Butler citizen. [volume] (Butler, Pa.) 1877-1922, 1897-08-12
CAUGHT By CHANCE.

I tried the handle OF the smoking room
door and could not effect an entrance.
Calling a waiter, together we managed TO
open the door wide enough TO get into the
room.
I could hardly repress an exclamation OF
horror. The body Of a heavy looking man
was lying against the door, the head and
shoulders propped up by the door itself.
Blood was flowing from an ugly looking
wound in the right temple and there was
pool Of blood on the floor. There was
clock in the room and l noticed that 1t
was exactly minutes 10 10.
The victim was pronounced to be not
dead, and was removed, unconscious, to
the hospital. The police took possession
of the room and proceeded 10 make in
quiries and deliberate
The facts in the problem-for problem
it very soon appeared TO be-were these:
One Of the walters said he had been sum-
moned to the smoking room by the bell,
and that three gentlemen were then in
the room. One, whom he identified az the
victim, wps sitting at the table in the
middle OF the room, with bis bacEs oward
the door, reading. The other two were
in the two opposite corners OF the rooln-
He could remember nothing of the appear
dflCG Gl the IfTf IbfDt WIN WIRE .tA al stlSs
but the unfortunate man ut the table was
familiar To hi.l as frequent visitor. He
remembered the cl,ol; in the room striking
q quarter Of 10 when he brought the
drink.
He thought BE- should have noticed them
leave if they had come down the passage
from the smoking room into the bar, as
he had not left the bar and had not been
at all busy during the ten minutes. Be
sides, the position OF the body against the
door made il impossible thai any one could
have left the room after it had fallen with
out moving il.
The room was about l3 feet high and
had no window in the walls. 1t was light
ed By a skylight, about 2 feet hy /, inme-
diately over the table. This could be
opened about four or five inches by means
Of a cord or pulley, but it was shut. Even
the very tallcst man, standing on the table
and jumping. could never reach it. The
chimney was impossible. II the two IHem
had not gone out OF the door, how had
they left the room? 1t seemed hopeless
puzzle.
Next evening | found my friend the
superintendent, who told me the latest de-
velopments The victim of the Outrage
was not seriously injured, after all. He
had regained consciousness and had been
able to tell his story.
He had that evening completed very
satisfactory deal and had the proceeds-l1
soyereigns-in his pocket He had sat
down at the table, with his back toward
the door, and taken up an evening paper.
Suddenly he felt himself seized by the
throat and sprang 10 his feet, only to be
forced back against the door. He strug
gled in vain, being pinned to the door by
one man, whom he described as having
fiorid complexion and short, fair mus
tache, while the other, swarthy looking
fellow, rilied his pockets. Then he felt
violent blow.
In the face OF this, the theory Of escape
from tho door exploded. He must have
fallen at once. So the men could not have
left the room by the door.
We gave up the skylight theory, mainly
because il seemed wholly impracticable for
any man TO reach that outlet Even
chair on the table would not have done it,
and there was no indication Of any chair
having been on the table.
A week passed and no one was any
nearer solving the mystery than ever. The
injured man, now very much better, had
been at,1 10 add nothing material to his
original story
L uupIltutu tIIaO bhtulnS " HhI%ll iiLO
the Duchess tbeater Of varieties, barely
five minutes walk from Gialotti's, with
friend about 8 O'Clock.
We were watching the Barnardiston
brothers, "a pair Of acrobats, whose contOr-
tions and feats Of strength were exciting
rounds Of applause. | think the feat which
pleased most was joint performance on
horizontal bar about ten feet from the
ground. One sprang nimbly on to tho
shoulders of the other and grasped the
bar The other seized the ankles Of the
first and was drawn up until he, too, could
reach it.
was thoroughly enjoying this exhibi-
tion of strength and skill when my friend
remarked:
"These acrobat fellows would make
short work of your skylight round at Clio
latti's, it strikes me-"
looked carefully ut the men. They
were tall, well built and athletic, and,
moreover, one was dark and one was fair.
1t was not much to go upon, but 1t was
enough to make me restless
The next evening saw the superintend-
ent, and, though he ridiculed the idea ut
frat, he ultimately promised TO mako in
duiries about the men. He suggested that
as preliminary step the victim of the
robbery should 90 to the Duchess with
vie-v to identifying tho men.
A couple Of days later no went, but
would say nothing more definite than that
tbey certainiT looked as II they might be
the men. but he really couldn't say more
Meantime the sulrerintcndent had Dceh
making inquiries, and no met me outsieo
the theater with "A curious sinlle on MS
face.
"It's no go, young man, he said.
"Your idea won't wash. The Barnardis-
ton brothers were hore on the eth-the
night Of tho crime--at 10 o'clock. And
they are on every night at $3.50 at the star
Music hnll-have been since the lst. 1t
takes them all their time between 9:45
and 10 to get here In "A hanson. They
haven't missed a night, either here or at
the Star. I'm afraid we can't get that
kind Of an alibi.
/ got into "a morbid habit OF strolllng
about In the neighborhood OF South street
and the Duchess, for | still took an inter
est In the doings Of the brothers Barnar-
diston. One night at 10 o'clock | was go
ing down South street on my way home
when | saw the Barnardiston brothers
again. They were strolllng quietly up tho
street, and they went into No. II. know
they were on at the Duchess at 10 o'clock,
and had tho curiosity TO run round 70
the music hall. From the gallery was
amazed to see them IN the very middle OF
their wonderful performance.
Well, it's no use in going into all the
details. / had found the solution Of the
puzzle though 1t took some time 10 work
Il out. There were two pairs Of acrobats,
very similar In appearance, and each pair
capable Of performing precisely the same
feats They had engagements at various
music halls, and sometimes one pair ut
tended and sometimes the other.
A great many robbcries wore traced 10
them, after suspicion had fallen on Others.
All these had taken place between 80
and A In the evening, during which time
one pair or other was always engaged at
the music halls. by this means they had
remained unsuspected for weeks.-EH-
chnnnn