Vermont phÅ“nix. [volume] (Brattleboro, Vt.) 1834-1955, 1900-08-10
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|. THE OLD MAN IN :
: THE LINEN BUSTER. :

Don't you ever miss the old lifc?" he |
| asked as tie three of us sat in my Greene |
street home slipping hot Scotch aud re-
spinning old yarns. Jim had reference to
| my leaving the force, but | could in all
| honesty answer: Not as much as you
would imagine. Although | am no longer
on the pay roll, | yet have my diversions.
And really some Of the most peculiar
cases l ever happened upon have come to
me since resignng."
such as the Spotted Bull Dog?' sug-
gestcd Kcnton.
"Well, yes" l responded. "That was
unique, but devoid Of all .ugliness; no
brutal features, you know. 1t was a
pretty enigma, and l wish all criminal
problems were resulting in as little HARM"
"Do you ever run across any cases as
complicated as those set down by Doyle
in his Sherlock Holmes stories?" asked
! Jim, reflling his pipe. Although | call
him Jim, like Kenton and myself he was
past the prime Of life. Three old cronies
we were who had only the past to live in.
mo and yes" I answered. 81 have
known of some extremely puzzling affairs
that baked all efforts Of solution, affairs
seemingly blind, yet made clear by trihe.
But | have never believed in this deduc-
ton theory. Doyle is brilliant man to
invent such deductions, but Of course he
works backward. If a man could possess
the quick intuition OF his Holmes, he
could make extremely clever guesses but
in the long run would be led completely
astray by his very acumen. 1t wouldn't
do in real life to put down every sun
burned man as coming from India or ev-
cry worn sleeve as belonging to a type
writer"
as there any truth in this sporadic DR..
-
Kenton.
"a little" said, running over in my
mind different crimes and their perpetra-
tors. Did | ever tell you about the old
man in the linen dusterr'
"No," both replied Let us have it."
at began like this: Back in the days
when Jim Fisk was commodore Of the
Fall River steamboats, | had occasion to
go to Newport. Completing my business
there, l took passage for New York in the
same boat | had come down on. Early
In the morning l was up to see the sun
rise, it being a fad Of mine when ahoat
As quite a number Of US were chatting
near the rail on the port side there was
considerable Of splash in the water be-
low, and 2.ckhand cried out, Man over
board" We all sprang forward and
leaned over the rail- while not n few
grabbed hold Of ropes ready to throw to
the unfortunate. There he is" one man
cried. pointing eXcitedly They were re-
versing the engines meanwhile. He acts
queer muttered some one at my left.
Then We saw the reason for it, for as
the suns first shaft struck the water the
man rolled over and assumed an almost
upright position. while a ray Of light
flashed across his face, revealing dark
red discoloraton. He's been shot through
the head" cried deckhand below. who
was in better position to see The right
arm Of the corpse was flung upright, prob
ably by the action of the water from the
propeller. and seemed TO point above us.
Instinctively we all looked to the upper
deck. and there hanging far out, with a
face wearing the most malignant hate, or
hcllsh glcc. ever saw, was an old man
whose long white hair and beard marked
him conSpicuouSly.
I'VE all rushed for the stairway, but
on gaining the upper deck he was gone.
\ steward informed US that such a per-
son dashed 10y him and that he Wore n
long linen dustcr He also said that the
man was mu'tering something To himself
wholly uuintelli-iblo. BY this time the
ship was In commotion. We Informed
the captain of what we had seen, and Mt
once orders were given to search the
ship. No passengers were found an
swering the description. \ second search
was made every passenger being Scrutl-
nizcd Then all hands were inspected,
but with the same result. On reaching
the West street pier officers were sta
toned about the gangway. and as the
passengers filed ashore all were again
subjected To close examination. But no
old gentleman was found wearing white
hair and beard. Then the boat was Civ
cn second ovcrhauling, with the former