Rock Island Argus. (Rock Island, Ill.) 1893-1920, 1901-07-05
The Daily Short Story
The Amateur Detective.


"Get up, Dodson There's been a
MURDER
Murder. where?" 1 asked, leaping
out of bed.
I'm the hall bedroom above. Here is
the proof" And he held up piece of
carpet with a bright red spot on it
you speak in riddlesr'
81 discovered the evidence when I
came home last night. As result of
two hours investigation 1 have ascer-
tanned that the man who lodged in the
room above had an enemy. They met
last night by appointment. and drank
together. The man up stairs drank
too much or was drugged and was
brought home by his enemy. This was
all planned by the murderer, whose OBJ
ject was revenge.
"They came to the house I'm a cab
drawn by gray horse 1t will be easy
TO find the cab. as the horse was blind
in one eye, and three of the cab wheels
had old and worn tires, while the
fourth was n new one. The driver
waited, but when the murderer went
down stairs he dismissed the cab and
walked away.
1.-THE lodger up stairs was assisted
into the house by the man who killed
him. The latter took the key from the
pocket OF his victim and unlocked both
doors. The murdered man was killed
before he had n chance to make an out
cry, but his blood is on the hands OF his
slayer
THE murderer Is more than 6 feet
tall, Is broad shouldered, wears a No.
10 boG-"
"Great heavens. Tones, did you see
the men when they came in and see the
murderer go away?"
Nothing of the kind. He had been
gone more than an hour when 1 got
home so the murder must have been
done between 1 and O'Clock"
''Then how do you know all you have
told me?'
Learned 1t all by a few careful OBJ
servations. I discovered red stain on
the door OF the dodgers room, showing
that the murderer had blood on his
hand. He attempted to wipe it off on
the carpet, and cut out the spot for
examination. The other facts / aseer-
tanned with the aid of tape measure.
and my general knowledge of the value
of apparently unimpOrtant details in
such cases.
''In the first place, there was mud on
the boots of the murderer, and he left
footprints on the stoOp and stairs.
measured those with a tape line and
found that he wore No. 10 boot. That
means a man more than 6 feet tall, but,
to confirm that, / measured his stride,
which was feet inches.
1.-The points tbout the cab were easily
ascertained. The street was not swept
yesterday, and the imprint of the cab
wheels was easy to trace. Three wheels
made ruts in the dirt round at the
edges, showing old and worn tires,
while the off hind wheel left a square
trace, Indicating a new tire. On the
Iamppost l found a few short white
hOrsehairs on one side. A gray horse
had rubbed one side of his head on the
post. Now horse blind in one eye
never rubs the blind side of his head
against a post for fear of striking a
projecting nail. AS the hairs were all
on one side of the post the horse must
have been blind i'm one eye.
Il know that the murderer dismissed
the cab when he went down stairs be-
cause it returned in the direction from
which it came. II he had gone away
In the vehicle, he would have ordered
the driver TO proceed in the opposite
direction"
'Wonderfulr' 1 exclaimed.
MY friends from the central office
should be here very soon, and then we
can get to work. said Tones glancing
at the clerk.
By this time the servants and the