The broad ax., 1897-03-06

twenty-five years In the detective force
and his colleagues were entertaining
him at a little farewell dinner in an
ticipation of his forthcoming retire.
ment The chairman having eulogiZed
the guest of the evening to an extent
that brought blush to the face Of the
case-hardened Official, 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
| had once got on his track, but / am
sorry to say he is wrong. 1 am bound
to acknowledge that once an offender
was too clever for me-"
Tell us about it," arose sponta-
neously from almost every throat, and
Inspector Hookyer in response to the
request gave the story.
1T was good many years ego now
when / had intrusted to me q case of
a young woman, named Eliza Thick
broom, who had been found dead levi
IDENTIFY murdered by having b lr throat
:ut) in some fields adjoining he canal
near a town in Lancashire. She had
been a domestic servant, and was Of q
very retiring, staid disposition, and
bore an irreproachable character. Her
friends lived In quite another part of
the country, and her mistresg had no
knowledge of her keeping company or
anything Of that kind. For some time
| had considerable difficulty in fixing
he crime or any reason for 1t upon any
one; but at last, after lot OF inquiry,
I ascertained that she hal BEEN walk
irg out with a man named lamprey,
who lived near Stockport, in Cheshire,
some thirty miles from where Eliza
Thickbroom resided.
at seemed that the girl had been in
tho habit of spending her holiday,
when she had day on, in going to
where Lamprey met her,
ind that she had become engaged to
him, but that, hearing something to
his discredit, she had refused to have
more to do with him, and, 80
far, nothing further was known to i'm
plicate Lamprey In the crime; but /,
Of course, at once took the train to
and proceeded to hunt up
Lamprey and to make inquiries in the
towE where he resided.
81 knew nothing about him except
his name, but from the local police and
questions of one and another,
ascertained that he had been a sailor,
and was then q '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 Jacki Why, he 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 had damaged the weathercock
Jack climbed up and fixed II all alone
for the parson, and he refused to be
paid for iti'
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 unmistakably
to Jack Lamprey as the murderer He
had until recently been seen frequent
~ In and about Stockport with the girl,
but for thelasttwo or three months she
had not been observed In his company.
He had been q jolly sort Of fellow, but
since the girl had ceased her visits
it had been noticed that he had BE-
some moody and silent, and he had
taken TO drink q good deal, although
ne had previously been . most alb
stemious man.
He was away from his lodgings on
the night Of the murder, and on his
.eturn early the next day he was travel
stained, a. II he had walked q long
way. His landlsdy remembered he told
her he had fallen down In some chem
teal works where he had been on q
Job and had stained his clothes. and
she reeoIlected that Immediately after
his arrival home he had busted him
self brushing and sponging his gar
mentE.
-Thsrs Was sdfI,cient 10 justify me
n obtasning . vibrant but he v1s
sNaT on job-no one knew where en-