The Salt Lake herald. [volume] (Salt Lake City [Utah]) 1870-1909, 1900-06-03
Cbe Old Nan in De Linen Dasfer.
A Strange Story Of Mysterious Murders


stabbed, or rather slashed, across the
neck, the cut extending down 10 his
right shoulder. L was wicked wound
and bied profusely. But as it had
missed the jugular and there were two
doctors aboard beside the boat ply
stefan, we believed it was not fatal.
Restoratives were given, the flow OF
blood checked, and the victim placed
in his berth When questioned as to
how it happened he could only tell Us
that as ne was about TO enter The pas
sage Leading TO his staterOOm he eX-
perlenced a shock, a burning sensation,
and realized that an old man with
white hair and beard. wrapped in a
long, light garment was pushing by
him. The knife with which the blow
was given was picked up few feet in-
side the paSsageWay- 1t was common
butcher knife and bore the boats mark.
I took the captain aside and related
the murder on the Fall River boat OF
year previous. He remembered il and
at once took steps for a most thorough
search. But, as in the other case, no old
man was found. Excepting a judge Of
the supreme court. one or two con-
gressmen and several well known meT-
chants of New York city, no men Of
advanced age were on board. The Ofti-
GERS of the boat were anxious that the
Fall River mystery should not be
coupled with this affair, but in some
manner il got out. You never saw such
a nervous crowd. Although the boat
was now brilliantly lighted, no one
would go about alone. The servants
were extremely agitated and moved to
obey orders in pairs. The next day
saw no abatement in the dread of the
Old man who had vanished so COM
nlpfaIU n whom ETHun
preached TWO youngsters on the for
ward deck 1 noticed that one of them
reached for his hip. Several of the
women We're in Mysteries, and one Of
them on learning my Identity chung TO
my arm all day long. And I must adj
nit that I felt a little shal1y. You see,
1 had passed through something of the
same once before. Only in the former
case the agony was not prolonged. But
here we were il a boat out of sight Of
land, knowing that somewhere in our
midst was a murderer all the more ter
rible because he was not known.
Passengers with drawn reVOlVeTS
ransacked each staterOom while the
boat officials examined every inch Of
the vessel. / took but little part in
these proceedings, for I remembered
the past and did not look for any So
lueiOn of the mystery. AS night drew
Oh again the lEeiA lllAl EcoEus " no ACAAs
was the look in every eye. Armed
watchers guarded Che more remote
parts of the boat, while the passengers,
to a person, almost huddled together in
the saloon. 1 believe a few whose
staterooms opened off from the saloon
did retire, but not an eve was closed
in sleep throughout the night.
Along about 2 o'clock 1 determined
to take a little scout about on my own
hook, and slipping on some 'sneaks,'
with loaded revolver in my hand, I set
out. I must have prowled about for
over an hour when 1 reached q passage
leading back to the cabin. AS 1 was
about to enter it I remembered it was
the same one through which the muir
derer fed on the night before. A light
was dimly burning near the center of
the passage, and under it 1 could dis
Germ a Waterman, who was evidently
asleep. For some reason l looked be-
hind me- All was clear, but ias 1
turned again 1 experienced the great
est shock of my life. For bending over
the recumbent guard was the old man
in the linen buster with a wicked look
ing knife appraised. / let out yell that
ought to have reached the mainland,
and thrusting forward my revolver, let
go. With an answering Shrek the old
man turned and dropped his weapon.
/ hope never again to see such look
of devilish ferocity as shOne from his
face OF course. all this took place in
a second, but>even then / knew my bull
let had gone wide. Without the knife,
however, I was not afraid of him, and
with another yell I jumped forward.
But quicker than I, the old man darted
q few steps down the paSsageway and
into a staterOOm. After him l sprang,
but found the door locked. 1 jumped
against it, but it did not give way en-
tireIy. With another lunge 1 had it
opened. a wOman's scream greeted
me- and / saw that the occupant was
sitting up in her berth, her eyes full
of terror. The window was open, and
with scant courtesy l rushed for this. L
could hear the passengers crying out
to one another and running about. The
woman behind me stopped screaming.
Turning from the window my eyes met
her face in a mirror. l then reahzed
the horrible truth, for the face wore the
same look of fiendish intensity 1 had
seen in the passageway.
When the boats people found me
had her handcuffed and she was with
ing in a maniac's frenzy. She was
sporadic murderer, and she was also
the young woman who had chung to me
so tenaciOusly during the preceding
day. I trembled as I thought of my
danger
What about the white fair and lin
en- duster?" broke in KentOn, whose
pipe had gone out in the meanwhile.
1--WE found them stuffed under her
berth: also the false beard" 1 ex-
planned "She died inside of a year in
a lunatic asylum"
7 shall keep a light burning for
week." muttered Jim, as they prepared
/ TO leave.
| Are you sure she's dead?" inquired
] KentOn, slipping on his great coat