all the money to
Judith Kredge's credit had been depos-
tied since John Oakburn's murder.
This the detective regarded as sig.
nifcant.
The bank had received no marked
money, however.
Prompted by suspicion which he had
all along entertained, Paxton visited the
window ut which Stanmore and himself
had spied when the detective was shad-
owing Kredge.
Crouching at the kitchen window Of
Oakburn's apartment as before, he again
saw Marion and Judith.
The curtains were drawn, but at the
side Of the window there was q narrow
space which the curtain did not cover,
through which he could command view
of the room.
Paxton witnessed scene which
served to further mystify and perpleN
him, and it also occasioned him the
greatest surprise.
he saw Marion Oakburn count out
Sarge sum Of money and give it to Judith
Kredge.
The detective was confident that the
nmount thus given to the woman by
Marion could not have been less than
Eve hundred dollars.
The recollection OF the conversation
which he had overheard between Judith
Kredee and her brother Levi returned to
Paxton's mind, freighted with startling
significance.
1T Is then from Marion Oakburn that
Judith Kredge has received her money.
But wherefore? II can read the express
sion on Marion Oakburn's face Alright,
she is in deadly fear Of Judith kredge.
Can it be that there is another mystery
here?"
Marion and Judith withdrew.
He learned nothing further, for dark
ness closed upon the scene in the room
where the money changed hands few
moments after the transfer was made.
The detective then returned to his
office to examine n report made by one
Of his agents. which established the fact
that all or levi Eredge's time on the
night Of the murder had been accounted
for EXCEPT oao hour-from one quarter
or fifteen minutes after twelve to the
same time afteT one o'clock.
We know that John Oakburn met his
death between the hours Of twelve and
one o'clock.
Here was another item Of presumptlve
evidence against Kredge.
Since this cunning agent OF the detec-
tive had been able to trace kredge Tor
every moment OF the night OF the mur-
der with unerring certitpde. except for
Che one fatal hour or the murder, the
detective inferred that kredge must
have surrounded his movements 1or
that one hour with every precautlon OF
secrecy.
Paxton could arrest Kredge at any
time, but as yet he Regarded sucn
course as premature.
CHAPTER XIV.
The agent to whom Paxton had in
trusted the task of ascertaining where
Levi Kredge was on the night OF the
murder, and at the hour when the crime