The Union times. [volume] (Union, S.C.) 1894-1918, 1900-03-30

toC VIII 40 your pesr ~ ussc.-.----
truth, only personal spite is a danger :
ous clement In such Investigations. 1
merely call your attention TO the exist
encc of the viper that you may crush 1t
with your heel. But you ask me to aid
you in this affair. 1t may surprise you
to hear me say that l cannot 60 into .
the case rs you DESIRE"
IL am more than surprised. am
sorely disappointed" said the detect
i've.
ooh, 1t is not so bad as thatv added !
Mr. Mitchell quickly. 81 may be of |
some use to you. You see, the truth !!
Is, Mr.. Rarncs, am not exactly q de- :
tectivc by trade. | mean no offense, !
but | cannot look at these cases from !,
your standpoint. With you crime !;
committed indicates that there is
criminal at large. That criminal must
be discovered, imprisoned, perhaps
hanged. That Is your work. 1t Is a
work with which can have no sort
of sympathy"
"But | have thought that these in
vcstig1tions Interested you"
Mr.. Earncs was much astonished ut
Mr.. Mitchci's words.
"Ah! Indeed the investigation Of a
mystery is interesting to me-. especial
~ where the use Of brains, and more
particularly of brains against brains,
enters into .he work. But the study Of
mrrdcr case, with the single object
os hanging the murderer, is not at
trGctivc TO me-"
Surely YOU do not mean that mur-
derers should go unpunishedT
NO; perhaps that would not. be a
wise course. But to me it seems that
the arrest, conviction and hanging Of n
specified murderer are matters Of abb
solutely no Importance and of no effect
in abating the tendency toward crime,
which is such conspicuous charac-
'crlStic of mankind. AS | limited
iwhilc ago, when you said that went
90 deep for you, can almost believe
lat it is Of more utility to study the
'auScs which have made given crime
possible than to capture and kill the
criminal. We think that we have thus
got rid of him. We have put him away,
out of the world. We have ended his
career. ALI! But have we? Can VIC
be sure that his crime will not breed
another crime rs Il direct sequence to
the one for which he is punished? And
do we know whether his punishment
will advaE.c or check the tendency
toward crime which lie has left as a
heritage II his offspring? These are
questions cf more interest to me, MI
Barnes, than the killing OF the man
who killed Mr.. Nora"
But su!rly, must repeat" said Mr..
Barnes, "you would not advise that
crimes Should go unpunished:
Perhaps might when am wiser,
you know" Mr.. Mitchell laughed and
once again abruptly changed the sub
ject However, Mr.. Barnes. since you
frown so upon me will lend you my
assistance"
You wIll?" exclaimed Mr.. Barnes
eagerly.
IL will, and there's my hand ont
as the song says. No! No! No thanks
arc necessary. Who knows? AS
said before. perhaps your affair may
be connected with mine. after all, in
which case would but be advancing
my own interests in aiding YOU"
DO YOU mean that you have found
some connection between the killing Of
Mr.. Mora and"-
Perhaps! only say perhaps! Do
not press me to commit myself fur
ther. And now give ne "a hours in
which to study the case. will you?"
Mr. Earnes accepted the hint to go,
and after cordially thanking Mr..
Mitchell for his promised assistance he
went away lighter hearted With Mr..
Mitchell cooperating he thought that
only n few days would be needed to
bring him to the truth.
Afterdls departure Mr.. Mitchell took
up the newspaper intending to read
over the report Of the inquest, wien
his eye rested upon headline In the
next column. which caused him to read
the following:
BRUTAL TREATMENT OF A CHILD.
"The Metropolitan Founding society
have just had their attention drawn to
n case which is peculiarly monstrous
In its cruelty. 1t appears that one of
their agents on his regular tour through
the east side was notified by the police
man on duty that baby had been
abandoned near by. Upon invcstiga-
tion the agent found that n row of ten
ements backed upon small burial
ground which, of course, had not been
used for intermcnts for many years
and Is therefore rarely opened. Into
this graveyard some ficnd had thrown
a girl baby, about n year old, and there
left 1t, in fitting place TO starve 70
death. The infant Mhen discovered
was entirely naked. so that there was
nothing about it which could serve as
n means Of Identification. Inquiry
among the inhabitants Of the tene-
ments eliclted the fact that for four
days the child had been seen crawling
about In the grass, playing among the
headstones, yet no one had found time