The Forest Republican. [volume] (Tionesta, Pa.) 1869-1952, 1896-06-17


geants off the case. My side partner
and myself had il all TO ourselves. We
had given up all hope Of ever doing
anything, although We started cut
with n strong burst Of energy, and
after the first few days that We had the
case ourselves, took to soldering.
The upshot of it was that the Chief
finally decided to let the case drop
among the mysteries. We had tried
everything. We got the Chief TO give
Murano his liberty, and we tailed him
for several days without dicovering
anything which would seem suspi-
cious.
''It was the custom to send q oou-
pie of our fellows to look out for pick
pockets on the Coney Island boats
during the summer. We we're assigned
to this job one Sunday and went down
to the island and hoated around. We
came back on one Of the late boats, as
these were usually the most crowded
and the best for the pickpockets to
work their trade on. We didn't see
anybody we knew, and went up on the
upper deck and finally anchored in
little recess in the stern, where we sat
smoking and enjoying the cool breeze.
l called my partners attention to q
young couple who we're spooning in
another recess to windward of us and
we took an occasional peep at them.
"The wiud carried snatches of their
conversation to US, and while we did
not pay any particular attention to it
we could not help hearing it. There
was one thing said which made me sit
up straight and almost yell right out.
The young woman had apparently
asked the man question, as we heard
him say:
"'He's been under cover at Hack
cttstown ever since he did that dago.
"'But should think that was set
tied by this time said tho young
woman.
"'Oh he's as safe Us q church on
that thing, but he's learly about it still,
and we can't get him to come back.
81 turned to my partner and found
him sitting in the same position as
myself, with his eyes fairly dancing
with excitement Our Italian murder
mystery occurred some nine months
previous and we had quito forgotten
it, but the conversation wo overheard
brought it up afresh, and l could
hardly hold my partner still. The
couple changed their conversation q
moment later, and, although we did
our best to listen, we heard nothing
more about the dead dago.' When
the boat reached the city wo were
right up alongside the young couple
and followed them out in the crowd.
We were so excited that we had not
exchanged word from the time we
heard the bit of talk that gave US a
cue, and some telepathic instinct just
impelled both of US to so right ahead.
We sat next to the couple in the
street car going up town, my
partner sitting on one side and
1 on the sother. They got off at
Houston street, and we were ahead
and behind them. They walked along
Houston toward Broadway and turned
down Mulberry street. They stopped
in front of tenement, and the young
man stood talking in the doorway for
half an hour or more. We watched
him from doorway across the street.
He bade the girl good night, just
shaking her hand, and walked off slowly
down the street. We followed him,
and at Spring street he turned toward
the Bowery. He had not gone far be-
fore he turned into saloon. We en-
tered few minutes later and saw him
drinking q glass of beer. He chatted
familiarly with the bartender, and left
after drinking his beer. My partner
started after him while remained to
pump the bartender. 1t was an easy
matter to get him into conversation
about his late customer. / learned
that the young fellow was Jim Burke,
and that he lived at 60 Spring street.
He had brother Mike whom the bar
tender had known, but whom he had
not seen for nearly year. Mike dis
appeared rather suddenly, the barten-
der said, but jim said he had gone to
take better job at Hackettstown. He
was bricklayer by trade.
81 left the saloon and hurried to the
place where l had agreed to meet my
partner. He was there, and he had
tailed Burke to his home, and also
had learned his name. We agreed to
meet at o'clock the next morning
and get to work on the case in real
earnest. j don't believe / closed my
eyes that night, and my partner was
around at my house long before the
appointed hour. He found me fully
dressed aud We started out. After
talking the matter over we decided to
make bold move. He was to arrest
Jim Burke, and l agreed to question
the girl. waited outside the Null
berry street tenement for her, and u
o'clock she stepped out of the house
with lunch package under her arm
on her way to work. When she got a
block away from the house l stepped
up to her:
Pardon me, miss, said, but
am a detective from the Central Of
flee an3 am compelled to place you un-
der arrest for not telling the police
about Mike Burke stabbing that
Italian.
''She drew away from me as l adj
dressed her, aud her face blanched as
mentioned Burke's name. She was
scared so much that it was some mo.
ments before she could talk.
Il didn't know l had to tell, she
stammered finally.
"'Well, that's the law 1 said, be-
ing now sure of my ground, and you
will have to come with me.
"1 don't know anything about it.
Jim only told mo two months ago.