The citizen. (Frederick City, Md.) 1895-1923, 1902-01-10

THE OLD MAN IN
THE LINEN BUSTER.

! ~.@: 90 '@@c@cH~ :~.~S@ 5000
Don't YOU ever miss the old life?" he
! asked as the three of us sat in my Greene
street HON" slipping hot Scotch and re-
spinning oil yarns. Jim had reference to
my leaving The force, but | could in all
honesty answer: Not as much as you
would ina cine. Although am no longer
on the pay roll. yet have my diversions.
And really some of the most peculiar
cases | ever happened upon have come to
me since rc>sning"
"Such as the Spotted Bull Dog?" sug-
gestcd Kcnton.
"Wcl, yes" | responded THAT was
unique, but devoid of all ugliness; no
brutal features. you know. 1t was
pretty enigma, and wish all criminal
problems were resulting in as little harm"
do you ever run across any cases as
4 complicated rs those set down by Doyle
in his Sherlock Holmes storics?" asked
Jim. rcfiliug his pipe. Although l call
| him Jim, Ike Kenton and myself he was
| past the prime of life Three old croncs
we were who had only the past to live in.
''No and yes" | answered. Il have
known Of me extremely puzzlng affairs
| that baked all efforts of solution, affairs
| But have never believed in this deduc-
ton theory Doyle is a brilliant man to
| invent such deductions, but of course he
works backward. If man could possess
the quick intuition Of his Holmes, he
could make extremely clever guesscs, but
in the long run would be led completely
astray 10y his very acumcn. 1t wouldn't
! do in real lfc to put down every sun
Int1 nv-
cry worn sleeve as belonging to type
writer"
rs there any truth in this sporadic DR..
| Jckyll-AIr. Hyde business" inquired
| Kcnton.
a little" said, running over in my
mind different crimes and their perpetra-
tors "Did ever tell you about the old
man in thu linen duster?"
"No." both replied. Let us have it."
at began Ike this: Back in the days
when jim Fisk was commodore of the
| Fall River steamboats, had occasion to
20 to Newport. Completing my business
there. | took passage for New York in the
same boat had come down on. Early
in the morning ] was up TO see the sun
rise. it being n fad of mine when afloat.
As quite a number of us were chatting
considerable Of splash in the water be.
| low. and dockhand cried out, Man over
board We all sprang forward and
leaned over The rail, while not a few
grabbed hold Of ropes ready to throw to
the unfortunate. There he isl, one man
cried. pointing excitedly. They were re-
versing the engines meanwhile. He acts
queer muttcrcd some one at my left.
81, fnY. fnp nc
the suns first shaft struck the water the
man rolled over and assumed an almost
upright position, while ray of light
| flashed across his face, revealing a dark
red discoloraion. He's been shot through
! the headr cried a deckhand below. who
was in a better position to see. The right
arm of the corpse was flung upright, prob
ably by the action of the water from the
propeller, and seemed to point above us.
! Instinotivcly we all looked to the upper
deck, and there, hanging far out. with
face wearing the most malignant hate, or
| hcllish glce, | ever saw. was an old man
whose long white hair and beard marked
him conspicuously.
1--WE all rushed for the stairway. but
on gaining the upper deck he was gone.
! A steward informed us that such per-
| son udSUcu ny ulll anu tlidt hc Woic u
| long linen duster. He also said that the
man was muttering something to himself
wholly unintclliSible. BY this time the
ship was in connection. We Informed
the captain Of what we had seen. and at
once orders were given to search the
ship. No passengers were found an
swering the description second search
was made, every passenger being scrutl-
| nized. Then all hands We're inspected.
| but with the same result. On reaching
the West street pier officers were sta
toned about the gangway, and as the
| passengers filed ashore all were again
! subjected to close examination. But no
old gentleman was found wearing white
hair and beard Then the boat was Civ
| en- a second overhauling, with the former
success.
at created great deal of excitement
at the time. and the papers were full
of it.
! "a year passed, and | had well nigh
forgotten it. Oh should remark that
| the body of the man was secured day
after the murder was committed, for it
was murder the hole in the head having
been made by a revolver held at close
range. As | was saying. | had forgotten
| il when | received orders to sail at once
for Savannah to look after a case there.
On the first night out had been playing
whist in the smoking room and did not
leave the table until quite late. As |
entered the saloon | heard n cry at the
farther end and thought | saw some one
dart into passageway. The saloon was
deserted and dimly lighted. | hurried
forward. not expecting to find any one.
so was startled when | stumbled upon a
young man sprawling in a pool of blood
and moaning feebly. | called for help
and tried to bolster him up. My partner
at the whist table now appeared and sew
eral servants. We found he had been
stabbed, or, rather. slashed, across the
neck, the cut extending down to his right
shoulder. 1t was a wicked wound and
bled profusely. But. as it had missed
the jugular and there were two doctors
aboard besides the boat physician. we
believed it was not fatal. Restoratives
were given. the flow of blood checked and
the victim placed in his berth.
when questioned as to how it hap
pened he could only tel us that, as he
was about to enter the passage leading
10 his stateroom, he experienced a shock,
a burning sensation and realized that an
old man with white hair and beard.
wrapped in a long. light garment, was
pushing by him. The knife with which
:he blow was given was picked up few
feet inside the passageway. 1t was q
common butcher knife, and bore the
boats mark. l took the captain aside and
| related the murder IN the Fall River boat