The San Juan islander. [volume] (Friday Harbor, Wash.) 1898-1914, 1903-02-12
A QUIET BIT
OF WORK
copyright, 1902. by C. B. Lewis.1

James SarSfleld, the retired manufac-
turer, who was known to be worth
at least f250.000, quarreled with vari-
GUS relatives, including his son and
natural heir, and when he died will
was produced which gave most of his
property to his valet. This will, as it
was proved, was made by a lawyer Of
shady reputation, but was in proper
form in every respect and had to be
admitted. The valet, whose name was
Marks, had been in service about three
years. A reputable law firm had drawn
up a will for Sarsfield five years be-
fore his death. This will could not be
found, but in place of it came the will
in favor of the valet and dating back
only a year. The lawyers engaged by
the son felt sure that there were con-
spiracy and a plot and that the first
will had been destroyed or suppressed
and the second will was a deception.
If he had destroyed the will, he
would feel perfectly safe and perhaps
boast of it. AS he had not done so, the
conclusion was reached that the paper
was still in existence. 1t is a curious
fact that criminals are loath to destroy
certain evidence against them. Dozens
of instances can be cited where papers
which would convict them offhand
have been preserved for years instead
of promptly destroyed. do not propose
to boast of what have done, but sim
ply to admit that | am pretty slick
man. | had called on young Sarsfied's
attorneys for legal advice, and by acct
dent the case came up to be talked Of.
l did not enter into their employ. They
said it would be worth so much to them
if the will was found, and set out to
find it, | heard all that had taken
place, and l retired to think the mat
ter over
Let me ask the reader where he
would have looked for that paper?
Every inch Of the house had been
probed. The will was not in Marks
strong box nor yet in safe deposit in
a, bank. 1t was not lying in book
in the library, hidden under a floor nor
concealed in IA secret drawer. 1t was
nor yet in an empty wine cask down
cellar. The search of the house had
been too thorough to have overlooked
it. My first move was to get sight of
Marks. AS soon as | saw him | read
craft and cunning in his character and
got my line. If he had not destroyed
the will, he had realized that it might
be searched for, and he would avoid
the mistake of hiding it too securely.
1t may surprise you to learn that you
cannot hide a shilling piece in your
house against a systematic search by
detectives You may bed it into a
plank or plaster it into wall. but it
must come to light. Marks had the
natural cunning to realize this, and he
would therefore go to the opposite ex-
IRENE. His coachman was in the en-
ploy of the attorneys, and l had only
three or four questions to ask the man.
Did Marks ride or drive? He never
used saddle horse, but drove a good
deal in a dogcart. What. had he bought
new since coming into possession of
the property? Nothing Of account ex-
cept the dogcart. Three nights after
my interview with the coachman l was
admitted to the carriage house to over
haul the cart. There was nothing to
overhaul except the cushion of the sim
gle seat, and it had not been in my
hands two minutes before / found
where the lining had been cut open
and neatly sewed up again. l ripped
out the stitches, thrust my hand in
among the curled hair and behold the
will! 1t was wrapped in oil silk and
not damaged in the slightest. 1t had
reposed in its nest for over a year and
was right at hand while the house was
being searched as if for needle.
When the paper was placed in the
hands of the attorneys they did not
rush with it to Marks and give him an
alternative. They wanted to trap and
punish the fellow, and so they began
suit and finally got him on the witness
stand. There he perjured himself over
and over and added to the penalty. but
he was game to the end. He charged
that it was put up job to ruin him
and denied with the greatest earnest
ness that he had ever seen the paper.
The jury. sized him up for what he
was, however, and after sharp legal
fight the will was admitted, and the
impostor got twenty years in prison.
II you wonder over the line of reason
ing that enabled me to discover the
will, let me make it clear to you.
As a doubtful" man have to study
human nature and pay more or less
attention to criminology. On several
different occasions l have had my
apartments searched by the police for
discriminating evidence. They never
found anything, simply because l had