Evening journal., 1903-01-10
"A Message
as. In Blood

blizzard. The murderer left him for
dead, but he did not die for some time
after the blow was struck Unable to
leave the bed in which he was muir
dered, there seemed to be no way Of
communicating information that would
lead to the punishment of his murder
er. Yet he succeeded in leaving all
that was essential.
Klapper was used to reading at night
I'm bed before going to sleep and kept
on a stand beside his bed a lamp,
matches and some books. When the
body was discovered in the morning,
the lamp was burning, though the oil
was nearly exhausted People who had
passed the house between IL and i
reported that they had seen no light,
but man who had passed just before
dawn on his way to a train decldred
that he had noticed a light In Klapper's
room. He knew Klapper and won
dered II he were not i'll. He said he
would have stopped TO find out, but
had barely time to reach his train.
framed several theories, more or less
Influenced by this circumstance. Klap-
per was surely in bed with the light out
when the murder was committed. How
then could it have been burning in the
morning unless he had lived long
enough after the blow to light it? l
had feeling q can find no better word
to express it) that the lamp had been
lighted by the victim with n purpose
after he had been struck.
/ looked for communication on pa
per, but found none. was absently
turning over the leaves of one Of the
books on the table when 1 came to a
red smudge. 1t covered the word
''ten." It at once occurred to me that
Klapper had communicated something
concerning the murder by words
smudged by his own blood, and l look
cd for more, which found. l expect
ed that they would lie in the order Of
a message. but they did not. Consec-
utively placed they read
Ten crisp. man, on, beard. me. Called.
! National, five bill, took dollar. hair, fore
head. new, because. scar red and stabbed,
l Of all. ten.
The moment l had placed these
words on paper in the above order l
knew from the words scar, beard and
hair that it contained description Of
the murderer. / also inferred from the
words crisp, five. bill, ten and national
that it also contained a description of
a bank bill or bills that had been TAX
en-. My first effort in deciphering the
message resulted as follows:
Man called on me, beard and hair. red
scar on forehead. took ten new crisp five
dollar bills on (some) national (bank).
This was evidently not the solution
for there were a number Of words un.
used I tried it again.
Stabbed Cby) man with red hair and
beard. Scar on forehead He took ten
new crisp five dollar bills on (some) ma
tional (banlO because called.
This was better than the first effort
but like the first, the words were moi
all used. l made a number Of trials
before 1 found a correct reading
though l did not know whether The
murderer took ten i've dollar bills ol
five ten dollar bills. This was my las
effort:
Man with red hair and beard, scar OF
IOrenodut SldDDtu me DtGdlht tdtAtu
(He) took ten new crisp five dollar bills
all Of the Tenth National.
Since the bank might have been thu
Fifth or the Tenth National, went t.
both and learned at the Tenth that 4
had paid out some new five dollar bill
the day before, and Mr.. Klappor's &C
count showed he had been paid $50 thu
same day. Therefore the last part O
the message read, Ten new five dollai
bills, all of the Tenth National
l at once advertised to give a pre-
MUM to any one who could furnish m
with one Of these bills. A woman, tn
, cashier Of a third rate restaurant an
swered the advertisement, bringing on
of the bills. Afterward there was an
, other brought in, but too late TO be o
advantage. The woman told me tina
the man who gave it TO her was S
rough looking that she feared it wa
counterfeit and took it to her employe
y before changing it. In this way th
matter was impressed on her mind.
= asked her if she could identify the maj
and she said she could.
4 The rest was comparatively easy.
: laid the matter before the inspector an
II asked if he had any record Of Grim
nal with red hair and beard and a sea
+ on his forehead. After examination I
{ found that the description fitted Jill
, Rourke, alias Patsy Burne, alias Cauk
o Jack and number Of other aliase
who had recently been released fro
the penitentiary and seen in town. III
man was watched for, arrested an
identified by the restaurant cashie
Two Of the bills were found on his pc
son.
He was tried and convicted. Aft
his conviction he gave an account
:. the robbery and murder that talli'
with my theory. He entered the hou
by means Of window that had be-
left unfastened and after finding not
/ ing below went up to Klapper's be
room and turned a dark lantern on 4
{ sleeper. While the robber was scare
ing for valuables Klapper called I
help. The robber warned him il he d
It again he would kill him. Klapp
49, x,II ~ th, ssolt1,Qr. L. a