The Wichita daily eagle. [volume] (Wichita, Kan.) 1890-1906, 1902-05-29
THAT MURDER AT EoRpnAM.

Inc night clerk had made long argu-
ment 70 the effect that nearly every ceie-
DRAFTED murder mystery had been solved
al last. but old Barney Patton. the house
detective, refused To be convinced
Your theory that murder will out
may pc all right in what you call cele-
orated crimes said the old fellow, but
my experience is that Il won't wash as
regards the nunbe-less minor cases that
are either never solved or in which the
cuiprit is never punished. And il isn't
always the fault ot the police, either.
They may be morally and most reason
ably certain OF the guilt OF a man or q
woman and yet be utterly unable TO prove
IL 10 the satisfaction Of a jury There
are so many obstacles in the form OF
court practice, so many complicated hin
! ORANGES in the technicalities Of courts.
that. to me, the wonder is so many Grim
mails are punished.
L remember the first case I ever work
1 co on and what disappointment ii was
u md myself baked at last by the fixed
requirements OF that judicial machinery
tnat is supposed TO be inexorable in the
pursuit Of all wrong-doers. l was sent
VI from the city to the town of Fordham,
which had just been shocked by rather
! singular midnight murder. The victim
I was a married woman named Celia For
dyce. who had recently moved into the
two-story cottage at the edge of town.
with her husband and their only child
daughter. II seems that he had been de-
tained till late hour at his store and,
having walked homeward. was within
block of his cottage when he heard cries
o. murder. and, running forward. saw
Bertha, his daughter, in her night-gown,
standing in the front yeranda screaming
for help.
Il learned that Mrs. Fordyces body
had been found on the floor OF the back
parlor nearly six feet from the bed
which she had occupied; that Winches-
ter rife. the muzzle in her hand. had
been found beside the body. An exam
nation of the body and of the room
showed that two shots had been fired
beth from the rife. One lodged in the
woodwork OF the bed. just above the pill
low, and the other had passed through
the woman's heart. and was found under |
the skin near the spinal column.
'Fordyce told me that the rife had al
ways stood in the closet OF the room oc-
cupied by himself and his wife. That, |
since his coming to Fordham, it had never |
been out Of its leather case. 1t was evil |
dent that the murderer had found the |
weapon, taken it out of its case and /
turned it upon the awakening woman. |
Was there another weapon in the house2 |
There had been, he said. a pistol. which 4
was always kept loaded under his or his 4
wifes pillow Where was 1t? Nobody
knew. 1 questioned Miss Bertha, who
was demure. rather comedy girl of per-
haps IL. She had been asleep in her
room. which was the ballroom on the
second floor. The first shot had awaken
ed her and she remembered sitting up
n bed to listen. Hearing no further dis
but quite frightened. she got
up and bolted her door on the inside.
Then she heard a second shot and mo-
rent later the sound as of body falling.
hen a rush of footsteps up the carpeted
ltair and back through the length of
he house. II had been some minutes.
The thought, before she gained courage
o light the gas. Then she called down
'ver the balustrade. but, getting no an
wer, came into the hall, lighting each
,as jet as she went till she was in the
eception hall downstairs From there ,
he saw her mother. facedown, on the ,
oor. Unlocking the front door. which
Tas fastened with a Yale lock and on |
he latch, she went out on the veranda ,
nd began to scream. Then her father :
ad come running That was all either ,
'ordyce or his daughter could tell about ,
he matter.