Rock Island Argus. (Rock Island, Ill.) 1893-1920, 1902-05-23
THE DAILY
SHORT STORY.
AN AMATEURS
WORK

sharp man, but I-have an analytical
and logical mind. l do a bit OF detec-
tive work ROW and then for my own
amusement, and though the press has
spoken well of my efforts the regular
officers sneer at them. as n matter of
course. l have given them several pref
ty hard knocks in my time. and l sup
pose they are justified in feeling cut
up over it.
Fifteen years ago I got my first
chance to pit myself against the regu-
lar detectives of the famous Scotland
Yard. Squire Farley, while travelling
on horseback, had been murdered and
robbed OF f2,00O. \ detective was at
once summoned from Scotland Yard.
While was on the ground before the
detective gathered nothing but what
he might have learned later on. The
squire had been proceeding over soft
red earth. There were the tracks
where he had pulled up his horse when
accosted. Then he had descended from
the saddle and left tracks of his own.
His assailant had worn the shoes of
farmer and had come from Il boat
mOorcd at the bank of the stream.
There was the dent in the bank made
by the boats stem, and twiES and
leaves had been stripped off bush as
the painter was fastened and united
again. There wasn't n stone to be
found for forty rods around. but there
was root with a hard knot at the
end lying almost beside the body.
Watch. ring, pin, seals, cardcase and
bunch of keys had been taken as well
as the package Of money. That was
OVERRIDING it. 1t was more like q farm
er's work than n bold criminals. The
bride reins on the horse had been bro
ken | satisfied myself that he had
been tied to Il tree and when assailed
by hunger and thirst had broken away.
Nothing pointed to robbery as the mo-
tive. There wasn't one chance in a
thousand that any one outside of his
mother and sister knew of the money.
According to my analysis. it was n
chance meeting. There had been
words, and the squire had dismounted.
Then there had been grapple, and he
had been struck down. The robbery of
the corpse had been an afterthought
and was done to disarm suspicion.
Nineteen times out of twenty the
man who is not killed for plumber is
killed for revenge. Who thirsted for
revenge on Squire Farley? He might
possibly have wronged some farmer
thereabout. but it takes great wrong
to call up thoughts OF murder. 1t was
more than likely that there was n girl
i'm the case. even though his moral rep
utation stood high. / began work on
this hypothesis after the detective had
failed and returned to London. The
squire had not gone counting at any
farmhouse, and so / looked for the girl
in one of the dozen country inns. l
had visited eight of them when I
found her. / discovered her through
Ter agitation when l carelessly called
up the subject OF the murder and Won
dcrcd that no arrests had been made.
/ had no proofs that jury would ac-
cept. but was morally certain of my
game. She didn't do it, but she knew
or suspicionedswho did. Was it her IA
Their. her brother or her beau? The
father was an old man. the brother
was absent at the time. and so went
hunting for beau. l found him in
the hOstler employed at the same hotel.
Up to the date OF the murder the two
had gone much together. and there had
been talk of a marriage. Now the girl
Stunned the young man, who had be-
come sullen and reserved and changed
over. The murder had taken place on
the hostlers birthday, and on that day,
as l learned. he had been given day
off and borrowed n boat and gone fish
ing on the stream. From his boat on
the river near the willows he could
have seen Squire Farley come riding
across the fields. 1t wasn't that he
feared the squire would marry the
girl out OF his hands. She had been
and it had come to his knowl-
edge. She may have felt great bitter
ness. but he wanted direst revenge.
What had become of the plumber?
Being employed about the barn, the |
hOstler would naturally prefer it for |
n hiding place. put up at the inn for n
week while studying out the case, and |
one day sent him to the village on an |
errand. When he had departed. 1 |
lounged into the barn. lodged the boy |
left behind and began a search. At |
the end of an hour, concealed in an old |
and decrepit tanning mill, found the |
of the robbery, nothing what
ever missing. 1 carried the stuff to my |
and locked it in my trunk. I |
had found the murderer, but what |
should / do with him? That question |
would be settled after talk with him
md the girl. The hostler returned just |
ut supper time and reported, and I told |
him / wanted a few words with him |
after had finished my meal. He prob
ably suspected something. as he went |
TO the barn and discovered that the |
plumber was gone. l was waiting to
see him when word was brought in |
that he had committed suicide by hang
ing. We found him hanging in one of
the stalls, and confess to feeling bit
sorry fer him, though believe should
have given him up TO justice had he
lived. AS for the girl. could not be-