The times., 1899-07-30

:
walked back TO his point of vantage and
| looked over. One of the antagonists was
| gone and the chain which guarded the
| front of the ferry was swinging to and fro.
Although frightened and nearly con-
| vinced that murder had been done, this
laborer had said nothing until the MORN
| ing, when a comrade showed him pecu-
liar seal cap which he had fished out of
the river. The headgear was of very
unusual variety and the suspicious ship
man had no difficulty in identifying it as
that worn by the passenger who had van
| ished on the night before Quite terrOrized
he went to the captain with his story and
| the captain, in turn, had communicated
with the police. These sleuths took up the
| matter with unexpected vigor. They visit
| ed the store at which the hat had been pur-
chased and found the name and address Of
| the buyer. Next they went TO Robson's
establishment in Brooklyn and there ascer-
| tanned his occupation, place of employment
and, most important of all, that he had not
| been seen during twentyfour hours, an
engagement for that morning notwith-
| standing. At the theatre details were sup
piled concerning Marlowe's visit to the
York and its reason. The description given
of the comedian tailed with that furnish
| ed by the sailor and, if not conclusive.
established the last link in chain of evil
! dence which the detectives were not slow
to bind about the suspect, lest he should
flee before apprehended.
| My personal share in the matter, which,
considering that | am endeavoring to prove
the baselessness of your article, is most
important was slight enough. | called
upon Marlowe at the Tombs and, strange
TO say, was not as thoroughly convinced OF
his innocence as / had expected TO be. He
seemed uncertain and continued to con-
tradict himself in relating his version of
| the evenings occurrences. | also visited
Mrs. Marowe, whom | found in a lament
able state, and finally proceeded to the
theatre that l might play, as usual. Just
before the curtain rose three police Off
GERS came back to my dressing room and
was arrested. In searching for further
clews at the York the sleuths had been
told that Robson and l had exchanged
hot words there on the previous hight,
that the murdered man had left me in
anger and that l had followed him almost
Immediately. They had also been informed
of the trouble which had occurred month
before in front of the theatre and thought
it wisest to secure me.
Meanwhile two incidents, petty in
themselves but strong in connection with
the rest, had taken away any doubt that
remained in the minds of the few who had
refused to believe the disappearance of the
odeon's celebrated scoundrel due to the
commission of a crime. The first of these
was in the fact that Robson had failed
to put in an appearance at the house for
which he was engaged. The second proved
more serious. a ticket puncher- -frequenter
OF the Odeon-had seen both Marlowe and
the missing actor board the ferry beat,
but though he had been first to land and
last to leave on the Brooklyn side had
noticed only the disembarking OF the
comedian. A party sent out to drag the
river had not found any body whatsoever,
but only unique wooden wallet, bearing
the initials IS. r. and containing the
portrait of woman. Still there seemed
no reason for discrediting the police theory
that the boX's owner had been pushed
off the deck of the midnight ferry and by
Eustace Mariowe.
From the moment in which I became
convinced that the young wife would not
sacrifice me in a selfish effort to save her
husband my case assumed insignificant
proportions. My alibi was of indisputable
strength and could hardly be disregarded
Marlowe was not so fortunate. The chain
of evidence bore heavier and heavier upon
him until he chafed under it to a ritiful
degree. At the preliminary examination
he could only repeat his rather absurd
statement about the manner in which his
supposed victim had skunk away and his
confused contradictions were more notable
I IHhu Inc udu
his reason for wishing to commit murder
had traced his angered footsteps from hi:
home to the boat on which he had followed
Robson, but which he had quilted alone
and had held sailor who was all but eye
witness to the homicide l knew thai
my evidence and that of Mrs. Marlowe
would only tighten this chain and fell
that, rightly or wrongly, the prisoner wa;
doomed.
All this while the attorneys of the ac-
cused had not been idle. They had ad-
vanced theory of suicide which no one be-
Iieyed, had tried to make their client con-
sent to pleading insanity, but failed, anG
finally succeeded in dimly connecting witt
the case a "squatty" individual who had
on the morning made memorable by tht
discovery of the murder, purchased rail
way ticket to Baltimore and paid for il
from a pocketbook which the clerk ha(
noticed was deliberately and plainly marked
Stephen Robson He had seemed nervous
and excited. The clew was trifie, but
with q robbery possibility before them
the police obtained an accurate deserip-
ton of the man and telegraphed it TO Mary.
land.
The first hope-file that had come in con.
tact with Marlowes chain since his i'm
prisonment was in the subsequent publ
cation, by an evening paper, of the an
nouncement that person answering to th'
baI-picture of the depot agent, had beer
taken in the act of getting a ticket from
Baltimore 10 Omaha, and that, when arrest
ed, he had shown great perturbation anC
anxiety. The slight credence placed IL
the lawyers theory accounted for the read!
. capture. A formal request for the extra
dition of the prisoner was made on Mary
land. Meanwhile one of Marlowe's counse
had gone over TO interview the new sus
! pect. and come back really encouraged. Tht
fellow was certainly guilty of something
He had appeared unnerved, broken, anxious
to confess.
A fortnight after this conversation th
Baltimore quarry was turned over to th
New York authorities brought 10 this city
and driven to the Tombs. Hardly had h
reached that imposing locking structure
when the predicted prostration became +;
reality The suspected murderer wept an'
laughed at intervals all day. At 10 tha
night ne sent for the warden, who visite'
him in company with one of the jail as
sistants.
Early the next morning the attorney
) were summoned and admitted to brie
| conversation with the officials named. TheI
all drove to court, where another confer
ence was held. At noon Marlowe and
! were released from the Tombs The ney
} arrival was held on the charge Of conspir
: acy. On the prison records his name wa
l changed from John Doe to Stephen Rob
son.
: BY the voluntary confession of the maj
l thought to have been murdered; of th'
: man also accused of that murder Stepher
: Robson, supposed victim and real crimi
nal, was guilty of an attempt to jeopardiz
: the lives and liberties of two citizens
. After the quarrel on the deck of the ferry
! which had been louder than the excited
husband had thought. Robson had reall!
skunk away. hurrying to the back OF tn