St. Johnsbury Caledonian. [volume] (St. Johnsbury, Vt.) 1867-1919, 1904-03-02
WHAT'S IN
A SHADOW /?
[original.l

lOriginal.l
"A shadow" said the lecturer, sis
something formed from the interposi-
tom
"Beg pardon, professor interrupted
the facetious student. "a shadow is
nothing
The class Uttered, while the professor
cast provoked glance at the facetious
student Controlling himself, however,
he paused a moment to consider how
he should meet the interruption. sTech-
nically the student was right, but he
was hypercritical He had taken a like
course several times before, and the
professor desired to put stop to his
Interruptions.
you think that shadow is moth
ing" he said, addressing the class,
while looking at the facetious student.
II think can demonstrate that shad-
ow may be something fraught even
with life and death. Some years ago
I was travelling in the far west, where
things are not done as we do them
here, and strolling through the central
square of small town / came upon
a gallows A crowd was collecting,
and upon inquiry 1 learned that MUIR
derer was to be hanged at noon. I
did not remain to witness the hanging,
but on going back to the hotel l asked
the landlord something about the cul-
prit and his crime. This is what he
told me:
Some months previous house had
been entered, an old man who lived
there alone murdered, his tin box where
he kept his valuables rified and his
money taken. There had evidently
been a struggle, and spots of blood APP
peared here and there on the furniture.
A careful examination of the marks on
the box was made, resulting in the dis
covery by the blood stains on it that
the index finger of the right hand of
the murderer was missing. But that
was all the Roadway made in the case
for some months. Everybody for miles
around knew that murderer was at
large minus the index finger of his
right hand, and everybody was on the
watch for such a person..
zone night about 10 o'clock a woman
was sitting before embers on fire.
place doing. Behind her ON a table
was a bright light, before her white
wall. Opening her eyes, she saw on
the wall the shadow of man. He
stood still for moment; then, raising
his right hand, in which he held a
knife pointing downward, he began to
advance without noise. One thing was
noticeable-there was something want
ing in the shadow of the thumb and
forefnger. If you will make such a
shadow, you will see that in that posi-
+ CHI fho
tuberance The woman noticed there
was no such protuberance. The ham
die of the knife took its place, but did
not completely fill it. At any rate,
there was a difference. No more re-
markable instance of GOODNESS than
| that of this woman threatened with in
slant death is on record.
"'Sarahp she called in a perfectly con-
trolled voice to a servant in the kitch-
"The shadow retreated Probably the
man stepped into the hail. Sarah came
| in, and her mistress said to her:
81 have some bills to pay tomorrow
| morning and some purchases to make.
| There's not a cent of money in the
| house. l wish you to take a note to
| my brother and ask him to let me have
| $50, which amount l will draw from
| the bank tomorrow and send it to his
| office. Stop; he will not give it with
| out the order. 1 will write one. Hand
| me my writing case
"The servant did as she was directed,
| and the woman wrote the note, reading
| it over aloud carefully to make sure
| that she had made herself plain and
| that the servant understood what she
| was to do. Then the latter left the
| house.
"For five minutes by the clock on the
| mantel the woman sat perfectly still.
| She could not be sure that her plan
| would succeed. She must take her
| chances on it's succeeding without an
| effort to determine whether it had or
| not. After five minutes not seeing the
| shadow reappear, she got up and went
out the front door to the next house,
| where she sent messenger to the pO-
lice station with the following note:
1.-THE three fingered murderer came just
now to my house to murder and rob me.
| I sent my servant with note to my
brother living on the Hilton road for $50.
The murderer heard me tell her what to
do. He will follow her and on her return
will rob her.
'The police were out at once, followed
the girl and saw her enter the house
where she was to get the money. One
Of their number entered dressed him
| self in the servants clothes and started
back as if to deliver the money. From
behind a bush man sprang up and
| called out, Your money or your lifev
| at the same time covering the supposed
| servant with revolver Instead Of
| complying he sounded sharp whistle.
| 1t was needless, however, for the police
| were in touch and in an instant had
| the robber handcuffed. His right hand
| was found to be minus the index fin
| ger. There was absolutely no other tes-
| timony TO convict him of the murder
committed some months before, but
| this bit of circumstantial evidence was
| sufficient. The shadow of the forefin-
GER