The Colfax chronicle. [volume] (Colfax, Grant Parish, La.) 1877-1981, 1897-10-30

IDENTIFY wiped his foul hands upon the
paper, crushed it up and thrown 1t un-
der the seat.
There was morbid fascination for
me in that copy, in those smears; a
horrible, grewsome interest became at
tached to those pages-two especially
attracting my attention. On one page
was the blurred imprint of four fingers
and thumb; on the other were four
lines only; one short and thin, two
thick, heavy strokes, and one a mere
blot. / reasoned. The thin line drawn
lower than the others stood, say, for the
little finger; but between this and the
next strokes was gap. What did it
mean? Without a doubt, following
the same line of reasoning, those other
two strokes represented the middle and
forefngers, and the blot was the thumb.
But where, asked myself, was the third
finger? Missing.
Gradually, certain facts came to light.
A ticket from Manchester to London,
issued on the day of the murder, was
missing; and eventually inquiry in
Manchester led to the discovery of the
victims identity. He turned out to be
one Carl Heinrich Strauss, a CONNER
cial traveller representing a German
firm in England. He had been resi-
dent in this country for only short
time, spoke the language very imper-
fectly, and, SO far as could be ascer-
tanned, had neither relatives nor friends
here. Nothing further transporting, an
inquest was held and an open verdict
returned.
1t was some days after the inquest
when, turning the matter over in my
mind, one evening, an idea struck me
an idea so palpable that wondered at
myself for not thinking of it before.
Was it possible, ! thought, that the MUIR
derer had purchased that copy at one
of Smiths bookstalls along the line?
1 had already prosecuted inquiries, sta
ton by station, ina vain endeavor to elic-
it some information from railway Of
ficials as to whether they had noticed
anything particular or extraordinary
happen on the fateful night, but with
out success; and now, starting from
London again, questioned the assist
ants at every bookstall on every station
at which the train had stopped.
Then it seemed that had struck the
right trail at last; for at Smiths stand
at Ecclesborough, station some 40
miles down the line, one of the boys in
distinctly remembered selling a copy
of the paper to a man who had mall
formed left hand. But at this point
stopped. The lad could remember moth
ing of the personality of the individual;
he only recollected the malformation
of the hand. Ididn't know which way
to turn. Was the man a resident of
Peterborough? In the middle of these
cogitations received orders from head
quarters that compelled me to turn my
attention to other matters.
You must remember how, some years
ago, the whole of the civilized world
was suddenly stirred by the discovery
of an anarchist plot of such vast dimen-
sions as to cause universal alarm. Ar
rests were made broadcast; clubs were
raided; prominent politicians walked
abroad under strong guard of detec-
tives in plain clothes; and so strong was
the excitement that anything found
conspicuously wrapped up in brown pa
per was certain enough to be escorted
to the nearest police station by officials
who considered the object in question
nothing less than a bomb.
At such time, therefore, the SEX
press Mystery" as my case was called,
sank into observation-disclosures, so
to speak, out of public notice-and l
perforce put it aside to attend to more
pressing matters. These latter consist
ed in shadowing the members of GER
tain club not hundred miles from Tot
tenham Court road.
One night the club was quietly sur
rounded, and a wholesale arrest made.
A close examination of the premises fol-
lowed, and certain papers were found,
but nothing among them likely to add
to the knowledge we were already pos
sessed of. On turning out a waste
basket, / discovered several envelopes
bearing the Peterborough postmark;
then it was that went to the chief
and told him all that had surmised
concerning the other affair, limiting
that 1 might, perhaps, be able to kill
two birds with one stone, were en-
powered. After some little delay, one
autumn morning, journeyed down to
Peterborough and put up at the most
unobtrusiye place l could find there.
made my inquiries cautiously, feel
ing my way step by step, but without
meeting with any success.
One night / was walking along the
high road, enjoying, with Londoner's
love of fresh air, the mingled perfume
of hay, tree and hedge, when l heard
the rattle and scrunch of wheels. I'm
mediately ahead of me the highway
twisted round and looking nm / saw