The Wilmington daily Republican. (Wilmington, Del.) 1890-1902, 1902-03-01

WOulu 10 uNylulHK IOI uOuey, anu tuat
only bis hard luck prevented hip from
Selling his soul at good figure. Once
when his affairs were at q low ebb his
patron suggested the police, and
Elmendorf became member Of the
force in the firm belief that corrupt
man like himself could make money
therein. But he had peryerse way OF
being dissatisfied with temptation,
md he gained reputation for hon
esty which his best friends deplored.
1t was pure chance, a matter not wor-
thy Of mention, which secured his
transfer to the staff Of tho detective
bureau. He had no appetite for the
work, yet he must have possessed a
certain fitness for it. Perhaps the ad-
vantage Of early mental training, add
ed to an unfailing memory and per-
ception of little things that was due
to the German blood in him, helped to
make real detective of him.
Yet there IL no money In detecting
alone and but small advancement as
Elmendorf well knew. What one
needs is the skill to construct good,
strong quill" coupled with the ca
pacity to turn the incidents of the pro-
fcssion to ones personal advantage.
In these important particulars Enen-
dorf was dire failure. He secured no
pull, and he was forced to live almost
entirely upon his salary. Indeed his
continuance Oh the staff was due
largely to the favor In which he was
held by certain men connected with
the press. The feeling that if Elmen-
dorf should be sent back to patrol duty
somebody would get "roasted" for it
long and hard In at least two of the
big papers was the deciding factor in
his case on several occasions.
He was useful, however, in affairs
like that with which the present rec.
ord has to do, where early rumor con-
nected persons Of prominence and
wealth with criminal cases and it was
desirable to have prompt and honest
report as basis for subsequent action.
In the matter Of the murderous at
tack upon Elsie Miller, Elmendorf re-
cciycd orders, on the morning of the
day following that upon which the
crime was committed, to "look up"
John Robinson. 1t appeared that Rob-
inson had left the house on Thirty
eighth street Immediately after Aldcn'3
departure, which he had viewed with
every indication of intense and painful
excitement.
No obstacle was put in the way OF
his departure when he desired to 60;
but an unohtrusyc young man of Cap
tain Ncalc's retinue walked upon the
other side of the street. Robinson did
not see this young man-Whlch is some
times II great misfortune for the per-
son thus altcpdcd-but it happened, in
this instance, that after a considerable
amount of pedestrian exercise Of
seemingly amless sort the young man
did not see Robinson, and this was I'M
doubleday serious misfortune for the
SHADOW" lie was roundly sworn ut
by his superior, when, after frui'less
search, he was obliged to announce
his failure to that individual. He did
not do this, of course, until lie had
waited a long time in front Of the
house where Robinson lived. Had Rob-
inson returned there the "sbadow'
would have given, in his subsequent
report, full statement covering every
detail of RObnson's movements and
every minute Of the time, and would
cheerfully have sworn to it in court
had later events made such proceed
ing necessary. But, failing to 'pick
rp' Robinson, there was no escape
from confession.
The landady Of the boarding house
where Robinson lived said that he
was somewhat irregular in his habits
and that he did not always come home
to dinner; but when at . o'clock in the
morning it was reported that he had
not appeared Captain Neale began to
be uneasy. AS he expressed it, If Rob-
inson has skipped, therell be nothing
doing"
Translated this meant that if a hum
bic clerk Of unknown antecedcnts had
stained his soul with crime for $500
there remained only the prolitless task
of catching him and sending him to
jail,
Tlmcndorf had no idea that Robinson
had "skipprd," principally because
there WAS no apparent reason Tor IT,
The clerk had delivered the note to
Elsie and had then left the house, as
the testimony of the servant, a reliable
woman long In Mrs. Simmons employ,
satisfactorily proved That Robinson
had Immediately returned and commit
ted the atroci0us crime for a reward so
small was, in ElmcndOrf's opinion,
wild Authorization, though he had heard
such n hypothesis stated. But that
Robinson's extreme agitation when
brought to the scene was due to a more
intimate knowledge of the affair than
he had disclosed was a much more rca-
sonabe proposition.
AS to the money in the note, Elmcn-
dorf was far from regarding it as the
motive for the crime. He believed that
the money had been there, for that was
one Of the few points upon which Elsie
had made Il positive declaration in her
first response to questions, as Elnen-
dorf had been Informed by Kendall in
their earliest interview at the hospital.
She had said that she had removed the
money and had laid it, with the note,
upon the table. 1t had been stolen, but
probably rs a "blind." unless, indeed,
some person connected with the police
had comfnrtrh m itching nnlm with it,
To he continued.