The citizen. (Frederick City, Md.) 1895-1923, 1900-03-16
A THOROUGH VILLAIN

have you? Wen, old man, | am pre-
pared for you. and | will give You an
account of the mysterious wharf muir
der which paralyzel the city with hor-
ror some fifteen years ago.
Thus old Clew addressed me rs |
entered his private office enc afternoon
notebook in hand
zone morning a messenger came to
headquarters from one Of the sub
stations with the information that the
mutilated body OF a hand omely
dressed man had been found thump-
ing with the tide against one of the
East River buikheads.
"The district roundSman was max
ing his circuit at an early hour, when
a wharf rat came up and said:
Look yer, Cop, yer jes' 90 out on
the pier there, an take a look over,
an yer will see somethin' that'll make
yer hair stand
What's there, my lad?' inquiIed
the roundsman.
"There's "A jolly stiff ahcat out
ther-an upper tenner,' as sure as
you're alive. old man
1.-THE officer well knew what WIS
meant by an 'upper-tenner,' and hast
ening out to the end of the pier, he
beheld the body of man, floating face
downward. At a glance he saw also,
that il was the body of a well-to-do
individual. Getting a rope he Sc
cured the corpse to the dock. and then
reported the case at once h the sta
ton, whence messages We're at once
sent TO the Coroner and then to the
detective Office.
II happened to be ON duty at the
time. and at once made my way to
the wharf where the body was Sc
cured | arrived ahead of the Coro-
ner, and was, consequently. compelled
TO await that Independent officers ar
rival. as. according to law. NOT even
a detective has tile right to disturb
a body until that official is present.
at was full two hours before that
tardy gentleman arrived, and by the
time he had come quite a crowd was
gathered upon the dock, gazing with
morbid curiosity at the human form
that was humping against the piles
Of the wharf In the incoming tide.
"When the body was drawn fir, m
the water and stretched out, all drip
ping. upon the dock, smOthered cry
of horror burst from the lips of the
bystanders. as their eyes fell upon
terrible cash in the dead mans fore
head, plainly indicating that he was
the victim of a foul murder.
upon receiving permission from
the Coroner. | proceeded to scar
the victims clothes; but some one, his
murderers. as | correctly conclude d.
had anticipated me. | found nothing
but few grains of burnt coffee in his
vest pocket.
THE body was ordered to be taken
to the morguc for identification, and
l returned to the Office. taking the cot
fee grains with me. l had air ady
formed a theory and had some slight
hopes Of working out the mystery.
For three days tie body remained
at the morcue before it was identified
A Boston firm had seen the keepers
advertisement, giving 4 description Of
the mans dress and general appe T.
ance, and when one of the firm came
on he at once recognized the remains
as those of their confidential clerk,
who had left Boston for New York
about a week previously on business
for the firm.
81 called on this gentleman and
learned from him that Mr.. Freeman.
the murdered man. had been the own
er of beautiful watch, diamond studs
and sleeve buttons, and that he, most
likely, had several hundred dollars inf
money about him at the time he was
killed.
Having ascertained this much l
went to work. To me the coffee grains
spoke volumes and | read my way out
OF the mystery quite clearly.
My first dodge was the adoption
Of a suitable disguise. | assumed that
OF a canaller,' the latter term. You
know, is applied by thieves to al
greenies from the country When prop.
erly rugged for my purpose, ! sailed
forth and commencing at point some
ten blocks below where the body was
found, | took in every drinking place
from thence on the river front. up 10
ten blocks above. | was looking for
barroom where coffee grains, all.
Cr1ica onl safp
as taste-killers. But they were all
low places that l entered. and l d:d
not find those conditions set out in
any of them, so took one street back
and traversed the same as | had the
river front. and, finding none there
took the next, and here l found nv
gin mill with the coffee grains on the
bar. 1t was situated on the corner of
the street which terminated on the
pier near which the body had been
found
$50 far, so good; l was satisfied
in my own mind that was now IN
the house which the murdered man
had last visited, previous to being
brutally murdered.
"The first glance l fastened upon
the barlIeeper salts ed me that he was
a bad one thor ugh villain-but a
coward one Of those chaps who try
to intlmidate by lnud talk and slang
phrases.
when I walked up to the bar and
asked for something to drink he eyed
me disdainfully, and came seemingly
reluctantly forward to wait on me.
4sput uhan 7 disclosed n well-fillel