Evening star., 1896-08-22
WILL MURDER OUT:
An Old Detective Tells story to Dis
prove the Ancient Maxim.

An Old Detective Tells N story to Dis
prove the Ancient Maxim.
"You may say what you please about
murder getting out in spite Of all.'' re-
marked the old detective to a Star man.
but 1 don't believe that murder can get
out any easier than anything else IL the
party who Is trying to keep 1t in doesn't
lose his nerve"
That's it," interrupted the reporter in
tone of triumph, ''he always loses Ills
nerve"
Does he?" asserted the detective. Lis
ten till tell you 4 story. and then you can
say what you think. When 1 was hoy
of sixteen 1 had an old lady cousin who
had an adopted son of about tW enty. The
old lady was perfect slave to this chap
and he made her life burden to her. but
she seemed to be just as fond of him as IL
ne were the best son in the world to her
She was quite well to do, worth $4,000 or
more. suppose. and all of it was to go to
her adopted son. The boy knew this, and
after while 1t occurred to me that he
was anxious for her to get out Of the way
SO he could get her money. was about the
only one who thought that of the young
Fellow, though, for he had fooled every
body else. and he was quite popular with
the entire section thereabouts. One day
Charlie. that's what II call him, asked me
to go hunting with him, and as liked the
invitation. and early in the morning went
over to his house. We had finished break
fast and everything was really except his
gun, which he kept upstairs in closet in
MS room. In the same closet was mus
ket that was kept loaded for chicken
thieves. and with which my cousin was
almost as handy he was. AS Charlie
was finishing his breakfast he asked my
cousin to go uo and get his gun Tor him,
but to be careful. as the other gun was
there loaded, and a loaded gun wasn't safe
under any circumstances. She laughed
ana went along after Charles gun. In
about three minutes there was a mGffied
explosion upstairs and a smothered scream,
and we both jumped and ran. Charlie in
the lead, as he knew the way and / did
not l reached the room through a dark
nail a half minute after Charlie did. and
when got the window open Charlie had
the old lady's lead in his lap, and he had
tf roWn the muSket clear owe: to the other
side OF the room. That was all that pre-
sented Itself then. except that my cousin
had received nearly the er tire charge of
the musket in her neck and face, and was.
or course. killed instantly. Charlie showed
great grief and the entire community Nes
srleVously shocked, but no breath Of sus-
plc:on ever rested upon Charlie for how
could 1t? Had l not been with Kim, and
had 1 not heard HIM caution his adopted
mother about the gun with a load in it?
In the closet was nothing except Charles
gun, nice and clean and ready for a DAYS
shooting. with a lot of fishing tackle and
other traps lying on the floor of the closet
ana hanging on pegs Well. Charlie came
lhto my cousins money. was TO be ex-
pected. and L am free to confess that the
way he spent it and the manner Of his
life after her death changed the mind of
the community to the kind Of q man
this yerrg man was, but still no one sus-
pected him of having hand in the old
lady's dreadful taking off. In five years
Charlie had spent more than nalf of the
money left him, ard he was learning how
to spend 1t faster every day. until one day
In horse race he was thrown and badly
hurt. He thought at first he would get
over it. but in four or five days the doctors
told him that he would never get well
again, and that he would go off suddenly
some day. 1T might be within the next week
and perhaps not for year. He lasted six
months, growing paler and gentler every
day. and gaining the sympathy Of all who
had ever known him. Then he joined the
church. and having arranged to give the
balance OF the money to the poor he wait
ed calmly for the end 1t came about
IN SnIistmas tune. and sealed letter was
LETT with the pastor who had received him
into the church. to be read at his funeral.
And 1t was read, though some effort was
made to prevent that part Of the services.
for in the letter Charlie told how he had
schemed to kill his adopted mother by bay-
ing mo come to the house to go hunting:
how he had left the guns In the closet:
how he had set the musket in before the
other gun, and had fixed a string to the
trigger, so that when the old lady took 1t
out 1t would &C of and kill her Che hoped;
now he had been first to get to her and
had thrown the musket out and had con-
cealed the string and tack to which X was
fastened before l got to him, and 60 on
through the entire devilish design, and
wound 1t all up with a general expression
OF pleasure at having pulled the wool over
the eyes Of all his friends and even his
enemies