Butler citizen. [volume] (Butler, Pa.) 1877-1922, 1896-01-23

4 a second pull at the bell produced no
better results. Taking a firm hold Of the
doorknob, he slowly turned it, making
not the slightest noise. To his surprise,
the door yielded when he pressed, and
/ in q moment he had passed in and
closed it behind him. His first idea was
/ that, after all, he had entered an empty
/ apartment, but a glance into the room
+ at the farther end Of the hall showed
him that it was a furnished parlCr. He
/ hesitated a moment, then walked stealth
, lily toward that room, and, looking in,
( saw no one He tiptoed back 10 the hall
door, turned the key, took it from the
/ lock and dropped it into his pocket.
I Again he passed forward TO tho parlor,
/ this time entering it. II was elegantly
/ and tastefully furnished. The windows
/ opened on the street. Between them
/ stood a cabinet writing desk, open, as
/ though recently used. Beside it was an
enamel piano lamp, possibly the same
/ which had furnished the hight which
| Wilson had suddenly missed several
| hours before Opposite the windows a
! pair Of folding glass doors communi-
/ Gated with an apartment beyond These
| were closed. Peeping through a part of
/ the pattern cut in the glass, Mr.. Barnes
| could just distinguish the form of
woman in bed, her long hair hanging
| down from the pillow. This sight made
him uncertain as to the next move,
| This was possibly Mrs. Rose Mitchell.
as she had announced herself. She was
asleep, and he had entered her apart
ment without any warrant for doing so.
True, he looked upon her with some sus-
picion, but the most innocent frequently
suffer in this way, ana without better
reason than he had he knew that he
could not account legally for what he
was doing
As he 4tood by the glass doors cogitat-
ing he chanced TO look down. Instant
ly his eye was attracted by that which
made him shiyer, as accustomed as he
was to strange sights. 1t was a tiny red
stream, which had managed to pass IN
der the door and had then run along the
edge Of the carpet for the space of few
inches. Instantly he stopped, dipped his
finger into it and then CALCULATED under
his breath:
"Blood and clotted. "
Standing upright, he once more peer
sd into the room. The figure i'll bed had
not moved. Without further hesitation
he slowly slid the doors apart. One
glance within, and murmuring the single
word "Murder!" Mr.. Barnes was no
longer slow in his actions. Stepping
across a big pool Of blood which stained
the carpet, he stood at the side Of the
bed He recognized the features Of the
woman who had claimed that she had
been robbed Of her diamonds. She seem
cd sleeping, save that there was an ex-
preston Of pain on the features, a con-
traction of the skin between the eye
brows, and one corner Of the mouth
drawn aside, the whole kept in this po-
sition by the rigidity of death. The
manner Of her death was as simple as
it was cruel Her throat bad been cut as
she slept. This seemed indicated by the
fact that she was clad in her nightdress.
One thing that puzzled Mr.. Barnes at
once was the pool Of blood near the door
1t was fully six feet from the head of
tho bed, and while there was another
just by the bcdstead, formed by blood
which had tricliled from the wound,
running down the sheets and so drop
ping to the floor, the two pools did not
communicate.
"Well," +" thought Mr.. Barnes, II am
first on the scene this time, and no busy
bodies shall tumble things about till
have studied their significance "
This room had not been designed for
a sleeping apartment, but rather as a
dining room, which upon occasion could
DO opened into The parlor, converting the
two into one. There was one window
upon am airehaft, and in an angle was a
handsome carved oak mantel, with fire
place below. Mr.. Barnes raised the cur
tain over the window, letting in more
light. Looking around, he noticed almost
Immediately two things-first. that 4
basin stood ON "A washstand half filed
with water, tho color Of which plainly
indicated that the murderer had washed
off telltale marks before taking his de-
parture; second, that in the fireplace
was "a pile Of ashes
"The scoundrel has burned evidence
against him and deliberately washed
the blood from his person before going
away. Let mo see, what was it that
Mitchell said, j should have stopped to
wash tho stain from tho carpet while
fresh, and also from tho dogs mouth.
That il what no told his friend he would
do if bitten while committing n crime.
In this instance the stain on tho carpet
was too much for him, but he washed it
from himself Can ii be that man
lives who, contemplating deed Of this
character, would mako "A wager that no
would not be dctectedY Bah II is i'm
possible. Thus thought Mr.. Barnes as
he studied the evidence before him. Ho |
next turned to tho woman's clothing |
which lay on chair. Ho rummagcd |
through tho pocket, but. found nothing.
In handling the pctticoat he noticed that |
n piece had been cut from tho band. |
Examining the other garments, he soon |
saw that the same had been done TO them |
all. Like fash, an idea struck him. |
Going over TO tho bed, he searched for |
some mark ON the garments which were |
on the corpse. He could find none until |
he lifted tho body up and turned IL over, |
when no found that "a pieco had been cut |
from the nightdress.
"That accounts for tho blood by the |
door" thought Mr. Barnes. "He took |
her out Of tho bed TO get her nearer 10 |
tho light, 70 that ho could find the in
itials marked on tho clothing. While she |
lay by tho door the blood flowed and ac-
cumulated. Then ho put her back in
bed, 80 that no would not need to step |
over her in walking about the room.
What calculating villain There is ono
significant fact here. Her name cannot |
have been Rose Mitchell, or there would |
have been no reason for destroying these
marks, since sho had given that namo
to several.
Mr.. Barnes next brushed the charrcd |
ashes from the Rrato upon n newspaper
and carried them 20 tho window in tho
front room. His examination satisfied
him Of two thiugs-thc murderer had
burned tho bits Of cloth cut from the
various garments and also "A number Of
letters That tho follow was gtudiously
careful was plain from the fact that the
burning had been thoroughly done.
Nothing had escaped the flame fayo two
buttons with bit Of cloth attached and
various corners Of envelopes with dis
gust Mr.. Barnes threw the ashes back
whore ho had found them.
Noxt ho paid his attention to tho cab
A.. I