The morning times., 1896-05-05
POLICE DID NOTHING.

a revolver, bonnet, bloody hat hand,
a button were picked up by some citizens
and the police eagerly took possession OF
thcIn. They also notified the coroner, and
sent for the patrol wagon. No one sug-
gcsted that Il posse be organized and
search made OF the woods.
The man who committed that hideCus
crime must necessarily have been covered
with the blood OF his victim. lie could
not go on the streets in open da Wight.
He must have hidden i'll the woods, but
evcepf for the park policemen. no search
was made.
The mOther and sisters were taken back
to the house out of sight of tie mutilated
body OF their beloved one. They wrung
their hands and rocked their bodies too
aud fro in the frenzy of their grief. Their
pitifu cries could be heard all over the
neighbo rhoOd.
Then everybody began searching, each
on his own hook. Hanging ON bush, where
they had evidently been thrown in
struggle, were part of the girls under
clothes. The button was torn out OF them
i'll the back and a small piece of the cloth
went with it. They were covered with
blood. On the bank, near them, were
blood stains, showing that the first blows
were struck there. The girl evidently fought
her way into the stream before the fatal
thrust was given.
About ten feet further up in that little
natural amphitheater some one picked up
a revolver. 1t was OF the American bull
dog pattern, 44-caihre. and had two
cartridges i'll it. 1t bad not, of course,
been fired. There was no number on it,
but scratched across the butt were the
initials "F. D. A There was many q
| curse muttered against the owner of those
three initials yesterday, and had he been
found his scaffold would have been as
near the scene of bis crime as the people
| around could nave made it.
The trail that had given up those two
clues was followed. Close up to the side
of the hill. where it sheers off to form the
| glade, the girls sun bonnet was found
hanging on another bush 1t, too, had
| evidently been thrown there during the
| struggle, for just above it, on the brow
of the bill, the grass was crushed down to
| the ground as though body had been
| dragged over It,
From that point over to the other brow
of the hill, skirting the ploughed ground. to
where the cow was tethered, led trail
| Of small footprints. At the end of the
| trail the cow was still tied. She had eaten
| all the grass within reach of her and was
| patiently and placidly che wing her cud,
| waiting for the gentle hand that would
| nevermore lead her to fresher pastures.
THEORY OF THE CRIME.
These meager clues were all the police
| and the imaginative citizens had TO work
on. The general theory and the most likely
| one is that while minding the cow the Cir
| was called over the hill to the brink of the
| preCipitous descent into the glade. Her
refusal led to the criminal assa ult, and to-
| getber the two, struggling and fighting
rolled down the hill. Elsie was unusually
| stfpng and could have made desperate re
| sistance.
| Finding it Impossible to accomplish his
| purpose, and fearing instant detection,
| probably known to the girl he was trying to
assault, the monster drew his knife. Per
| haps he drew his revolver first and in the
| struggle it was nocked from his hand. The
weapon be used, though, was knife, evi-
IDENTIFY not sharp one, and six distinct
| gashes in the white throat of his victim
| show the fiendish brutality of the crime.
Her shrieks were emitted while he was
slashing at her throat, and when they had
| fought their way into the little stream
| he made the fatal, horrible thrust, and
| dashed off through the woods, just as the
| colored boy, William Thomas, looked away
| from the agonized face turned to him, and
| caught glimpse of his fleeing form.
When these theories had been followed to
their natural conclusion all returned to gaze