Twice-a-week plain dealer. (Cresco, Howard County, Iowa) 1895-1913, 1903-04-14
MYSTERY OF THE
B AYOU WOODS
Copyright, 1905. b, A. N. Kellogg s.v.p.pe. Co.
By WALKER REMEDY.

Copyright, 1905, by A.
On December 2, 18-, man hurried.
~ entered the dingy police quarters
in Nilus, unbuttoned his overcoat
shook the snow from his large SLOUGH
hat, and, warming his thin, trembling
fingers before the fire, confronted the
chief of police. The latter made a
casual but not careless examination
of the newcomer, and saw that he was
young man of good appearance
whose face wore an expression of be-
wilderment and horror. AS the snow
melted from his overcoat, it was seen
to be very much the worse for wear,
and the clothing under it was thread
bare In the extreme. The mans shoes
were pitifully thin and insufficient,
and the wearing of such makeshifts
was little more than n mere observ-
ance of custom. Suffering of an acute
kind had drawn its tracery over the
young mans countenance. Deep lines
showed beneath the eyes, which were
unnaturally lustrous, and the skin
was drawn tightly over the pale, de-
fiant face, creating at once the inn
preston that starvation had perhaps
been at work there. Despite the gen.
eral shabbiness of the mans apparel
there was an unmistakable air of gen.
tility about him; and there could be
little doubt that history, possibly a
romance, was hidden beneath the tat
tered clothes and the suffering face.
The manner of the newcomer was
nervous, suspicious and eager, and
the chief of police was satisfied that
developments of Importance were
about to be made.
you have communication to
make to me?" he asked, after direct
ing his visitor to chair.
Eyes"
The response was prompt, and given
with an air of relief that the officer
had OWNED his errand.
just then the door opened and an
other young man entered. He saluted
the chief affably and was about to re-
tire, when something in the attitude
of the officer and the visitor caused
him to hesitate. He was the chief re-
porter on one of the Nilus papers,
and he shifted the aroma of news in
the mir.
sAm interrupting youp" he asked
in way intimating the hope that he
was not.
"This gentleman is about to make a
statement to me. Whether it is of
q private nature"
"Ry no MEANS" quickly interrupted
the person referred to. II do not
imagine that it would do any good to
keep it private. Besides, the news
papers will have 1t Tomorrow
This gentleman is chief reporter
on the Gazette" said the officer.
II have no objection to his hearing
what l have to say"
Irving Warde, the newspaper man,
bowed and took his seat. He never
missed an opportunity to learn any
thing that was apt to make its way
into the newspapers.
The stranger began his story at
once. "Afy name is Herbert Wright,
and am the son of John T. Wright"
"The Cotton king!" said the chief
in evident surprise.
"Of course you are surprised to see
q son of his reduced to such straits
as l am, but that has nothing to do
with my coming here. I may as well
say at the start that differences have
existed between my father and my
self. but they are wiped out now, for
he is dead"
"pead?" said the chief, now
thoroughly aroused. "When did he
die?"
THAT 1 cannot say exactly. His
body was found this morning"
Warde, who had been listening with
an air of indifference, now became
palpably interested.
"Then your father was killed?"
asked the chief.
"There can be no doubt of it."
Where did this happen?"
In the Bayou Woods, about three
miles below the city"
''What do you know of the case?"
II judge that he had gone out hunt
ing and that he was waylaid in the
woods. know that he intended GO
ing. He liked it in this kind of
weather. He was great hunter;
indeed, 1T was the thing which seemed
to afford him the most pleasure. He
was killed while hunting, and the
wounds on his head indicate that he
was killed with a bludgeon. Possibly
he may have been shot as we'll; l did
not look for that"
"Who discovered the body?" asked
the chief incidentally.
81 did," said Wright.
Under what circumstances"
"Well, you see," said the young
man, who was slightly embarrassed
by the question, II live just beyond
the Bayou Woods, and usually pass
through them on my way to the city,
You have employment in Nilus, I
presumed" said the chief.
"No; am sorry to say that at
present am entirely without employ
ment."
well, as. you were saying, you
were coming in town for the purpose
Of"
mo, you are mistaken; 1 didn't
say what my purpose was, or that /
had a purpose at all, and as that has
no possible bearing on the case do
not care to go into it,"
Just as You please" answered the
chief; but sometimes frank state-
ment saves man great deal of
trouble: Resume your story, if you