The Savannah morning news. (Savannah, Ga.) 1900-current, 1904-02-21

detective.
"a letter from Conductor Libby
reached me this morning."
1t lay on the desk and he handed II
to the detective, who read it atten-
lively.
There seems to have been a woman
with him, you See," said the president
Yes; and the conductor says that
Hamilton acted strangely, almost as il
he did not recognize him, though they
have known each other for years."
Libby knows everybody-has been
on the train thirty years." said Mr.
Hastings.
What about this woman? If it was
an elopement, of course Hamilton would
fight shy of recognition"
But was it? l confess that puz-
zles me most of all, for Hamilton
seemed thoroughly devoted to his wife
and she is a splendid woman. But ii
appears this Mrs. Anderson, or what
ever her name may be, met him like
an old acquaintance, and after stating
at the hotel that she was on her way
to Coaticoke, p. O., went the next
morning south instead of north in the
same train with Hamilton. Read what
Libby says about it."
AhCy sat lO6ClACI the WOilldU
was talkative, but Hamilton did not
say much, at least when / saw them
She bought a ticket on the train ia
Portland, but did not notice her when
l went my last rounds. The last ]
saw of Hamilton was at Portland de-
pot. He did not appear to notice me,
though 1 looked him full in the face"
Where was the woman, wonder?"
asked Mr.. Hastings after listening to
the extract.
THAT may or may not be difficult
to learn" said the detective, rising to
leave. Mr.. Hastings arose also.
MIR. Bruce" said he, 'the notice
as 1T reads now offers but five hun
dred reward, but 1 am empowered to
offer a thousand more, making the sum
fifteen hundred, though for the present
no change will be made in the wording,
unless you advise it."
II do not advise it. A change would
alarm Hamilton, showing that suspi-
cions had been awakened. At present,
the notice reads simply as if it were
believed he was missing, or detained
against his will, or as if it were feared
harm had come to him. To show that
he is thought to have absconded with
funds of the bank would alarm him
directly and put him beyond our reach.
But he might even return if he thought
nothing was suspected, if it should be
automatically stated by you, for in
stance, that upon examination every
thing had been found correct. Still
he must know the affairs of the al
tered note would leak out some time. y
Eyes, and there may be others of
still larger amount, Mr.. Bruce"
''TFue. One thing more 1 wish to
ask you. Who presented the note and
received the money at the Boston
bank?"
"Mr. Hamilton himself
Are you sure?"
II have the written word Of Simon
Low, the cashier of the bank. Low
has been here more than once. He
knows Hamilton nearly as we'll as ]
do"
How did he come to write your"
HE saw in the papers that Hamil-
ton had disappeared, or rather did not
return as was expected, and so wrote
to me that he saw Hamilton on the
2Sth; that he deposited a note then
as collateral for money which was paid
to him on the spot. Therefore. Ham
ilton was all right at that date.
Immediately telegraphed to know
amount of note, if it was payable to
this bank, and by whom it was given.
In less than an hour the reply came.
$1,000, and Bowles e. Estes were the
makers of the note. Of course, knew
Bowles & Estes note was for five hun
dred, and so it came out, doubtless,
much sooner than Hamilton expected
"a dark look!"
Couldn't look much blacker, hey?"
mo; but 1 am sorry for his wife, y
said the detective 1T viii be. sharp
work hunting him up"
,F- cIaA II
er wish to see his face again if it was
not for his bondsmen."
Can it be they believe him inno-
cent?"
mot now. They did until to-day
Mr.. Bruce took his departure short
ly afterwards, musing deeply over the
present developments of the mysteri-
GUS affair, for exceedingly mysterious
it seemed to him. In the whole course
of his calling he had known of nothing
like it, so puzzling and complicated
with what appeared to be such adj
verse matters.
Here was man universally es-
teemed. who for years had been guilty
of nothing worse than mysterious year
ly journeys (yet which were supposed
to be innocent enough until now; a
devoted husband and father; a men,
Der of the Congregational Church, of
winch ne was deacon, though young
for the position; cashier of the saw
ings bank where the poor people who
worked at his mill deposited their earn
ings-this man, it seemed, was q de-
faulter, forger, the deserter of his
wife and family. Worse yet, it APP
peared also that he had left his wife
and went way in company with an
other woman, though this did not seem
quite so evident.
Confirmation, slight though it might
be, was waiting at the corner of the
street in the person of Miss Talbert.
II saw you," she began directly,
when you left the bank, and as |
had given you a wrong idea I felt
bound to set it right at once"
"How do you mean?"
about the handkerchief. Mary, our
chambermaid, came in soon after you
left and asked if she might have it,
as it was marked with her name,
and she was the only Mary in the
house.
al suppose you might as we'll have
it, them I said; but how did you
happen to know about it?' Oh said
Mary, I handed it to Mrs. Anderson
when she first came. She was con-
tinually dropping things, and noticed
the name. She asked me what it was,
and l told her Mary. She said she did
not notice that it had a name on it
when she bought it. Before she
thought, Mary asked her if it wasn't
her name then and she said M her