The San Juan islander. [volume] (Friday Harbor, Wash.) 1898-1914, 1903-08-06
AN ACCIDENTAL DISCOVERY

by sleuths. Sometimes accident gives
othcm up.
For twenty years 1 have been a de-
tectire Soon after | entered the pro-
fession Father Nost, a Roman Catholic
priest, one of whose flock | was, called
me one day ;iito his study and told me
the following:
What | am about to narrate hap
pened last night l know nothing about
Jaw or Justice or the workings of the
police force, but as it is your business
to track crime l give the information to
you, and you can make what use OF 1t
you think proper. 1t was about IL
o'clock, and |, who had been up later
than usual visiting a sick parishioner,
had just come in apd was preparing for
bed when the servant came to my room
and said that a carriage was waiting
at the door to take me to give abSolu-
ton to one about to die. | went down
stairs and out to the carriage, l found
a masked man inside.
Il was driven for q full hour. The
carriage made few turns, and | fancy
that | must have been driven to
suburb of the city, for after leaving the
pavement we drove for a time over
dirt road, then again q pavement /
made an effort to engage my companion
In conversation, but he gave me no re-
ply. Finally the carriage came to q
stop, and he bound my eyes with
handkerchief, the door was opened
o,,,i1o6 II
steps over flagstones, | think, and we
mounted steps. l counted six. Then
after going q short distance we mount
ed more steps - this time | counted
twenty~-and we made one turn. In
another moment | was led into warm
Ell atmosphere, and the bandage was
taken off by some one who slipped out
of door behind me. Before me, pale
and haggard stood a man who sank
upon his knees.
Father he said, 4 am about to be
murdered. My murderers have been
brought up in our church, whose intiu-
ence, you we'll know, can never be en-
tirely overcome. When | begged foT
absolution before being put out of their
way, they could not refuse me. Shrive
me, father
"'Give me your name,' l said, and
even if can't prevent your murder [
may at least bring about the punish
ment of your murderers.
"'Should | reveal the slightest cir
cumstance you, too, would be put
where you cannot harm them
Il received his confession ard gave
him dissolution. All the while, l con-
fess, | was studying the room that
might know it again, There was an
open fireplace, with a mantel. such as
was used 100 or 200 years ago. | fixed
the beadwork in my mind and made
drawing of it as soon as | returned.
tried to find some other special mark
about the room, but there was nothing
else unusual. l left the man Frustrated
and was driven home, as | had come,
over pavement, dirt road and pavement
again."
Father Vost went to a desk, took out
the drawing and handed it to me-
l was young in my business and de-
termined to make some reputation for
myself on this case. | did not report
it at police headquarters, as | was in
duty bound TO do, but spent months in
searching the newspapers to catch
notice of some missing man. My eff
forts We're without success, and at last
l gave it up. That was ten years ago,
and since then l have been accused by
my conscience for not at once reporting
the case. The only effort have contin.
ued to keep up is an examination of all
old mantels offered for sale. and have
compared hundreds of them with Fa-
ther Vost's dreaming, always to find
them different
One day recently, while I was pass
ing through the very street in which
Father Vost had lived, not block from
the house l passed a building which
was being converted from q dwelling
to store. A crowd had gathered, and
some workmen were carrying out
skeleton which, was told, had been
found bricked up in chimney. Such
things may at any time be of service to
detective, and l went up to examine
the room from which the bones had
been taken. The first thing to eaten
my attention was q mantel which had
been taken down and was leaning
against the wall. The moment looked
at 1t 1t seemed familiar. Taking out
Father Vests drawing, which / always