Watertown republican. [volume] (Watertown, Wis.) 1860-1906, 1903-08-26


THE CHIEF PRESSED HIM FOR AN
ANSWER.
any one else. Whenever I applied to
him, as T did sometimes when L saw
my wife suffering, / was sent away
with curses"
'When was the last time you saw
him alive?"
Tuesday morning"
"Where?"
''At his home in the country"
''That was two days ago. Did you
apply for money!
eyes"
"And he refused?"
'Yes''
''How have you kept your wife from
starving since then, if no one would
help you?"
81 have received little help since
then"
''From whom?"
ooh, I don't care to go into all
that" said Wright, impatiently.
''Have you any reason to suppose
that your father had a personal en-
envy who had some cause to wish his
death?''
At this question it seemed that an
inspiration came to Wright, but he
checked an apparent inclination to &C
cept the suggestion as a solution of
the mystery. The chief and the news
paper man looked at him inquiringly.
"Your question" said he, 'has put
an idea into my head, but / do not
think / ought to frame it in words,
for you might say it was preposter
Gus. After all, it is a mere ghost of
suspicion, but I may be able to give
you clew some time to work upon"
The chief pressed him for an an
swer, telling him that the suspicion
itself might furnish a clew, but
Wright would not reveal his thoughts.
So, after a diagram of the Bayou
Woods for the officer and locating
pproximately the body of the MUIR
dered man thereon, Wright took his
departure.
The chief and the newspaper man
looked at each other tentatively for
few moments before either spoke.
II confess I am puzzled" replied
the chief. "It is, of course, easy to
make up theories. Wright has been
playing in very tough luck for some
time. He has been disowned by his
father; he is out of employment; he
sees his wife dying of starvation, and
he cannot obtain honest work. What
would man do under such circum
stances? 1t might reasonably be con-
jectured that he would not hesitate
to commit murder. But in his case,
if he really committed the crime, we
have to make some very peculiar as
SumptiOnS. We must assume that he
is very accomplished actor, and that
he is villain of iron nerve. Having
committed this crime, would he be the
first to report it to the police, and
would he not have ready lie for
every question that he refused to an
swer? But this is no time for spec
ulations. An examination of the body
may reveal an entirely different state
of facts from those which fit any
particular theory we may have, and
the sooner we go to the Bayou Woods
the better. If you would like to go
along I will take you in the buggy
with me. I think it best to make an
investigation before the coroner is
notified to make the inquest"
Warde accepted with alacrity. He
was not bad judge of human ma
ture himself, and his mind was al
ready busy with fascinating theories,
to the verifcation or explosion of
which he was prepared to devote
some of his time and energy. The
chief Of police was evidently close
observer, but he lacked one quality
which Warde possessed in remark
able degree, namely, Imagination.
Perhaps it was a difference in men
tai traits which made one of them
journalist and the other policeman.
At least some people who labor under
the delnsion that a newspaper man
relies upon his imagination for his
facts might be inclined to think so,
but far, far be it from me to indorse
that popular fallacy.
Leaving instructions with an officer
to have Herbert Wright Swallowed
and to notify the coroner an hour