Wausau pilot. [volume] (Wausau, Wis.) 1896-1940, 1900-09-25
A Thorough Villain.


IS r. o you have come TO make
~ me rack my brain for another
"Reminiscences, have you? Well
old man. l am prepared for you. and
will give you an account of the mysteri-
Gus wharf murder which paralyzed the
city with horror some fifteen years
ago"
Thus old Clew addressed me as / en-
tered his private office one afternoon,
notebook In hand
zone morning a messenger came to
headquarters from one of the substa-
tons with the information that the
mutilated body of handsomely dress
ed man had been found humping with
the tide against one of the East River
bulkheads.
Il happened to be on duty at the
time, and at once made my way TO the
wharf where the body was secured.
When the body was drawn from the
water and stretched out, all dripping,
upon the dock smothered cry of hOr-
ror burst from the lips of the bystand-
ers as their eyes fell upon a terrible
cash in the mans forehead, plainly in
dieating that he was the victim of a
foul murder
Upon receiving permission from the
coroner | proceeded TO search the vic
TINS clothes; but some one. his muir
d. retz, as l correctly concluded, had an
ticipated me. l found nothing but a
few grains of burnt coffee in his vest
pocket
'.The body was ordered to be taken
10 the morgue for Identification, and
returned to the office, taking the coffee
grains with me. had already formed
a theory. and had some slight hopes of
working out the mystery.
For three days the body remained at
the morgue before it was identified. A
BOSTON firm had seen the keepers adj
vertisement, giving description of the
mans dress and general appearance,
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 week pre-
ylously on business for the firm.
II called ON this gentleman and
learned from him that Mr.. Freeman.
the murdered man. had been the owner
OF a beautiful watch. diamond studs
and sleeve buttons, and that he most
likely had several hundred dollars in
money about him at the time he was
killed,
Having ascertained this much. l
went 10 work. To me the coffee grains
smoke volumes. and | read my way out
81 the mystery quite clearly.
.,NIv first dodge was the adoption of A
suitable disguise. | assumed that of a
,canaller.' The latter term, you know,
Is applied by thieves TO all greenies
from the country. When properly
rugged for my purpose sailed forth,
anG, commencing at point some ten
hlocks below where the body was
found. | took in every drinking place
from thence on the river front up TO
ten blocks above. | was looking for a
barroom where coffee grains. allspice
and cloves were kept on the bar as
taste killers But they were all low
places that entered. and did not find
those condiments set out in any of
them, so took one street. back and
traversed the same as ! had the river
front. aud, finding none there, took
the next. and here | found my gin mill
with the coffee grains on the bar. II
was situated on the corner of the street
which terminated on the pier near
which the body had been found
so far so good. was satisfied in
my own mind that | was now in the
house which the murdered man had
last visited previous to being brutality
murdered.
"The first glance | fastened upon the
barkeeper satisfied me that he was a
bad one-a thorough villain-hut cow
ard. one OF those chaps VINO try 10 In
timidateay loud talk aud slang phrases.
When l walked up TO the bar and
asked for something 10 drink he eyed
me disdaipfully and came seemingly re
luctAntiy forward 10 wait on Inc,
But when ] disclosed a ssell-filled
wallet and laid down a so bin his
whole manner changed instantly. and
he was quite agreeable.
AT nsngth he excused himself. went
70 the door and secoEned TO Il youth
to come over. l understood that move
ment-l was pleased. and you viii
learn why shortly.
The youth came over. when the bar.
tender said:
Johnny. tend bar Tor me a little
whkla l want TO so to the sarber's;