The Van Buren press. [volume] (Van Buren, Ark.) 1859-1914, 1896-11-28
THE INSPECTORS LOSS.


tie farewell dinner, in anticipation of
his forthcoming retirement. The chair
man having eulogized the guest of the
evening to an extent that brought a
blush to the face of that ase-hardened
officer, the inspector rose to reply, and
at the finish he said:
The chairman has said that I never
let man slip through my fingers after
l had once got ON his track, but | ann
sorry to say he is wrong. am bound
to acknowledge that once an offender
was toe clever for me-"
Tell us about it" arose spontane-
oasly from almost every throat, aud In
speetor Hoolsyer, in response to the re-
quest, gave the story:
ut was good many years ago now
when had intrusted to me a case of a
young woman named Eliza Thick broom,
who had been found dead evidently
murdered by having ther throat eut) in
Some fields adjoining the canal near a
town in Lancashire. She had been a do
nestle servant and was of very re-
firing, staid disposition, and bore an
irreproachable character. Her friends
lived in quite another part of the eoun-
try, and her mistress had no knowledge
of her keeping company or anything of
that kind. For some time l had con-
siderable difficulty in fixing the crime
or any reason for it upon anyone; but
at last, after lot of inquiry, l ascer-
tanned that she had been walking out
with man named Lamprey, who lived
near Stockport, in Cheshire, some SO
miles from where Eliza Thicllbroom re-
sided.
1T seemed that the girl had been in
the habit of spending her holiday. when
she had a day off, in going to Stock
port, where Lamprey met her, and that
she had become engaged to him, but
that, hearing something TO his discred-
it, she refused to have anything more
to do with him, and, so far, nothing fur
Their was known to implicate Lamprey
in the crime; but |. of course, at once
took the train to Stockport and pro-
,eeded to hunt up Lamprey and to
make inquiries in the town where he
resided
81 knew nothing about him except
his name, but from the local police and
cautious questions of one another |
ascertained that he had been a sailor
and was then 'steeple-jack,' and one
of the best climbers known.
Jack Lamprey!' cried one man to
whom had spoken. All he can climb,
for sure, can Jack! Why, be climbed up
to the very top of yon steeple' (pointing
to the church hard by, which had a
spire remarkably tall and slender, and
very hard to mount After the storm
mad damaged the weathercock. Jack
climbed up and fixed it all alone for the
parson, and he refused to be paid for it !
1.-THE man seemed to look upon Lam
prey's refusing payment as more Won
derful than his climbing the steeple
and perhaps he was right. Well, bit
by bit, found little things which, when
pieced together, pointed Enthusiastically
to Jack Lamprey as the murderer. Lie
had, until recently, been seen frequent
ly in and about Stockport with the
girl, but for the last two or three
months she had not been observed II
his company. He had been jolly sort
of fellow. but since the girl had ceased
her VII IS it had been noticed that he
had b Tome moody and silent, and he
had Aaken to drink a good deal, al
though he had previously been a most
abs emious man.
"ffe was away from his lodgings on
the night of the murder, and on his re-
turn early the next day he was travel
stained, as If he had walked long way
His landlady remembered that he told
her he had fallen down in some chem
ical works where he had been ON jot
and had stained his clothes, and she rec
objected that Immediately after his ar
rival home he had busted himself brush
ing and sponging his garments.
"Therc was sufficient evidence to jus
tlfy me in o, aiming a warrant; but he
was away on a job-no one knew where
exactly, except that it was somewhere
near LiyerPool-and it was useless fol-
me to leave Stockport, where l had the
best chance of catching him, on a wild
goose chase to Liverpool without bet
ter information. My only course was
to wait and keep quiet till he came
back, which he was expected to do thC
following day.
81 took every precaution to prevent
anyone knowing that be was wanted,
but some pal must have got to suspect
it and given him warning. The police
in Liverpool had been wired to ane
had kept watch of all trains in the di
rectfon of Stockport, and towards tho
evening of the second day l received
the intination that man resembling
his description had taken the train
and was on his way. Assisted by a loca
detective who knew the man, | watched
every passenger out Of the train on ite
arrival at Stockport, but no Jack Lam
prey alighted, and. on inquiring of Tho
guard. it seemed pretty certain that he
had got out at Cheadlc, station a few
miles outside Stockport.
at was the beginning of winter ,anC
night had set in, so that it was extreme
" doubtful if we could follow the man
but we took a train which was Just go
ing out Of the station, and in few
minutes we're at Cheadle. ! there made
certain that my man had got out III
had booked for Stockport and had give1
up his ticket; but do all we could, VI
could get no trace of him. He had lef
the station Immediately on leaving thu