The free press. (Poplarville, Miss.) 1890-19??, 1900-10-25
A LUCKY FIND.
BY ELLA NJ. HESS.


About eight years ago. on a warm
summers night in June. within a few
minutes Of Il, | was patroling a quiet
part of East Broadway when a man
called out from a second story Win
dow
Hold on, policeman
"Well," l asked, whats the mat
ter?'
q have just heard a heavy thump
in Mr.. Bentley's house, next door.
He may have fallen and hurt himself.
He came in few minutes ago. Hadn't
you better ring the bell:'
Mr.. Bentley was a rich old bachelor
who had lived entirely alone for years.
1t is said that in his house, to which
no outsider was ever admitted. he
kept a large amount of money and
bonds l rang the bell, but there was
no response.
Are you sure you saw him enter"
1 asked.
YES. He hadn't been in half a
minute before l heard a heavy jar.
l have heard no sound since"
"There must be something wrong"
l said, after ringing the bell a second
time and receiving no response.
| tried the door. but it was locked.
Better force it," suggested the man
at the window
Il don't like to do that. Is there
any other entrance?'
Yes: that alley just beyond the
steps leads to a back yard; but the
gate is probably locked, as well as the
rear door"
Il will 90 and see" said I.
Walking up the narrow alley, I dis
covered, by the dim light of a street
lamp nearly opposite. that the gate
stood open. l looked in and per-
ceived that the rear door was open,
and a faint light shone out. All was
quiet. l returned to the street
THE gate and the back door are
open Come down, and we Will go
in" | said to the man at the window.
In half a minute he joined me on
the sidewalk, and l recognized him
as an acquaintance named John
Burke.
Il didn't know You lived here"
said.
and l didn't recognize you when l
first spoke" he answered.
! We'll, there may have been foul
work in his house, and we had bet
ter enter together"
We went up the alley, into the yard,
and entered the open door. The rear
room was evidently used as kitchen,
and guided by the dim light, We
passed through another open door in
to a narrow hall with a stairway
Near the street door was a table on
which stood Il lighted candle. At the
foot of the stairs lay Mr.. Bentley,
quite dead, and a frightful wound up
on his head convinced me that he
had been murdered
At my request Mr.. Burke hurried
away to the police station, few
blocks off, to inform the captain OF
the murder, while | took the candle
and made a hasty examination OF the .
premises. A number of drawers in
the second story back room had
been broken open and ransacked,
and on the floor lay half of fresh
looking newspaper. 1t struck me that
the robber might have had it in his
pocket. and possibly used the other
half to wrap up some of his plumber,
leaving behind him, in his hurry,
what might prove Il valuable clue.
therefore folded up the fragment and
put it in my pocket, y moment later
Mr.. Burke returned, accompanied by
several officers and surgeon.
To make this part Of the story
brief. l will state that the usual for
malities followed, the body being
handed over to the coroner, and the
case was placed in the hands of the
detectives. l at first intended to give
them the bit of newspaper had
picked up. but as l had a half-formed
theory about the murder | concluded
to keep it, at least for day or two
to see if | could find n clue to the
assassin on my own account. 1t was
lucky | did.
After dinner on the following day,
1 paused opposite a well-knoWn
hotel on the Bowery, to watch
some painters who were at
work on a swinging ladder under the
caves. when my eye CHANGED to alight
on a man who sat by second story
window. apparently engaged in pack
ing a valise.
1t was Burke. What was he doing
there? l had been vaguely suspicious
of the man from the first; he was
too offlcious, l thought, too anxious
for an investigation. | resolved to
keep my eye on him, and see where
he was going.
With this end in view l posted my
self in doorway from which l could
see the window at which he sat 1t
was OPEN and as he lifted some
article from the ledge TO store it
AWAY. the piece of newspaper on
which il had been lying was carried