Evening journal. [volume] (Wilmington, Del.) 1888-1932, 1900-01-12
A THOROUGH VILLAIN

$50 you have come to make me rack |
my brain for another Renaissance,
have you? Well, old man, l am pre-
pared for you, and / win give you an
account OF the mysterious wharf MUIR
der which paralyzed the city with hor-
ror some fifteen years ago."
Thus old Clew addressed me as
entered his private Office one afternoon
notebook in hand.
zone morning IA messenger CAME 10
leadquarterg from one Of the sub
stations With the information that the
mutiIated body OF a handsomely
dressed man had been found thump-
ne with the tide against one Of the
east River bulkheads.
.'Ghe district roundsman was max
ing his circuit at an early hour, when
a wharf rat came up and said:
Look yer, Cop. yer jes' 20 out on
the pier there, an take a look over,
an yer will see somethin' thatn make
yer hair stand
What's there. my lady inquired
The roundsman.
There's a jolly stiff ahoat out
ther-an 'upper-tenner, as sure as
I you're alive, old man.
THE officer well knew what was
meant by an 'upper-tenner,' and hast
ching out to the end Of the pier, he
Deheld the body Of man. floating face
downward. AT a glance he saw, also.
that it was the body of a well-to-do
/ individual. Getting a rope he Sc
I cured the corpse to the dock, and then
reported the case at once TO the sta
ton, whence messages were at once
sent to the Coroner and then to the
detective Office.
Il happened 10 be on duty at the
time, and at once made my way 10
the wharf where the body was Sc
cured. l arrived ahead of the Coro-
uer, and was, consequently, compelled
10 await that independent officers ar
rival, as. according 10 law, not, even
detective has the right to disturb
body until that official Is present
1T was full two hours before that
iardy 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
If the wharf in the incoming tide.
..Nhen the body was drawn from
the water and stretched out, all drip
ping. upon the dock, q smothered cry
! Of horror burst from the lips of the
! Dystanders. rs their eyes fell upon a
.errible cash in the dead mans fore
p head. plainly indicating that he was
! the victim Of n foul murder
4 Upon receiving permission from
he Coroner proceeded 10 search
r The victims clothes; but some one, his
/ murderers, rs l correctly concluded
! had anticipated me. 7 found nothing
J but n few grains Of burnt coffee In his
! vest pocket.
/. "The body was ordered to be takeI
? TO the inorgue for Identification anC
e / returned 10 the Office taking the cot
zee grains with me. l had alread,
! formed a theory, and had some Sigh
l. hopes Of working out the mystery.
l. 'Tor three days the body Remained
~ mt the morCue before 1t was identified
r A Boston firm had seen the keeper
I. advertisement. giving a description o
Il The mans dress and general appear
% ance. and when one of the firm cam
IN he at once recognized the remain
e as those Of their confidential clert
d who had left Boston for New sYor
y bout week previously on bushes
N or the firm.
II Il called on this gentleman an
D. learned from him that Mr.. Freeman
"a the murdered man, had been the owl
d. = of a beautiful watch, diamond stud
ii and sleeve buttons, and that he, mos
a. kelly. had several hundred dollars j
money about him at the time he wa
killed
Having ascertained this much
er vent TO work. TO me the coffee grain
It, spoke volumes and read my way OIL
lie OF the mystery quite clearly.
ly "Ay first dodge was the adoptio
st 0f suitable disguise. ] assumed tn;
he OF 'canaller.' the latter term. yo
know. is applied by thieves to a
greenles from the country. When pro
erlS rugged for my purpose ! salli,
,e. forth and commencing at a point son
n ten blocks below where the body w
". found. took in every drinking pla'
a from thence on the river front, up
mt ten blocks above was looking +
a barroom where coffee grains. a
spice and cloves were kept on the b
as taste-killers. But they were
rk low places that I entered and I 4
lie not find those conditions set out
I'll any of them. so ! took one street ba
he aud traversed the same as had I
river front. and. finding none the
took the next. and here l found 4
gin mill with the coffee grains on (
M bar. 1t was situated on the corner
Ird The street which Terminated on {
,ad pier near which the body had be
ger found
om 80 far, SO good; 1 was satlsh
an IN my own mind that | was now
Che house which The murdered IN