The Roswell daily record. [volume] (Roswell, N.M.) 1903-current, 1904-07-13
WHAT'S IN
A SHADOW?
[original.l

a Swallow, said the lecturer. rs
something formed from the interposi-
tom
BEG pardon. professor. interrupted
the facetious student. "A shadow is
nothing"
The class Uttered. while the professor
cast a provoked glance at the fa~cetious
student. Controlling himself. however,
he paused a moment to consider how
be should meet the interruption. Tech
nically the student was right, but he
was Iypercritical. He had taken a like
course several times before. and the
professor desired to put a stop to his
Interruptions.
You think that a shadow is moth
ing" he said, addressing the class.
while looking at the facetious student.
Il think | can demonstrate that a shad-
ow may be something fraught even
with life and death. Some years ago
| WAS travelling in the far west, where
things are not done as we do them
here. and strolling through the central
square of a small town | came upon
a gallows. A crowd was collecting,
and upon inquiry | learned that a muir
derer was TO be hanged at noon. /
did not remain TO witness the hanging.
but on going back to the hotel | asked
the landlord something about the cul.
prit and his, crime This is what he
old me
Some months previous a house had
been entered. an old man who lived
there alone murdered, his tin box where
he kept his v%aluables rifed and his
money taken. There had evidently
been d 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 tina
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 a 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 a fire.
place doing. Behind her on a table
was a bright light, before her a white
wall. Opening her eyes. she saw on
the wall the shadow of a man. He
stood still for a 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
forefinger. Ii you will make such a
shadow. you will see that in that posi-
ton it will show the forefinger a pro-
tuberance. The woman noticed there
vas no such protuberance. The han
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.
"'Sarah!' she called in a perfectly con-
trolled voice to a servant In the kitch-
en-.
THE shadow retreated. Probably the
man stepped into the hall. Sarah came |
in. and her mistress said to her:
~ have some bills to pay tomorrow
morning and some purchases to make.
There's not a cent of money in the
house. | wish you to take a note TO
brother and ask him to let me have
$50. which mou l will draw from
the bank tomorrow and send it to his
office. Stop; be will not give it with
out the order. | will write one. Hand
me my writing case
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and the woman wrote the note. reading
1t 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. sho got up and went
out the 'front.' DOR TO the next house. |
she sent a messenger to the POI
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 a note to my
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 a man sprang up and
out. Your money or your lifei'
at the. same time covering the supposed
servant with a revolver. Instead of
he sounded a sharp whistle.
1t was needless. however. for the police |
were in touch and in an instant had
the robber h~andcuffed. His right hand
was found TO be minus the index I'm
ger. There was absolutely no other tes-
TO convict him of the murder
some months before, but
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