The Portland daily press., 1895-07-06

eral days prior to his permanently stop
ping there Turning the pages over, Mr..
Barnes still failed to find what he
sought, but curious name caught his
eye:
Miguel Palma, City of Mexico.''
Could this be the London murderer?
Was this the suspected Mexican? If so,
here was bold and therefore dangerous
criminal, who openly put up at one of
the most prominent hostelries. Mr..
Barnes was turning this over in his
mind when diminutive newsboy rush
ed into the corridor, shouting:
extra Sun! Extra Sun! All about
the horrible murderl Extra!''
Mr.. Barnes purchased a paper and
was stupefied at the headlines:
ROBERT LEROY mitchell DROWNED
HIS BODY FOUND FLOATING IN THE EAST
RIVER.
A DAGGER IN HIS BACK INDICATES MUIR
DER!
Mr.. Barnes rushed out of the hotel,
and quickly finding cab instructed the
man to drive rapidly to the morgue. On
the way he read the details of the crime
as recounted in the newspaper. From
this he gathered that the body had been
discovered early that morning by two
boatmen, who towed it to shore and
turned it over to the police. An exami-
nation at the morgue had established
the identity by letters found on the
corpse and the initials marked on the
clothing. MIR. Barnes was sad at heart
and inwardly fretted because his friend
had not asked his aid when in danger.
Jumping from the cab, almost before
it had fully stopped in front of the
morgue, he stumbled and nearly fell
over a decrepit looking beggar, upon
whose breast was printed card solicit
ing aims for the blind. Mr.. Barnes
dropped COMA silver quarter-into
his outstretched palm and hurried into
the building. AS he did SO he was jostled
by tall man who was coming out and
who seemed to have lost his temper, as
he muttered an imprecation under his
breath in Spanish. AS the detectives
keen ear noted the foreign tongue an
idea occurred to him which made him
turn and follow the stranger. When he
reached the street again, he received a
double surprise. The stranger had al
ready signaled the cab which Mr.. Barnes
had but just left and was entering it,
30 that he had only moment in which
to observe him. Then the door was
slammed, and the driver whipped up
his horses and drove rapidly away. At
the same moment the blind beggar
jumped up and ran in the direction taken
by the cab. Mr.. Barnes watched them
till both cab and beggar disappeared
around the next corner, and then he
went into the building again, deeply
thinking over the episode.
He found the morgue keeper and was
taken to the corpse. He recognized the
clothing at once, both from the descrip-
ton given by Williams and because he
now remembered to have seen Mr..
Mitchell SO dressed. 1t was evident that
the body had been in the water for sew
eral days, and the marks of violence
plainly pointed to murder. Still stick
ing in the back was curious dagger of
foreign make, the handle projecting be-
tween the shoulders. The blow must
have been a powerful stroke, for the
blade was SO tightly wedged in the bones
of the spine that it resisted ordinary
efforts to withdraw it, Moreover, the
condition Of the head showed that a
crime had been committed, for the skull
and face had been beaten into a pulpy
mass with some heavy instrument. Mr.
Barnes turned away from the sickening
sight to examine the letters found upon
the corpse, One of these bore the Paris
postmark, and he was allowed to read it,
1t was from the jewellers and was the
letter alluded to in the warning cable.
It's contents were:
DEAR SIR-As we have previously advised
you, the Montezuma was shipped toyov on the
10th inst. On the following day the man
from whom we had bought 1t was found dead
in Dover street, London, killed by a dagger
thrust between the shoulders. The meager ac-
counts telegraphed to the papers here state
that there is no clew to the assassin. We were
struck by the name and remembered that the
deceased urged us to buy the emerald, because,
as he declared, he feared that q man had fol-
lowed HIN from mexico, lubeuolnS TO murder
him to get possession of it. Within an hour of
reading the Newspaper story a gentlemanly
looking man, giving the name Miguel Palma,
entered our store and asked if we had purchas-
ed the Montezuma emerald We replied mega
lively, and he smiled and left. We notified the
police, but they have not been able to find this
man. We deemed it our duty to warn you and
did SO by cable.
The signature was that of the firm
from which Mr.. Barnes had received the
cable in the morning. The plot seemed
plain now. After the murder of the
man in London the Mexican had traced
the emerald to Mr.. Mitchell and had fol-
lowed it across the water. Had he suc-
ceeded in obtaining it? Among the
things found on the corpse was an empty
jewel case, bearing the name of the
Paris firm. 1t seemed from this that the
gem had been stolen. But if SO this man
Miguel Palma must be made to explain
his knowledge of the affair.
Once more visiting the Imperial, Mr.
Barnes made inquiry and was told that
Mr. Palma had left the hotel on the
night of the previous Thursday, which
was just few hours before Mr.. Mitchell