Yorkville enquirer. [volume] (Yorkville, S.C.) 1855-2006, 1896-01-17
for the nromotion of the potal sotia Sgriruural an

if you recall the fact, did not decide
to go to New York tonight till the last
minute. Their we found that we could
not get a whole section and were about
to bunk together in lower berth when,
several more people applying, they de-
ternined to put on another coach. There
fore,i unless Mr.. Barnes secured his
ticket during the day, he would inevi.
tably have been assigned to this coach. "
Had you any special reason for sug
gesting No. lO?"
"Yes; I know that No. 6 is unoc-
cupied. But just as we started some one
came in, and, think, took the upper
berth Of No. 10.
Mr.. Barnes began to think that he
would have exceedingly difficult work
to detect this man in crime were he
really to commit ono in spite of the fact
that he knew so much in advance. The
conversation continued:
"Thus, you see, there are two ways
by which my object may become known,
a serious matter if unguarded against.
As, however, Recognize the possibilities
in advance, there will be no difficulty
whatever, and the knowledge will be of
no value to any detective, even though
he be your Mr.. Barnes.
"How will you avoid that danger?'"
"My dear boy, do you suppose for an
instant that I would reply to that after
pointing out that detective may be lis
tening? However, I will give you an
idea will show you what I meant
when I said that Pettingill had blum
dered. You said that he had lost only
button and thought it clever in Barnes
to trace him from the button. But a
button may be a most important thing.
If I should lose one Of the buttons Of my
vest while committing a crime, Mr..
Barnes would trace me out in much less
than ten days, and for this reason they
are the only ones of the kind in the
world"
"How does that happen? I supposed
that buttons were made by the thou
sand"
"Not all buttons For reasons which
need>no tell the possibly listening de-
tective, friend travelling abroad had q
set made specially and brought them
back to me as present They are hand
somely cut canoes, half the set having
the profile head of Juliet and the others
a similar face of Romeo"
"a romance?"
"That is immaterial. Suppose that I
should plan a robbery in order to decide
this wager As necessity would not urge
me either as to time or place, should
choose my opportunity, let US say, when
but one person guarded the treasure.
That one should chloroform and also
tie. Next, should help myself to the
designated plunder. Suppose that as 1
were about to depart sleeping, uncal-
culated for pet dog should jump out and
bark furiously? I reach for it, and it
snaps at me, biting my hand. I grapple
it by the throat and strangle it, but in
its death throes it bites my vest, and a
button falls to the ground and rolls
away. The dog is at last silenced. Your
ordinary burglar by this time would be
so unnerved that he would hasten off,
not even realizing that he had been bit
ten, that blood had flowed, or that the
button was lost Mr.. Barnes is sent to
the house the next day. The lady sus-
poets her coachman, and Mr. Barnes
consents to his arrest, not because he
thinks him guilty, but because, as the
mistress thinks SO, he may be, and then
more especially, his arrest will lull the
fear of the real culprit. Mr.. Barnes
would observe blood on the ground, on
the dogs mouth, and he would find the
button. From the button he would find
Mr.. Thief, with his hand bitten, and
there you are. y
but how should you avoid all that"'
"In the first place, were really wise,
I should not have telltale buttons about
me at such time. But let US suppose
that the time had not been of my own
choosing; then the buttons might have
been with me. Assured as Ishould have
been that the only person in the house
lay chloroformed and tied, should not
have lost my nerve, as did the other in
dividual. Neither should have allowed
myself to be bitten, though if the acci-
dent had occurred I should have stopped
to wash up the stain from the carpet
while fresh, and also from the dog IS
mouth. I should have discovered the
loss of the button, searched for and re-
covered it, united the victim and opened
the windows, that the odor of chloroform
could pass off during the night. In fact,
in the morning the only evidence OF
crime would have been the strangled
dog and the absence of the pelf.
"It is easy enough to explain your ac-
tions under supposititious circumstances.
But doubt if in Pettingill's shoes you
would have been able to retain your
presence of mind and recover the lost
button which led to his final arrest. "
"It is possible that you are right, for
had 1 been Pettingill I should have been
coerced by necessities as he was Yet
think I should not have planned such a
robbery, choosing my own time as he
did, and then have taken with me such
a button. But from Mr.. Barnes stand
point, as I said before, very little of the
artistic was needed The button was
constructed Of curious old coin. Mr..
Barnes went the rounds Of the dealers