The Globe-republican. [volume] (Dodge City, Kan.) 1889-1910, 1902-02-13

! DERTHA DUNN, leaning out from
! - a fourth-story window to enioy
the sunset and river breeze, CHANGED
/ to see one man murder another in an
alley below.
| 1t was over in a brief moment. A
! sound, inarticu1ate and sudden,
caused her to turn her eyes from the
unfa thomable sea of amber, opal and
mother of pearl across the shinin z
river. She saw two men, both clearly
defined in the ambient glow coming IN
an opening between two buildings
They struggled a second, and then
there was a sudden double flash in the
right hand of one. Then the other ma 4
fell, and Bertha gazed, horror-stricI
en-, at one hudd1ed heap lying alone
where two forms had been writhins
.Iadly.
The shock of it Photographed on her
brain the face, the form. the uncovered
head of the man with the knife. Snq
would know him if she met him anon,
a thousand Others Then the horror O.
it came home to her.
She, Bertha Dunn, the shyest an6
the meekest of all the teachers in the
Tenth ward school, had witnessed
murder She would have to appear in
court, to testify, to explain, to iden.
tify.
She closed her lips very. reso1ute1y
No one must know it from her. God
had such matters IN His hand, not man
She closed the window softly and went
about getting her frugal meal with
shaking hands but a firm determine.
ton not to give way.
1t was a coura geous thing to do but
Bertha had need of courage. Some SO
miles away in the deep green country
her invalid and widowed mother and
several small brothers and sisters
lived upon her sa1ary-that is all she
could spare This made her live in q
small highNp room and alone-that
Der economies be not known. 1t was
in the blessed rest hour after school
that Bertha leaned out and witnessed
the tragic fate of the unknown.
Long she sat in thought over her cuE
of tea. Bertha had that rare thing
conscience, and she weighed the mat.
ter carefully. The deed, the motives
Who the man with the reddish hail
might be-these things haunted her
dreams and broke her sleep She was
glad when morning dawned and she
could go to her school.
But first she bought a morning pa
per to see if the murder had been dis
covered. There it was in big, black
head1inesi A mysterious murder OF
an unknown man, a we11-dressed
stranger, in whose pockets was moth
ing by which to identity him. And, as
SIC read, Bertha Dunn realized with
shudder that the murderer, also, hae
been well dressed and that the double
fash in the sunlight had been greas
jewel on the hand that drove home the
shining knife
The police were making every effort |
to get a clew to the murder. So
Bertha was prepared to meet a re- |
spectful policeman in plain clothes |
near her door that afternoon. Had
she seen any people in the alley the /
day before? Did she know anything
Of the murdered man? To which ques-
tons Bertha was able to give a shy /
negat tive She trembled to think THAI |
they might ask her if she had seen the
murder committed-but they did not |
and she went up the stairs very thank |
full
The little teacher bought pa pers the t
two next mornings and read them over
her desk before the school bel~rang
The third day she read with a wildfy
murdered man had been discove@ed
itaHsts, a man of wealth. culture and
travel He was supposed to be in New
York, and it was OILY by accident tina.
he was known The face of the MUIR
dered man had been badly slashed-
probably after death, and this rem
dered identificatio difficult. Now the /
chase was The city was reused.
the murderer must be found, and
money was plenty I
Bertha closed h er little red mouth
more firmly, and went about with a {
white face Drag her into court
room2 She would rather die hum
bred deaths.
In those Gays she Ia d troubles of her
own Her sister, the one who kept ths.
family together down in the country.