The Press. (Stafford Springs, Conn.) 1883-1935, 1903-02-12

of such faculties of mine as might
have been practical under better con-
| ditions
With no clear idea of what hoped
| to accomplish l left the car and went
| into the business Office of a newspaper,
where arranged for the insertion of a
small advertisement offering a reward
| of $25 for the man who had been eX-
cluded from the Museum of Art. had
| 1t put among the washerwomen in the
| two classifications Help Wanted" and
"Situations Wanted" on the vague the
| DRY that women know the news and
tell it; that they are sharp to see
chance to earn a dollar; that Mr.. Over
alls was probably out of work and his
| wife taking in washing.
Having accomplished this mastery
detective stroke, went home and read
book till it was time to go to bed.
On the way down to the Office the fol-
lowing afternoon l called for answers
to my advertisement and was amazed
to find that one had been received. 1t
was a brief and somewhat illiterate
production signed Mrs. Mary Collins
8 fiure, back" and it contained the in
formation that the writer had "sus-
pishuned'' for two days that her JAM
tors brother was the man in question.
"He denize it," added Mrs. Collins,
taking considerable trouble with her z,
"but it's him."
l called messenger boy, to whom l
gave So and Mrs Collins address, with
a brief statement of the facts in the
case and a command to bring the JAM
tors brother to the Office of the Citizen.
Suppose he won't come?' said the
boy.
The same idea had occurred to me.
would have bet weeks pay that he
would not come for my asking, but
these messenger boys are smart.
Don't talk nonsense" said 1. Bring
him."
At the Office found Bond and Wilde
together in the latter's private room.
Bond seemed to be considerably ekcit-
ed. Wilde was laughing in that silent
and secret fashion which is peculiar to
him.
"Have you got him?" asked Bond.
"I've sent for him. l replied.
"Good!' said Wilde. '"That will make
the round Dozen"
This statement was presently eluci-
dated, and perceived an extraordinary
condition of affairs. 1t appeared that
Wilde, seeing the offer of $25 reward in
the morning paper and supposing it to
be the work of a rival, had offered 500
in an afternoon addition. Eight men
Hol 1o1 Nf 10
clared that he was the original and on
ly genuine Mr.. Overalls. AS the circum-
stances of the case had been fully de-
tailed in the newspapers, there was no
difficulty in telling perfectly straight
story. But there was a very great diff
ficulty upon our side of the matter in
determining who was telling the truth.
In addition to the eight who had an
swered the advertisement the three pri-
vate detective agencies presented one
candidate apiece, and, as Wilde had
expressed it, my man would make the
round dozen.
1--WE must have the fellow identified"
said Bond. land the doorkeeper must
come down here to do it."
There were several objections to this
proposition. 1t was not the regular
doorkeeper who had been on duty when
this crime against the liberties of the
plain people had been committed, but
an assistant named William Washing
ton. This man had been kept out of the
way since the event, and only one re-
porter had succeeded in finding him.
To this reporter Mr.. Washington had
declared that he could not remember
Mr.. Overalls; that he didn't even know
whether he was white or black. I'm
doubtedly this was falsehood, yet it
was likely that he would stick to it.
Certainly he hated all newspapers aft
er the roasting to which he had been
subjected, and a yoke of oxen couldn't
drag him to the Citizen Office for the
purposes of this investigation. Never
theless Bond said to me cheerfully:
go out and get this man Washington
and have him here within two hours"
l felt faintness succeeded by an
agreeable desperation. 49,.
''Surew said 1 and stalked out of the
room.
A desperate man can accomplish
much. In exactly fifty-five minutes
re-entered that room and introduced
Mr.. William Washington to Wilde and
Bond. He was tall colored man with
a very magnificent air and a shrewd,
piercing eye; man of very distinctive
4 had almost said distinguished-ap-
pearance. s
Il have come entirely as a matter of
friendship for this gentleman" said he,
waving his hand toward me- AS a mat.
ter Of fact had given him $40.
We began Immediately to admit our
candidates, who had been detained here
and there in the building upon various
pretexts, and with considerable difficult
ty, for some Of them were getting
scared. We tried first the men whom
the detectives had discovered. Mr..
Washington looked at each Of them
with close attention and courteously de-
clared that he had never had the pleas
ure of seeing them before. They lied
like men experienced in the art, but
Mr.. Washington was entirely un-
shaken.
Then we began upon the fellows who
had answered the advertisement, and
they filed through the room one by one.
Some of them gave up the game when
Informed of the presence of the door
keeper, while others protested even to
the point of violence.
Toward the close Of the examination
Wilde took me aside.
'cThis man is throwing u.s." he said.
I'm my opinion the first fellow we had
in here was the real article, and Wash
ington knew it."
ventured to differ in a respectful
manner, and just then the last Of the
lot was led through the room. When he
had vanished in smoke of sulphurous
language, Jim, the office assistant, who
had been busy with the for1halities Of |
admitting and sending away tins canda-