The daily morning journal and courier. [volume] (New Haven, Conn.) 1894-1907, 1896-01-17
A DETECTIVE STORY.

ies-Unaided by Police, He Traced the
Murderer's Moveme nts In Rainhill and
Found Bodies of the Victims.
from the Melbourne August
1t was bitterly cold in the city on the
9th Of March, 1892, and tiny stalactites
of slowly-thrawing ice hung from the
heavy mustache of a strongly-built
man who had just come in from the
street outside, and was resting his ell
bows on the mahogany writing table of
one of the largest dealers in dairy pro-
duce in London. The dealer and his
visitor talked in rapid confidential
tones upon business matters, upon the
prices and qualities and grades of but
ter, upon the, state of the market. car
goes and methods of packing, the pres
ent glut and the future prospects of
Danish, Normandy and Australian
sorts.
cling a-ling-a-ling went an electric
bell across the passage, and in a mo-
ment or two well-drilled office boy
knocked at the door, and, addressing
the latest conner, said: You're wanted
at the telephone, sir"
The stoutly built man stepped across
to the telephone and raised the receiv-
er to his ear.
"Hullo, there. Is that you, Lower"
came voice out of nowhere, disentan-
Cling itself with difficulty from the con-
fused current of interviewer noises that
crossed each other on the tingling
wires.
Yes. Who's speaking?"
Townend, at the Argus office. Look
here, want to see you as soon as pos
sible. There's big murder case on in
Australia, and we've just got a cable
from the office in Melbourne instruct
ing us to make inquiries at this end.
Be as sharp as you can"
Mr.. Samuel Lowe, member of the
London staff of the Argus, dropped the
instrument, hastily apologized to the
merchant, and went down the Office
stairs three steps at time. Commerce
absorbs a large amount of the average
pressman's time and attention, but it
sinks into insignificance in the pres
ence of-crime.
a quarter Of an hour later Mr.. Lowe
and Mr. Townend were staring intent
~ at the sheet Of paper lying on the
table before them. The cable messags
from Melbourne read simply Inquire
Scotland Yard, Williams murder
Send portraits. Interview mother
Mr.. Townend looked at Mr., Lowe in
terrogatively. Mr.. Lowe looked at Mr.
Townend affirmatively "All right
he said "I'll look after it."
The Bow street officials were polite
but unsatisfactory. They had never
heard Of a murder in Australia in
which person by the name of Viii.
liams was concerned. 1t was as
though one had asked them for de
tails about man named Smith want
ed Tor a forgery committed on The
shores of Baffin's Bay. A close exami
nation of newspaper files at the Cen.
trail News Agency failed to disclose
any accounts of the murder mentioned
in the cable message, and two hours
had passed without the faintest CLEAN
of light being, shed upon the occur
renee 50
Scotland Yard, cabby" shouted the
stoutly-built man through the apertur,
in the roof Of the hanson, and sat bach
in the seat to think hard, as the expert
ended London cabhorse skated over tn,
heading for the mysterious building ii
which the highest detective acumen o
England daily gathers up the clues o
information that come rolling in from
every quarter of the globe. So busy
indeed, were the autocrats of the me
tropolitan police and the detectiv,
department, that they could not ever
!. see Mr.. Lowe when he sent his name ii
by the German man servant If Mr.
Lowe desired any information he mus
be kind enough to forward his reaues
by letter. This seemed a little discour
teous on the part of Superintendent
Shore and Anderson, but the occupan
of the hanson cab had still anothe
string to his bow, and as the cabhors
skated back into the city, Mr.. Low
again devoted himself to an accom-
plishment which is, unfortunately
growing somewhat rare-that of think
ing AS a result of his cogitations, tn
cabhorse was pulled on to hi
launches in front of red lamp, an,
Mr.. Lowe lost no time in explaining tn
position to an old acquaintance of his
the police official in charge.
II fancy this is what you want
spread the Conformation sheet" for tina
very day on the desk before him, an
pointed to entry No. A, which con
tanned full description of Albert VIII
liams, wanted for wife murder at Mel
bourne, on Christmas Eve, 1891. TIL
entry set forth that Williams spok
with Lancashire accent, and stage
formerly at Rainhill. 1t was signed b
Superintendent Shore.
Mr. Lowe devoured that informato
with the hearty appetite of one VIII
has been subjected to semi-starvatio
for some time past He committed tn
entry to memory verbatim by readin
it over carefully two or three times,
knack which is always useful to
Journalist M Blowitz, the Paris col
respondent of the Times, proved it
value, when he learned of the terms c
peace at the close of the Franco-Gel
man war in one reading and tele
graphed them in eXtenso to his pape,
Only. NJ Blowitz was dealing wit
murder on the grand scale-the murde
that is committed with grape an
shrapnel and bavonets at the charge.
When Mr.. Lowe returned to SEQ
land Yard. after a hurried visit to tn
Argus office, in Fleet street. he had
letter from Mr.. Townend to Superb
tendent Shore requesting informatio