Daily capital journal. (Salem, Or.) 1896-1899, 1899-03-21
r,.ced BY a Knife.

r.o,, the London Telegraph
ga ga friend of NIUE" saio my ue'
o,,ont a prepcssessing young "olna'
neatly dressed in black 10 ~ ..n ',or
trouble. and want your ass'SVanC'
TO help hn'" h.toe,
"Teil me the story" ! saiu oriehy
nvou have heard of the Smatter
murder. Well, AIN Miss Middleton
to whom Mr.. Smatters was said u
no engaged. | manage milliner =
anon at BloxUver for my mother. Mr.
Smatters was the son Of a farmer IL
the neighborhood. About year age
l became engagdd to hin,
"At last the thought of marrying
Mr.. Smatters became unbearable' tC
me. and / determined to break of
the engagement. SmaLters was very
angry when / told him, and accused
me Of playing him false for the sake
of DR.. Austin, and he became SC
violent that the, doctor who happened
to be passing, came into the shop.
"There was an alteration between
the two, and the doctor became SO
angry at the way in which Smatters
abused aud threatened me that he
threw him out OF the shop and threat
ened to thrash him into Jelly If
he showed his face in IL again.
1.-Two days afterwards Smatters was
found murdered, as you know, Well,
then IL seemed that some people had
heard the quarrel and DR.. Austin's
threats to Smatters, and they were
wicked enough To take 1t for granted
that the two had met again and quar-
relied over me. But TO show you the
wicked untruth this is, the doctor on
the night when the murder was COM
mltted spent the evening at our
house.
~ suppose that there are plenty Of
witnesses To that-yourself, your
mother and the servant"
"Unluckily, no." she replied, with
a much perturbed couutenance. "The
maid let him 10, but we always seud
her to bed early and l let him out
Unfortunately, too, the doctor had
told his servant not to wait up for
him, aud let himself In with his latch
key, as was his usual custom"
"If remember right, he was ar
rested on suspicion, bat the magls-
trates held that there was not suf-
tcient evidence against him tojustify
his detention"
Eyes, but the place believes him
guilty and he is ruined in his char
acter and profession. l have told
those wretched people again and
again that there was no reason why
he should kill SmatterS. l told old
Jackson So"
who is old Jackson ?"
"Smatters' uncle-who was DEVOTED
To him-and he has been most bitter
against the doctOr-he nearly had a
fit when told him that l had broken
of my engagement with his nephew
and was engaged TO the doctor, SO
that the latter could not have any
motiye for killing Smatters."
l went down 20 BloxGver In the
character OF a clerk on holiday, and
soon became intimate with variety
OF odd people.
My theory OF the fight had TO give
way to further information' II
seemed that Smatters had beer
struck down from behind by some
heavy weapon. 1t also appeared that
public opinion disbeleved Miss Mid
dleton's statement that she haC
broken with Smatters and was en'
gagged to Austin.
The body had been found In lane
where IL had fallen az the foot OF IN
stlle which led To short cut TO th'
farm. As noted the surroundings
could not help forming certain con
clusions. Also, after poking and prs
log for long time, made u discoV
cry. This was IA common morn
handled pocket'kniIe, which ma
fallen Ia the grass.
In the evening l went privately I
see Miss Middleton. She was not II
but saw her mother instead.
IL suppose" said, that preIt
Virl like your daughter must nav
other admirers besides these two"
"La!" she said with laugh, "if
was To go through the list of all IN
daughters admirers l should talk Il
hours. Why the carate. Mr. Newso'
and Mr.. Jackson, poor Smatter
uncle hut there, am forgetting
mustn't talk about that"
Mustn't talk about WHAT NC
observe that l am your daughter
confidential agent specially retaine
so you can do no harm by telling me
DR. Bulls Cough Syrup Never Disal
-, ,l,o... tubn .tca a. for ODSIIUd