The watchman and southron. [volume] (Sumter, S.C.) 1881-1930, 1897-09-29
ABOUT these premises last night, wna5


eve found four sets Of tracks, said
MIR. Barnes, "besidcs the dogs, which
latter may prove Of value. Two of these
we think were made by women and
two by men. For convenience I have
numbered them l, 2, 3 and 4. I will
consider number 4 first. "
"Why not take them in the regular
ocder:''
ssThat is what L mean to do. But,
whereas I have rum bered them in rota-
tion as I discovered them, I will trace
them in the order in which they were
made
"You don't pretend that you can do
that:'' said Burrows incredu1ously.
"I think so and commence with num-
ber 4. This was made by a woman.
Unfortunately can find no distinct con-
tinuation of any Of the tracks outside
the gates. for passing teams have oblit-
Grated them. We ind the first Of num-
Der a at the little gate. The woman
went directly to the summer house and
into the northern side (M). That she
was the earliest on the scene is evident,
because the tracks which she made 60
ing in are almost entirely destroyed by
the snow which fell since. I even got
so far as to venture the opinion that
this woman suspected a meeting and
came to this spot as an eavesdropper.
''Now you are going rather fast, are
you not?" asked Burrows sarcastically.
81 will give you reasons for all my
deductions. The summer house faces
the west, and the northwest Wild last
night drifted considerable snow in
through the doors; enough, at any rate,
to show me that this woman sat quite
still in corner al the time while she
! was inside, for the mark Of her foot
shows it. Had she moved about more the
snow would have been more trampled.
7 even think she sat on cne foot, as
many women do, for there is but one
imprint near the bench where she must
have sat, and that is exaggerated out of
all shape, as though IL her impatience
at the slow fight Of riale she had nerv-
ously kicked this one foot about and
into the drifted Snow. .
Chow much you make cut Of little
things said Burrows admirirsly.
"Shc came probably to hear what
passed between the man and woman IN
the next compartments Certainly she
sat as close to the partition as possible.
She staid until after they had gone.
This she would naturally have done to
avoid detection, but l have stronger
proof in the fact that near the gate I
lind an imprint from the foot of the
man, and across it is one Of the wom-
an. The latter is palmer than the first
and was consequently made last. By
palmer I mean that the outline Of the
sole is easily traced across the larger
footprint, which it obliterates where
the two cross. There is another thing
worth noting. Observe that this woman
went almost in a straight line from the
ing she came out in a straight line to-
ward the house and then turned and
went to the gate. Just where this turn
occurred she stopped for moment
"Why, you seem to discern great
deal. How do you deduce that:?''
every easily and almost certainly. If
one walks or runs, the footprints must
be single and about equidistant. At the
point where I say that she stopped I
find two imprints nearly side by side.
So she stopped, but why?"
''Can you also tell that?''
''I think that I could make very
shrewd guess. But we will leave her
for the present and take up the next set,
No. 3, a mans. He evidently had an
appointment, for he, too, entered by the
small gate, and went directly to the
summer house. He returned as he came,
which strengthens the theory that his
sole object in coming was to meet some
one at this place. That it was not to
meet the woman whose movements I
have followed is shown by the fact that
his steps pass the compartment M, and
go to the other, N There is another
point of great interest-he was attacked
by dog"
''What? You don't mean to say that
the footprints tell YOU that?;'
rro pr coHTIvI-rD