The Republican. [volume] (Oakland, Md.) 1877-current, 1896-11-12
THE INSPECTORS LOSS.

ously from almost every throat, and In
spector Hoollyer, in response to the re-
quest, gave the story:
1t was a good many years ago now
when l had intrusted to me a case of a
young woman named Eliza Thick broom.
who had been found dead evidently
murdered by having her throat cut in
some fields adjoining the canal near a
town in Lancashire. She had been do
mestic servant and was of a very re-
firing, staid disposition, and bore an
irreproachable character. Her friends
lived in quite another part of the coun-
try, and her mistress had no knowledge
OF her keeping company or anything of
better for Adlai. had he ddiscov,
Tnat Kind. For some time had con-
siderable difficulty in fixing the crime
or any reason for it upon anyone; but
at last after lot of inquiry, I ascer-
tanned that she had been walking out
with man named Lamprey, who lived
near Stockport, in Cheshire, some so
miles from where Eliza Thickbroom re-
sided.
1T seemed that the girl had been in
the habit of spending her holiday, when
she had 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-
1t, she refused to have anything more
to do with him, and, so far, nothing fur
Their was known to implicate Lamprev
In the crime; but l, of course, at once
took the train to Stockport and pro-
ceeded to hunt up Lamprey and to
make inquiries in the town where he
resided.
Il knew nothing about him except
his name, but from the local police and
cautious questions of one another 7
ascertained that he bad been a sailor
and was then 'steeple jack and one
of the best climbers known.
Jack Lamprey!' cried one man to
whom had spoken. 'Ah, he can climb,
for sure, can jack Why, he climbed up
to the very top Of yon steepIe' (pointing
to the church hard by, which had
spire remarkably tall and slender, and
very hard to mount. After the storm
had 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 |
hy bit l found Little thinfrs-vh ich- when
":eel III n Maj has al i
pfeced together, pointed Enthusiastically |
TO Jack Gamprey as the murderer. He |
had until recently, been seen frequent
1y in and about Stockport with the |
girl. but for the last two or three |
months she had not been observed in
his company. He had been jolly sort |
of fellow, but since the girl had ceased |
her visits it had been noticed that he |
had become moody and silent, and he |
had taken to drink a good deal, al |
though he had previously been o most
ahstemious man.
''He 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 job |
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.
''There was sufficient evidence to JUS |
tlfy me in obtaining warrant; but hS
was away on job-no one knew where,
exactly, except that it was somewhere
near Liverpool-and it was useless for
me to leave Stockport, where 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 the |
following day.
81 took every precaution TO prevent |
anyone knowing that he was wanted |
but some pal must have got to suspect |
it and given him warning. The police |
in Liverpool had been wired to and !
had kept watch of all trains in the di-
rection of Stockport, and towards the |
evening of the second day received |
the intimation that a man resembling |
his description had taken the train |
and was on his way. Assisted by a local |
detective who knew the man, watched |
every passenger out of the train on it's
arrival at Stockport, but no Jack Lam
prey alighted, and, on inquiring of the |
guard, it seemed pretty certain that he |
had got out at Cheadle, a station few |
miles outside Stockport.
at was the beginning of winter and |
night had set in, so that it was extreme
1y doubtful if we could follow the man,
but we took a train which was Just go
ing out Of the station, and i'm few !
minutes were at Cheadle. I there made |
certain that my man had got out. lie |
had booked for Stockport and had given |
up his ticket; but do all we could, we !
could get no trace of him. He had left |
the station Immediately on leaving the
train; no one knew him, AID we could |
find no one to tell us anything more. So.
hoping perhaps to pick up clew on the
road, we walked back to Stockport and |
on to the town where he lived. which |
was few miles the other side, but our
tramp was in vain.
eve had left instructions at Stock. |