The Opelousas courier., 1899-01-21
LUCK OR SCIENCE (WHICH?

[ had been in the service only a few
years, but luck-or intelligent direc.
t1on-shad brought me success, Sc
When the chief told me to go to Tit.
onsVille and find the murderer of
Judge Sawyer l was complimented. !
reached Tiltonsville about midday
ana promptly made myself popular
with the sporty element Of the town,
everybody talked about the shooting
OF Judge Sawyer. but no one could
give me a hint which could be eyen
tortured into a clue. Three DAYS res.
ldence at the hotel. numerous inter.
views with the important and unim-
portant to%wnspeople. satisfied me the
newspapers had told all that was "a
oe learned from the populace of Tilt.
onsville.
On the fourth day I went to Judge
Sawyer's late residence and there met
with his daughter Grace. Miss Saw
yer could tell me only this: She was
visiting in Boston when her father
was killed. The household consisted
OF the Judge, the h]ousekeeper. the
cook, Joe, a mixture Of butler, groom
ana chore boy. It was Judge Saw
yer's custom to dine at one o'clock and
read, rest or sleep until three. He
was regular in his habits and p,1nct-
ual at his meals.
On the third day of July he had
not varied his custom; he had din..l
at one, and thereafter went to his
study. Not appearing at three O'Clock.
the ~housekeeper raped on the study
uoor; receiving no response she en-
tered the room, and was Mortified to
discover the judge lying on the couch.
and blood on his forehead. She smoke
to him, but received no response. She
alarmed the household. The doctor
came and pronounced him dead-shot
IN the head from a gun or revolver
close to him, as was evidenced by tie
noWder in the forehead. The local M
hcc, and the States attorneys office
had investigated the affair. but 70
clue had been found. The room WAS
Ill perfect order; n papers were dis
turbed. A safe which! could readily
have been opened was untoIcb.d
q no article of any kind or descrin-
ton was missing. The dead man was
lying IN an easy position, and death
had come swiftly and peacefully.
Neither money nor papers was the
motive for the crime. The Judge had
no entanglements either professional,
social, or financial, and he was not
known to have an enemy.
The house was a frame building set
back from the road. Shade and fruit
trees dotted the grounds, which were
generous and a back to the river,
1t was a lovely spot to live in-in the
summer.
! took q photograph of the study.
and then discovered that the house in
general, and that room in particular,
was planned with the definite purpose
OF obtaining the sunlight. The study
was in the rear corner of the house
and pointed direct southeast. A win
dow on the west side was diagonally
opposite n IN the east side. while
between these two windows was a
semi-continuous window which form
ed a curved corner. The couch was
pushed up close in the corner, in such
a way that it would catch any pass
ing breeze. The desk was facing the
couch. and rested against the wall
which made the alcove. On the walls
were foils, boxing gloves, a miniature
boat. a broken oar with a crimson rib
Q and similar articles. On the wall
opposite the desk was a gun, on a
rest. a powder flask, and above these
Il baseball bat and a catcher's mask.
OF course I Examined the gun and