Frostburg mining journal. [volume] (Frostburg, Md.) 1871-1913, 1897-03-20
A REPORTERS YARN.

Stl iCh hlllS W SeU vi tOllSuO, DuG
1t wouldn't go. told him it was little
Milly's birthday, and the youngsters
had set their hearts on having me spend
the evening with them. Icouldn t touch
him even with that. Said he was short
handed and couldn't spare me. Con-
found these city editors! The good ma
ture is all blue penciled out Of Them"
"You're always grumbling, Jim. If
you don't like the little Inconvenience
Of newspaper work, why don't you get
into something else? 1t was your own
desire to get ON the police beat, and you
ought to take all that goes with it good
naturedly. Quit your growing and tell
US story by way of penance. We have
q couple of hours before us yet"
Jim loved to tell a story. He had
been reporter for many years, most of
the time on criminal, and he had all ex-
perience for nearly every day in the
year. His face cleared, he refilled his
pipe and stuck his feet on the table. His
three fellow morning paper men fol-
lowed his example and amid the curls
of smoke this is the story Jim told
them:
Zone morning about 10 years ago
Richard Johnston of the firm of John
ston & Calvin, a very wealthy eastern
lumber concern, was found dead in his
office. He had told his wife the night
before he wanted to look over the books,
for things were not going quite to his
satisfaction. The big ledger lay spread
out on the desk, his face buried in its
blood stained leaves. The head had been
almost split i'll two, and the cut was so
clean it was evident an AK had been the
instrument used. The detectives went
to work at once, and within "a hours
Fred Wilson had been arrested on suspi-
cion. He was cousin of the murdered
man and had been out of work long
time He had never been in any kind of
trouble with the police, but he had a
character for shiftlessness, and it was
no secret that he and Johnston had had
some words a few days before over a
loan he had begged. He had been heard
to say that Il man who had heaps of
money and would not help his relatives
might better be dead A glove was
found in the office that was identified
as his, and, to make the chain of cir
cumstantial evidence complete he had
paid number of bills the very morning
the murder was committed.
His lawyers admitted their client
had gone to the office, but denied any
quarrel had taken place. The very re-
verse had happened, they claimed.
Johnston had arranged the visit and had
expressed his regrets for being so severe
to his cousin, finally giving him money
enough to clean up his debts and make
fresh start. This defense, in the opin-
ion of the judge, the jury and the news
papers, was so daring that it was re-
garded as overshooting the mark. One
juryman, however, was little doubtful
and stood out for manslaughter in the
first degree. The others yielded, the
verdict was so rendered, and Wilson
was sentenced for life. When asked if
he had anything to say, he replied that
he had told his story through his law
yers; that he still adhered to it, and
that, if there was just God above, its
truthfulness would be proved some day.
He went to prison and was forgotten.
81 tell you, boys, that case bothered
me more than little bit. I never at
any time believed Wilson was guilty,
strong as the evidence was. I had sew
eral talks with him, and he never way
cred i'll his story, no matter how tried
to trip him up. spent most of my
leisure time following imaginary clews.
1t was 10 use, and gave it up after q
few months.
Five years afterward Calvin, John
ston's partner, died suddenly, and,
though obituaries were rather out of my
line, for was still doing criminal, |
asked for the assignment on account Of
my previous interest in the firm. I had
hazy idea that Calvin had known
more of the affair than he had pretended.
On those lines 1 followed up my old
hunt, and was not bit surprised to
find out from one Of the servant girls
that small bottle had been found in
the hand of the dead man. ran down
that side of the story at the start and
showed the doctor up in great shape, for
he had given certificate for heart fail
ure, having been induced to do so by
Calvin's friends. Then l wanted a pic
ture, but the deuce a picture was to be
had. Finally an old friend Of Calvin's
hold me there was large crayon of tho
lumberman in the lodgeroom where
they met. Calvin had been one Of the
past presidents. and on retiring, shortly
after the death Of his partner, had pre-
sented the lodge with this picture, fol
lowing custom in vogue in that par
ticular body The man who told me Of
it was one of the trustees, and he offered
to go to the room with me and let me
have the portrait. I did not want, Of
course, to bother with the frame, SO |
proceeded to take out the back. While l
was doing so the trustee looked for some
wrapping paper, and I was alone. Talk
about lucki Luck wasn't In 1t. ! am not
religious, as you know, but have had
a queer feeling about that affair ever