Twice-a-week plain dealer. (Cresco, Howard County, Iowa) 1895-1913, 1903-04-17
MYSTERY or THE
3 AYOU WOODS
Copyright, 1905. BY A. n. Kellogg Nev.p.p.r Co.
By Waller Kennedy.


had been coming to the city and the
other had been going from it. 1t
would be interesting to know who
had taken the roundabout path from
the city and why he had done so. It
occurred at once to the two men
that perhaps Wright had gone back
by that route.
This suggested an examination of
the tracks, and it was Immediately
apparent that they had been made
by two persons, or at least by
person who had worn two different
kinds of shoes, for the footprints
were nothing alike. 1t was known
that Wright had made the tracks
pointing to the city, but who had
made the others? Following the trail
was easy, SO the two men walked
rapidly along toward the scene of the
murder. This trip through the Bayou
Woods was by no means inspiring.
The land was locked in settled
| gloom and the wind took it's way
with desolate insistance through
the somber trees. No noise broke the
silence save such as was made by the
chief and the newspaper man, in
whose faces was wide dissimilarity
of expression. In the eyes of the elder
there was only the cold, calculated
interest of man plying his accus-
toned trade, while the face of the
| latter quivered now and then with the
excitement of an experience too
novel as yet, even in his reportorial
life, to leave his nerves entirely
steady. They made strange con-
trast walking side by side through
that weird silence of snow and forest,
and yet both were equally alert,
equally in earnest.
At length they came to the object
of their search-the thing that had
once been John T. Wright, "the Cot
ton King" The dead man lay on his
back, his face turned up to the sky
and his staring eyes fixed upon the
black branches Of tree overhead.
| There was frozen blood in his hair,
and his head rested in dark red
| pool that stained the snow. The Off
Ger made as minute an examination as
possible without touching the body Of
the dead man. Several blows had
been dealt upon the head with blud-
geon. There was no evidence any,
where of the use of pistol, though
| it was possible that an examination
of the body by the coroner might re-
veal pistol wounds that could not now
be seen on account of the position of
the corpse. The face of the dead
man had upon it look of CHASTITY
surprise, which was presumptive evil
dence that the attack had come with
out any warning whatever.
Everything would Indicate" said
the officer, that the attack had come
from behind. and that Wright fell for
ward, and that the murderer beat
him about the head until he killed
him. His gun, you see, is at some
distance beyond his head; his hat
fell in the same direction"
ut is also evident, 1 should say"
declared Warde, that some one be-
sides the old man's~son has touched
the body. Judging from the disturb
ances of the snow, which seems to be
recent, the body has been turned COM
pletely over. wonder if the foot
prints can throw any light upon the
subject?"
| Young Wright's footprints told a
clear story. He had evidently come
straight along the path, brushed the
snow away from the corpse, discov-
cred who it was, and then hurried on
to the city. 1t was certain that he
had quickened his steps after maxi
ing the discovery, for the tracks were
wider apart than they had been be-
fore, and there could be no doubt that
he had not loitered about the corpse,
and that he had not tempered with 1t,
as very few of his tracks could be
seen there. These facts told that
much in his favor.
The unknown person, however,
seemed to take deep interest in
the corpse. His tracks made almost
a circle around it, and as his foot
had slipped here and there in the
snow it was evident that he had
tugged at the body and turned it
over. There was also reason to be-
lieve that he had examined the peck
cts of the clothing, as the coat was
thrown open in such a way as to
suggest that the inside pocket had
been rifed, or at least searched. This
however, could be dismissed as q mere
surmise, for the contents of the peck
cts must have been extracted at the
time Of the murder.
ST am afraid this clew will not
amount to much" said the chief.
"Why?"
"For the reason that I can imagine
very clear explanation of the last
comer's action. He stumbled by acct
dent upon this dead body, with its
face down. Naturally he would turn
it over the better to see who it was
Failing to recognize the dead man, he
would probably search the pockets
to see If there were any papers that
would lead to his Identification"
"It that be the case," said Warde
land this is an honest man, would
not his first impulse be to notify the
police?"
Eyes, OF else some of the neigh
bors."
IF he has notified any Of the
neighbors it is reasonable to suppose
that their curiosity would have
brought them hither by this time
People. us you know, will walk mile.
to sec dead body, specially where