The Kinsley graphic. [volume] (Kinsley, Kan.) 1890-1940, 1901-02-15

charming girl into the bargain-and
| what is more, a noble woman.
Does she know of her fathers
death?"
81 broke the news as gently as
possible. She took it much more calm
~ than supposed she would. There
evidently was but little sympathy be-
| tween her and her father"
ION her side, at any rate"
Eyes. Her first net on learning OF her
| fathers crimes was to. send for law
yer. She refuses to touch cent of his
money, and has instructed her attorney
to make such ~Festitutions as may be
| possible and to- turn the rest to char
liable institutions This leaves her al.
| most penniless; for the property she
held in her own right from her moth
| er's estate amounts to very little. For
tunately, Sprague Is rich enough for
both. What are you doing there, il l
| may ask?"
DR.. Thurston pointed to bundle
which lay upon the table.
THAT is Murdock's autobiography
legacy to me. The package was found
| near his valise in the death chamber
He had addressed it to me at the last
minute"
did it help you in your account of
the Knickerbocker bank case for the
Tempest?"
"a little; but naturally, Murdock's
account of that crime was not COM
plete. The entire journal. however,
is of absorbing interest. 1t is q pity
that it cannot be published"
why cannot it be published?"
ut would be dangerous to the well
fare of society. Murdoch was an cx-
traordinary genius in his line; there
is marvellous originality and ingenu-
ity in his work. His crimes, num-
bered by the hundred, were all OF
capital Importance in their results;
all deep-laid and skillfully executed.
It is hardly likely that such another
consummate artist in crime will OK
list once a century. To publish the
details of his schemes would be to
put formidable weapon in the hands
of the vulgar herd of ordinary Grim
inals, who lack the Imagination Of
this brilliant villain.
II tell you, Thurston," continued
Sturgis, with what seemed very like
enthusiastic conviction, "this man
was the originator of almost every
unsolved mystery which has non
plussed the police during the last Is
years. He had his agents in every i'm
portant center throughout the coun-
try; agents working under potent in
centives, and yet working in the dark,
for few of them have ever known who
held the mysterious power which di-
rected their every move. Murder has
been done Wholesale; and so quietly
and mysteriously has the work been
accomplished that, in all but this last
case, the detectives have found no
clue whatever which might lead 20
an explanation of he sudden and ,un-
accountable disappearance of wealthy
men. whose bodies, shipped to the
Manhattan Chemical company by
Murdock's agents, were quietly and
Systematically made away with in the
chemists laboratory"
HE was the fiend incarnate!" ex-
claimed the physician.
WELL" said Sturgis. after a mo-
ment Of thoughtful silence, 'at any
rate, he was not wantonly cruel. lie
was heartless; he was pitiless; but
his cruelty was always a means to an
end, however selfish and illegitimate
that end might be. His cruelty Is
that. in measure, of every human
being destroying life that he may live
and trampling upon his fellow men
that he may be comfortable. Be-
tween Murdoch and the rest-of us there
was q difference of degree. certainly.
but was there difference Of kind?"
There is one thing which I can
not yet understand" said Thurston.
land that is. why Murdoch should
have pushed his audacity to the poin: |
of defying you to ferret out the mys-
terry of this crime when he might |
perhaps have avoided all risk of de-
lection by holding his tongue"
mo man is perfect" answered
Sturgis. sententiously, mot even an
accomplished villain like Murdock,
fortunately for the rest Of mankind |
Every human being has his weak
points. Murdoch had two: his van
ity and his love for his daughter.
They were the only traits which con
nected him with the human family. |
To them he owes his undoing.~
TIE ENO