Burlington weekly free press. [volume] (Burlington, Vt.) 1866-1928, 1903-12-03
CHI PIER III.

vase. In which by this time he had be-
come as absorbed as q chess player
ia in the courtly strategems IT
queens and knights. His munitions
told him that plain. ordinary robbery
had not prompted the crime; and, if
the minor crime had been committed.
ii had been for the purpose of veil
ling the real motive for the murder.
When he had gone some distance
The footprints turned almost at a
right angle and cnt directly through
thc woods. Perhaps after all the nm
known was out hunting: but if such
were the case the evidence of it
would soon appear. AS the under
brush thickened aud the ground be-
90 me more irregular the trail stra0-
gled about considera bly,. Now it en-
tered snowdrifts n foot or two deep.
then It ran over the tops Of small
hilocks and now it slurted piles of
tangled growth. Warde did not find
the task an easy one. but this rather
stimulated his purpose and he plod-
tied Stubbornly on.
Tiftpen minutes more ~ tramp
Ing and he was wondering whittier
this apparently aimlesS route of the
unknown would lead him, when he
found himself in the path which made
direct cut through the woods. Here
| the strangers footprints merged
with those made by another person.
aud took the direction of the city.
II required but moment to see
that young Wright had made the
tracks leading from the city.
What strange fatality was this
which caused these two men TO con
tinnally cross each others trail?
Gould there he any collision between
them and could they have met where
their footprints crossed? These
were idle questions 10 ask and the
newspaper man did not undertake to
tnswer them. but followed the trail
back to the city. On he went until
he came to the edge Of the Bayou
Woods. and looking to his left he be-
held the Devils Den. What was his
surprise now to find the trail sud
denly diverted toward Shat locality.
After all, the unknown might have
been one OF the habtues OF the
place. When Warde reached the Den
there were :" many footprints
| around il that he found II difficult to
keep up with the arctics and at last
lac was completely bar'ied.
There was no Use trying 70 follow
tho trail any further. for everything
was in hopeless confusion; so. keenlN
disaDpointed, Warde started for the
roundabout path which would take
him hack to the scene OF the murder.
He now noticed that the original
trai over which he and the chief OF
police had gone had been obltcrated
by number of footprints. evidently
made Inv the coroner and his jury.
As he was casually looking at these
lie Suddenly uttered an eNclama ton
Of the utmost aStOniShmcnt; for
there on the snow he again detected
tbe imprint Of the mysterious arctics
and he soon satisfied himself that the
Unknown had joined the coroner's
ilrV and the few Stragglers who had
gone with them to view the body NJ
the murdered man. There could be
NJ doubt of this for hc found traces
81 the arc1ios frequently. some little
distance from the regular path. as il
the unknown had been pushed on
there by tho iootling crowd. wilt
'N'''Fl"'n' '"'N POSSESSION o. W ''"'
W." "' l''' ran "N"'" we SP,
Nnfrs N'eHt mao peFH hi'''"'
'"VerheHS l." 'o'A Az 'he man W"'
wore ''' ''''''N' an" "''','
'h'r' WIS any prop" "l''A ,"al ne nav
any connection WIN '"' CRIME "i'"
"'N us ''9"P'''''' ''''"' ~ ""' -"
me b0dy had h''n remove" ana ina
'he inquest hao n''n aoJ"" r"'u' ="
NOV h"t'A" "r'nP was u! S'H"'' w.
MS way pack ne o''f'''' more oN'
"cnces ~ 'ne unknown IA '"e 9"a
w fo"tpr'n'S pointing '""A'" VI
cry
As 'aS' ms ne 'ou'" 90 ne So"Rn
'ne h'"'1uar'erH, Wn''' Nv '""''
"'N Il''h', ,"e '"''' VI p''''r'
"ha' III" 'he '"'""'r jury no
ne ASKED
neN SIMPLY eN7rn'neo 'he n'o
enn TOOK IN 'he bearings as II were
ordered the corpse 10 he taken I
the nome OF the deceased and nc
lo"rneu Ihe inquest ".'H 'o-in"'ro'
virgin WAS ""'"""''",N rome" OF