The Camden chronicle. (Camden, Tenn.) 1890-current, 1902-04-18


boy riding about Breyador on Easter
Eve lie spent hours with thc station
agent trying TO get some hint that
might lead TO a positive statement as TO
whether old Miss Bovet had waited |
for the Omaha train or whether she /
had boarded It, but the station agent |
stuck TO his positive and reiterated |
statement that "Old Aunt Lou never |
come near the deepo that night. Ger
tain sure she never bought no ticket |
to Omaha nor no place else"
Mcknight was beginning to think |
that the mystery was too much for
him. After all his investigation he
could not fix even a shadow Of suspic-
ion on anybody but Henry, the boy.
That guess was wholly unjustifed, inn
probable and, he admitted, incredi-
BILE Besides, there was no sign Of evil
dence upon which to build even q hypo-
thetical case. lie thought he saw signs
of possible dcvilment IN The face and
manner Of the illfavored wife OF
Bovet, Henry's mother, but she had
not been out Of her husbands presence
since the disappearance Of the old
maid, and therefore could not have
made away with Aunt Lou, no matter
what had been her evil wishes.
The town marshal, who tagged after
Mcknight in evident admiration OF the
city" sleuth, was full Of suspicious
against Henry, the boy. He had caught
him once with a wagon wrench, known
to have been stolen from Jones black
smith shop. The rest OF the plumber
had been found buried under a pile Of
manure. Mcknight considered this
a trivial argument against the lad, and
1t increased his contempt for the mar
shall.
And did you ever land the Jones
robber? " grinned Mcknight one even
ing as he and the local officer sat in
the back room Of the town saloon.
'Nope, "drawled the Woody marshal;
that's one Of the town mysteries-the
second The murder of old man Kiss
ner was the first. We never Eetched
them fellers. The Jones robbery was
the second, and now comes the Bovet
case. One more and my rep will be
goEe for Shore" and the baftied guar
dian of the law drank deeply
about the Kissner case?' suggested
Mcknight, pricking up his ears; how
ABOUT that?
can old miser, supposed" said the
marshal, lived over on the north edge;
disappeared last fall, a year comm;
found him in a well, and his house,
old snack, ransacked, blood all over
everything; found the weapon that
killed old Kissner myself-a black
smiths hammer"
"Was it one Of Joneses?" the detec-
tive was crowding the slow story-teller.
by ging, l never thought O. that
Lessee. Nope. The Jones robbery
come after'ards."
and you found the body in well?'
"Yep HE"
The Pittsburg detective was at Louis
Bovet's farm early the next day. He
had two strangers with him, and his
coming seemed to surprise the farmer
and displease his wife and son.
How many wells and cisterns have
you on the place" asked Mcknight.
The farmer said he had only one well
left" th9t he had filed up the old
one in the cow lot, and that the new
one and the cistern was just alongside
the house in the side yard.
Mcknight set his men to work drain
ing the cistern with 4 hand-pump they
nad brought out. He expected some
objections from the wife, but she
seemed so pleased to lend a helping
hand that he quit the task and attacked
the we'll. She babe Henry take turns
and watched them with furtive twin.
lSle in her queer eye.
Perhaps we'd better stop this" said
Mcknight, watching the woman, land
begin on the OLD we'll"
Her skinny hand flew to her mouth
her face flushed red as she almost
shrieked
They amt no old well, you idjit?
"Mirandyw cautioned old Bovet
what ails you? Don't sass him, he'l
only tending to his"
A. gunshot from the window inter
rupted him. He looked up in time t,
see Henry, the boy, peering along TIT
barrels Of an old shotgun. Mcknight
peppered with bird shot, jumped To-
the house door, the woman tried t,
t stop him, but he brushed her asid,
|, like a wasp, and leaped up the bacl
stairs.
J. 'He never done it," the mother wa
]. screaming. when Henry was drnpaei