The Jennings daily record., 1902-05-23

"Oh. Tom-you-y-o-u."
With shrilI distinctness the cry
arose above the never-ceasing din of
the great railway station. Years of de-
tective work had made me callous to
the horrors Of human suffering and
crime, but that weird cry. so full of
anguish and reproach. jostled me
sharply out of my usual Indifference.
1t caused me to forget entirely for the
momest the haggard face of q young
man that l had been watching with
some interest as / sat over in a corner
out OF the crowd awaiting a delayed
train. It was not the face of a
criminal. but it had the hunted
look of one, and fear and remorse were
plainly stamped upon it. The young
man had been pacing snervousiy up and
down the pavement in front of the
door, and l remembered afterward
that he had stepped inside just mo-
ment before l had been startled by the
unusual cry behind me. Before l
could turn it was repeated:
"Oh, Tom-you-y-o-u!"
"Oh, Tom-you-y-o-u!'
My nerves must be getting bad" l
thought. as with a creepy feeling al
most of dread l turned to see what it
was.
Instead of tragedy, comedy, for
what l saw was two maiden ladies,
very prim as to aspect and uncertain
as to ages, in great state of excite
ment, trying to pacify a parrot, which
was struggling to get away and shrek
ing:
"Oh, Tom-you-y-o-u!"
"Oh, my! Oh my" exclaimed one
Of the ladies. whatever can be the
matter with the bird? He was never
acted like this before-isn't it hor-
ribIe?"
AS l arose to go to her assistance
for the parrot seemed to be more than
she could manage, | noticed that the
young man had begun his restless
tramp again and was coming in our
direction. his eyes bent on the floor.
"Oh, Tom-you-y-o-u!" shrieked the
parrot, seemingly beside himself with
fear and rage. There was something
in the actions of the parrot that drew
my attention again to the young man
and held it.
Suddenly he seemed to hear the cry.
He stopped, clutched at his collar as if
choking, and the look of horror and
fear on his ashen face was pitiable.
Whether he saw the parrot or not l
never know, but with groan he
slipped pistol from his pocket and
put bullet in his brain.
The suicide of Tom Galgwyn. wealthy
Soung man about town, was the sensa-
tion of the day, and all sorts of theo-
ries were advanced as to the cause of
1T. His friends declared that he must
have had some hidden romance, pre-
sumabiy disappointment in love, and
some impressionable young ladies be-
dewed his memory with tears. Those
who knew him better attributed his
act to temporary insanity following
long debauch, which was true enough
as far as 1t went Many remarked the
coincidence that young Galgwyn and
the uncle that had raised him and
whose heir he was. had died violent
deaths, about each of which a mystery
clung, for this uncle had been muir
dered in his room one night about
year before and his murderer had new
er been discovered. But / alone knew
that there was any direct connection
beween the deaths of the two men the
murder of old Joe Branch and the sui
eide of his nephew, Tom Gaigwyn,
whom the old man had loved as his
own soul.
The curious incident in connection
with the suicide had aroused my curl
osity and l took pains to trace the an
tecedentS of the man and of the bird.
Galgwyn, left an orphan when a mere
child, had been adopted by his uncle,
who was wealthy and unmarried. and
whose only near relative the boy was
His somewhat isolated but beautiful
suburban home had been found too
dull by Tom when. after a none too
sayory career at college, he had re-
turned to 1t. and careless of his un-
cle's feelings and wishes, he spent
practically all his time in the city
He had lived, l was told. at fast
pace, and in spite of the liberal allow
ance his uncle made him he had gotten
deeper and deeper in debt, until he