The aegis & intelligencer. [volume] (Bel Air, Md.) 1864-1923, 1896-05-08
miscellaneous.
A DETECTIVES STORY.
BY ASA GRANVAL.

| BY ASA GRANVAL.
Ny wife is dreaming woman.
| When we first married she would
wake up at night to tell me her dreams,
| and she always reeled off one or two
at the breakfast table.
! | got mighty tired of it. / never
| was used to that sort of trash, and |
| told her so. But that didn't stop her,
| and at last | got angry.
eff | dreamed such nonsense as you
| do, I'd be ashamed to tell of it, |
said.
That settled the business, and my
| wife said no more of her nocturnal
visions.
was a detective on the Metropoli-
tan Police Force. In those times
changes were numerous and prefer
ment quick, and if a man had sense
enough to stand aside and not make
enemies, and was Il sharp detective,
why, he had a good chance to climb
upward. Ennerly aud | were consid-
cred the best on the force and it wasnip
and tuck with us who could see further
into a solid brick wall. 1t turned out
that he beat me, and that is what my
story is about, though if hadn't been
so high handed with my wife | would
have got both the honor and the swag.
There was ten thousand dellars of
fered for the apprehension of the muir
derer.
Joler Swanson came to Cloverdale
and brought something oyer ten
thousand dollars with him. He de
posted the money in the bank upon
his arrival While in town he stopped
at Mollie Hawkins in Hauft street
She kept a roushs kind of a rooming
hoafSes but there mad never been any
criaa&s eosisislittad here, and we paid
MOI agtienlaf atkention to her.
Tlia night before Swanson intAnded
to feaYe town, he was murdered in his
room witllsa hatehet that was found
possession of the place the body was
found at the foot of the bed with
big cash at the base of the brain.
Swanson had been dead for hours.
Molie Hawkins testified that during
the night she was walked by some sort
of racket in the next room, and that
she had knocked on the door and tried
to get in, but as the door was locked
she couldn't. She further testified
that she had aroused two or three of
the roomers, and that they wouldn't
90 with her to investigate. She also
went down to the street door, but fin
ally concluded not to call an officer, as
she had heard nothing but Il lumber
ing noise, and she didn't like to dis
turb the police for nothing.
Now | thought at the time she over
acted the matter. If woman keep
ing a rough rooming house hears a
fight she never says word, but lets
'em fight it out. I've heard dozens OF
'em say so, and know that's the rule.
Near the body was found an old
pocket book +hat had several letters
addressed to f. Noting" and called
him dear pal. You couldn't make
anything out of the letters one way or
the other In the pocket book was a
quarter, two copper cents, and pic
ture of a red-headed man. On that
was written, "E. Noting" in differ
ent hand and ink.
The police took the pocket book
and began a systematic look for E.
Noting. The picture was copied and
sent broadcast, but nothing was heard
of our man.
Mollie Hawkins, at the inquest, ties
titled that Joler Swanson had come
there a week before, and had taken
the room and paid for it. She never
saw him have any company, outside OF
one or two of the roomers, except on
the last evening, when red-headed
man called at about nine. When ask
ed if the picture of the red-headed
man resembled the caller she said she
couldn't tell, because the hall was
dark, and she only saw the back of
his head as she lighted match to
show him to the door.
Wearrested Mollie and the two room
ers who had visited Swanson. Late
in the afternoon we arrested Neil
Davis, Mollie's lover. 1t seems they
were to have been married i'll few
weeks, but Mollie declared between
her sobs that she would never marry
with such disgraceful suspicious hang
ing over her and Neil, and that they
would stay in Cloverdale and live it
down.
Ennerly and l were detailed to ex
anime the room. On the corner of the
bedstead, at the foot, was bent nail,
and it clasped couple of dozens hairs
lust the color and fineness of Mollie's.
They were Mollie's and she said she
caught her hair on that post several
times, and that | was liable to find her
hair and pieces of her clothing all
over the house, everything was so
Stacking and full of nails. | noticed
one thing, and called the Inspectors
attention toit. The hair had evident
ly got there since the murder, for the
bedstead was spattered with blood,
while the hair was almost free OF it.
When Mollie was asked about this
she said she didn't know she might
have done it while the police were
| there, after the murder. In that case
there would have been no blood at all
| on the hair, for it was all dried hard
| by that time.
I searched Neil Davis's room. l
took down the bedstead, ripped the
only place in the mattress that had
been sewed up, and examined it care
fully. emptied every bureau drawer,
| likewise his trunk and washstand, but
| didn't find thing. l examined the
| fireplace, but there were no ashes in 1t.
| carefully examined his finger nails,
! but could find no traces of blood,
and they weren't suspiciously clean,
either. | turned the furniture bottom
side up. | took all the castors out to
see if any money could be found
secreted above, and | tried the tops of
the posts to see if they screwed ON,
but they were all glued tight We
took the carpet up, and while we were
at work Neil swore that that was nice
way to treat fellows room, and ask
ed who was going TO put it i'll order
again.
Look here, Neil Davis" SAID |,
You killed that man, and you've got
that money, and believe it is in this
room and if you say three words I'll
chop everything you've got into kind
ling wood but what I'll find it.
You fellers has got the upper