Gloucester County Democrat. (Woodbury, N.J.) 1878-1932, 1900-11-15
out with column description of the


"T haven't even visited it. he re-
piled. Nevertheless he picked up the
pages and read them, as If impelled by
seme hateful fascination. Then he
took up his pen to make few minor
corrections. Then, as If totally obliv-
ious of my presence, he began to write
AS sheet after sheet fell from under
his fingers l snatched them up, read
them hurriedly and shot them up to the
composing room. l read rapidly, tax.
ing but small account of the matter Sc
long as 1t ran smoothly, while | had
too much confidence In him to question
the accuracy Of his statements. | only
realized that he was writing a great
account-the greatest he had ever writ
ten. He seemed inspired with the very
innermost thoughts of the murder, and
under his touch every trivial incident
came out with distinctness and co.
herenee that made the cause and meth,
cd of the crime perfectly plain.
First he described the scene with
accuracy and detail that would have
been impossible for one who had moi
studied 1t closely. The selection of the
spot was explained by the fact that the
bright electric light streaming through
the windows Of the engine house made
1t impossible for the passerby to see
Into the shadows Thus. while impen-
etrable darkness screened the assassin
the rattle and roar Of the machinery
near by drowned all sounds of the
struggle of the falling body.
''The blow on the head, he demon
strated, must have been from a stick
while the wound through the heart
could only have been made by one OF
those long, fine bladed stilett0s of Ital
ian make. Furthermore, the fact that
this peculiar weapon was driven home
with firm hand after the victim had
been stunned by a blow on the head
indicated premeditated and deliberate
murder, while the theory Of robbery
was disproved by the fact that the
mans Yaluables had been untouched
The only reliable theory, therefore
was that the motive of the murderer
was revenge.
"a more mastery analysis of a case
into what l at first supposed to be
purely imaginary speculations as tc
the wrong which had led the murderer
to seek the life of the unknown man
These seemed purposcly vague at first
but gathered in strength and certainty
1,o
some good foundation for them. Start
ing With hypothesis. he soon began to
state them as facts. He described how
the dead man, a once trusted friend,
had entered the home Of another. how
by subtle wiles and deceit he had stolen
the love of his wife; then followed an
elopement and the breaking up of that
once happy home.
"He told with the bitterness Of truth
how the scoundrel had deserted the
erring woman and left her to perish
alone; how the idea of revenge had
filled the mind of the wronged bus
band; how. himself unseen. he had
followed every movement of the in
tended victim for months and carefully
plotted his destruction; how he had de
coyed the doomed man to the town and
to the very spot where the murder was
committed, and how he had destroyed
the only clews-a couple Of letters in
the pockets of the dead man-and final
ly made his own escape. the secret safe
Ia his own heart alone.
"As / read this remarkable tale
through the conviction forced itself up
on me that this was the absolute truth
II the writer himself had committed
the deed, he could not have described Il
more graphically, Suddenly the thought
flashed over me. Could he describe such
crime thus without having In fact
committed 1t?
I'VE were alone in the room.
glanced at Jones apprchensively. He
was writing rapidly, fie-cely. His eyes
were fixed, but he seemed to be looking
through and beyond the paper across
which his pen few at something fasci
mating, terrible. When he finished, II
was with a start, as If waking from q
trance. / glanced at the last page
where was final confirmation of my
fears
"'Good heavens, Jones, Is this trueY
managed to say.
Every word of 1t, as live he re
piled firmly, II family.
"'Then you have written the war
rant for your own arrest said.
"His head dropped OH his desk. bui
he said not word.
Jones', said |. finally shaking him
by the shoulder to arouse him to an
understanding of my meaning. enough
to hang you is in type In an hour the
papers will be on the streets In an.
other hour the police will be after you
Go; make the most of your start
1T was as predicted" said the city
editor after a pause. Before daylight
a detective called on me to ascertain
the source of that story. simply
pointed to Jones' name on the book
and they went after him."
did they catch him?" asked the
other eagerly.
"They found him In his room with a
stiletto through his heart."-St. Louis
Star.
what TO Do at a Fire.