The citizen. (Frederick City, Md.) 1895-1923, 1897-02-05
The INSPECTORS LOSS.


ieagues were entertaining him at lit
liz farewell dinner, in anticipation of
1Ss forthcoming retirement. The chair
Ian having eulogized the guest of the
esening to an extent that brought a
HI,,sh to the face of that case-hardened
4iicer, the inspector rose to reply, and
the finish he said:
"The chairman has said that l never
Id man slip through my fingers after
had once got ON his track, but / ann
eSrry to say he is wrong. l am bound
IS acknowledge that once an offender
3as too clever for me-"
"Ten us about i'll" arose spontane-
oilsly from almost every throat, and In
apector Hookyer, in response to the re-
NEST, gave the story:
at was a good many years ago now
then | had intrusted to me a case of
4oung woman named Eliza Thickbroom,
tho had been found dead evidently
murdered by having her throat cut) in
pme fields adjoining the canal near a
Ebwn in Lancashire. She had been do
MQeSUlC SClNtilht dlltA was VI FCl1
ring, staid disposition, and bore an
freproachable character. Her friends
we'd in quite another part of the coun-
nv, and her mistress had no knowledge
II her keeping company or anything Of
hat kind. For some time had con-
fderable difficulty in fixing the crime
d any reason for it upon anyone; but
j last, after a lot of inquiry, ascer-
aimed that she had been walking out
nth a man named Lamprey, who lived
Ear Stockport, in Cheshire, some so
ailes from where Eliza Thiclbroom re-
&ded.
at seemed that the girl had been in
he habit of spending her holiday, when
he had day off, in going to Stock
|ort, where Lamprey met her, and that
5he had become engaged to him, but
hat, hearing something to his discred-
she refused to have anything more
10 do with him, and, so far, nothing fur
her was known to implicate Lamprey
the crime; but 1, of course, at once
box the train to Stockport and pro-
eeeded to hunt up Lamprey and to
bake inquiries in the town where he
esfded.
81 knew nothing about him except
Is name, but from the local police and
hutious questions of one another 1
scertained that he had been a sailor
nd was then 'steeple-jack,' and one
the best climbers known.
"'Jack Lamprey!' cried one man to
hom had spoken. 'Ah, he can climb,
pr sure, can jack! Why, he climbed up
the very top of yon steeple' (pointing
the church hard by, which had
bire remarkably tall and slender, and
Try hard to mount. After the storm
ID damaged the weathercock. Jack
imbed UP and fixed it all alone for the
hrson, and he refused to be paid for it,
"The man seemed to look upon Lam
fey's refusing payment as more won
derful than his climbing the steeple,
md perhaps he was right. Well, bit
~ bit, l found little things which, when
nieced together, pointed Enthusiastically
10 Jack Lamprey as the murderer. He
hid, until recently, been seen frequent
" in and about Stockport with the
al, but for the last two or three
uOnths she had not been observed in
his company. He had been a jolly sort
IA fellow, but since the girl had ceased
LEI visits it had been noticed that he
I'D become moody and silent, and he
I'd taken to drink a good deal, al
Dough he had previously been q most
pstemious man.
HE was away from his lodgings on
le night of the murder, and on his re-
Tn early the next day he was travel
ained, as if he had walked long way.
Is landlady remembered that he told
pr he had fallen down in some chem
al works where he had been ON a job
BID had stained his clothes, and she rec
Ilected that Immediately after his ar
IEal home he had busted himself brush
g and sponging his garments.
'There was sufficient evidence to JUS
~ me in obtaining warrant; but he
hs away on a job-no one knew where,
actly, except that it was somewhere
BAR Liverpool-and it was useless for
e to leave Stockport, where had the
st chance of catching him, on a wild
bose chase to Liverpool without bet
information. My only course was
wait and keep quiet till he came
ck, which he was expected to do the
blowing day.
81 took every precaution 10 prevent
Ryone knowing that he was wanted
some pal must have got to suspect
and given him warming. The police
Liverpool had been wired to and
"a kept watch of all trains in the d.
KNftion of Stockport, and towards the
Iening of the second day l received
tAf intimation that man resembling
IB description had taken the train
VI was on his way. Assisted by local
N'|ective who knew the man, watched
try passenger out of the train on it's
|fival at Stockport, but no Jack Lam
~ alighted, and, on inquiring of the
HNRrd, it seemed pretty certain that he
bad got out at Cheadle, station few
lies outside Stockport.
It was the beginning of winter and
H|2ht had set in. so that il was extreme
IYloubtful if we could follow the man.
4At we took train which was just go
'i|3 out of the station, and in a few
Wlnutes were at Cheadle. there made
ain that my man had got out. He
ANH booked for Stockport and had given
bis ticket; but do all we could. we
ENN|d get no trace of him. He had left
['s station Immediately on leaving the
.-1-n No nna lcnaru hin, md mo nnnId