The Scranton tribune. [volume] (Scranton, Pa.) 1891-1910, 1896-03-19

The murderer was just escaping; my
uncle was breathing his last. Then. by
your measure of time. the assassin nae
remained with his victim nearly nan
an hour Is that credible?'
1T is not" replied the detective.
But I can solve your difficulty. In
the first place let me show you how
I measured the time. 1t Is rather pref
ty."
He led me to the bowl beneath the
glass. and called my attention 10 the
fact that there was a small leak from
the faucet He asked me to observe
the steadiness of 1t, and then attempt
to place the faucet in such a position
that there would be different rate OF
leakage I found that the thing could
not be done. The faucet worked by a
law of its own, and wherever placed
1t would spring at once to the position
1t seemed to prefer.
Just after the crime" said Johnson.
when you and l bend over this bowl
looking for blOodstains, ! noticed thar
leak. Instantly l marked the Level OF
the water In the bowl. Afterwards
experimental and found that the time
| required for the bowl to be filled 10
that point was fifty-two minutes. rake
twenty-five minutes of for the time
between lne ulStoNtty VI s'''N
| coincident with your uncle's death
and nv marking of the bowl. That
leaves twenty-six minutes. Now add
| four minutes for the time taken by the
| murderer in washing his hands. That
makes just half an hour that your
uncle lived"
This is guess work" said |. How
| do YOU know that the murderer lett II"
water in the bowel"
| Because. my dear sir. the last thins
| he did was to push down this DIT OF
paper, and he wouldn't have done that
while there was water in the bowl. lie
didn't let any run afterwards. other
wise the paper would have been soaked
He pushed it in. supposing that II
would fall down the pipe. Then ne re-
placed the stopper-or 1t fell INTO pace
and my timepiece was in operation
Now as to the closing of that door.
| Watch this little experiment. open
the door thus. Now will you obiise
me by opening the main door suddenly.
| Thanks You perceive the drausnt
| of air shuts this one. 1t fastens Itself.
| I've replaced the lock you broke, ana
| everything is as IL was. SO we've us
posed of your deusion that you We're
right on the. heels of the murderer
| / was considerably perplexed by this
| sudden change of theory. 1t was hard
to esmape the detectives reasoning IN
regard to :he time of the commission
| of the crime, yet there We're seNerai
points that needed explanation. FOR
! instance. how could the door have been
locked on the inside with my uncle
keys? | heard them drop out or the
lock. Who had put them into 1t:
ut was Mr.. Davis himself said
johnson, when | put the question tn
him; "he was trying to get out. Doubt
less he was feebly crying for help. but
no one heard. Those marks of hands
upon the door were his. The position
shows that they were made by some
one who was supporting himself with
difficulty"
"He could not oDen the door and for
a very good reason. Dazed and dying,
he had selected the wrong bunch OF
keys | got the right one out of his
pocket and the key of that door was
on it.
And that's the great point of this
case. The door was locked-not
with Mr.. Davis key. for otherwise II
would not have been in his pocket
There Is but one other. and that be-
longs to"
"Stalbridge." | exclaimed.
Correct. and beyond a doubt Stall
bridge is the murderer"
MY instinct told me so. even when
believed absolutely that | knew him
to be innocent"
''And now for the reason why ! de-
ceived YOU" continued the detective
AT first | acted on general principles
! My theory propOunded in this room
was intended to deceive everybody
Afterwards l acted for the sake of the
| aer n llri1y. I did MT knnN