Smyrna times., 1896-04-29
A DETECTIVES STORY.
BY ASA GLANvAL.


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.
1 got mighty tired of it. I never |
was used to that sort of trash, and 1
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, L
said.
That settled the business, and my
wife said no more of her nocturnal
visions.
/ was a detective on the Metropoli
tian 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 sharp detective,
why, he had good chance to climb
upward Ennerly and 1 were con-
sidered the best on the force, and it
was nip and tuck with us who could
see further into q solid brick wall. 1t
turned out that he beat me and that is
what my story is about, though if l
1 hadn't been so highhanded with my
wife l would have got both the honor
and the swag.
There was ten thousand dollars
offered for the apprehension of the
murderer.
Joler Swanson came to Cloverdale
and brought something over 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 rough kind of rooming
house, but there had never been any
crimes committed there, and we paid
no particular attention to her.
The night before Swanson intended
to leave town, he was murdered in his
room with hatchet that was found
near the body. When the police took
possession of the place the body was
found at the foot of the bed with a big
cash at the base of the brain. Swanser
had been been dead for hours.
Mollie Hawkins testified that during
the night she was walked by some sort
of racket in the next room, and that
she knocked on the door and tried tC
| get in, but as the door was locked she
couldn't. She further testified thai
she had aroused two or three of thu
: rOOmers, and that they wouldn't &c
with her to investigate. She also wen
down to the street door, but finally
concluded not to call an officer, as she
, had heard nothing but a numbering
noise. and she didn't like to disturb
l the police for nothing.
Now l thought at the time she over
) acted the matter. If a woman keep
ing a rough rooming house hears
A., fight she never says a word, but lie
l 'em fight it out. I've heard dozens o
| 'em say so, and / know that's the rule
= Near the body was found an oil
; pocket-bOok that had several letter
addressed to ''E. NOtting," and call
anything out of the letters one way o
the other. In the pocket-book was
| quarter, two copper cents, and
> picture of a red-headed man On tina
r was written, ''E. Noting" in differ
ent had and ink.
The police took the pocket-boOk an
| began systematic look for E. Noting
- The picture was copied and sent broad
cast, but nothing was heard of on
man.
Mollie Hawkins, at the inques
testified that JOler Swanson had com
It | there a week before, and had taken I'll
room and paid for it. She never sa
him have any company, outside of on
= or two of the roomers, except on tt
last evening, when a red-headed ma
called at about nine. When asked
t. the picture of the red-headed man +,
sembled the caller she said she couldn
tell, because the hall was dark, an
+ she only saw the back of his head
she lighted a match to show him
the door.
,e We arrested Mollie and the tv
% roomers who had visited Swanse,
y Late in the afternoon we arrested Ne
Davis, Mollie's lover. It seems tn,
were to have been married in fe
weeks, but Mollie declared betwe,
20 her sobs that she would never mari
- with such disgraceful suspicion han
ing over her and Neil, and that tn
"a, down.
lS Ennerly and l were detained to G
IN. anime the room. On the corner of
90 bedstead, at the foot, was bent ma
q and it clasped couple of dozens hal
in Just the color and fineness of Mollie
L. They were Mollie's and she said S
10 had caught her hair on that post 81
eral times, and that was liable to fl
her hair and pieces of her clothing
over the house, everything was
shackling and full of nails / motto
one thing, and called the Inspecto
ID attention to it. The hair eviden
got there since the murder, for the b.
stead was splattered with blood, WI
the hair was almost free of it. WI
Mollie was asked about this she s
she didn't know; she might have dc
4 it while the police were there, after
l' murder. In that case there wo
have been no blood at all on the HI
for it was all dried hard by that til
. / searched Neil Davis's room.
+ y emptied every bureau drawer, likew
AL his trunk and washstand, but / did
.tt find thing. l examined the firepls
M II but there was no ashes in it. i CT
NJ fully examined his finger nails, but
: v could find no traces Of blood, and Il
weren't suspiciously clean, either.
turned the furniture bottom side
/ took all the castors out to see if
~ money could be found secreted abe
I'll and tried the tops Of the posts to
'fH ! if they were screwed on, but they "
vi all glued tight. We took the cai
~H up, and while we were at work !
D. swore that was niece way to tire
fellows room, and asked who was
ing to put it in order again.
1Ry Look here, Neil Davis" saio
s'you killed that man, and you've