The Olneyville times. (Olneyville [Providence, R.I.]) 1887-1917, 1904-08-26
SKELETONS In BOOKS
SECRETS THAT ARE UNFAIRLY LEFT
IN LIBRARY VOLUMES.
ston1es of Love ~ Well as Of Crime
, Buried Between the Leaves by Alb
sentminded Readers-Tbe Way One
Murder Mystery Was solved.

Buried Between the Leaves by Alb
sentminded Readers-Tbe Way One
Murder Mystery Was solved.
The letter began, my Sweet Anne"
Surely n stranger must be pardoned
for reading Il through, for II was found
hidden snugly away between the leaves
OF dusty and ancient volume Of poems
drawn from n great library. The find
or took It carefully 10 the librarian.
Another oncy" said the librarian in.
quiriDgly. "Out OF the old edition Of
Moore, eh? Well, guess we won't
send II back. generally return per
sonal letters II they are Of enough in
terest and nobody calls for them, but
II / sent everything back that we find
the directors would be about my ears
for wasting postage stamps The aft
ernoon was n quiet one, and the IL
brarian continued:
I'VE shake every book that Is return
ed, and almost always something falls
out. 1t may be letter like the one
you have just found or a visiting card
or hairpin. Almost invariably the
treasures that we unfold bear the ear
marks Of feminine possession. I am
not charging women with carelessness.
am simply stating fact.
Generally the things we find are
documentary I'm their nature. Last
week ! shook ont OF book on home
life signed and indorsed check for
$40 made payable to the drcssmakor
whose statement OF account was
pinned to Il. On another occasion
fifty dollar bank note fluttcred out.
Both were called for within short
time. Occasionally one gives us II
glimpse Of love secret or tragedy.
Not 80 long ago letter was taken
from n book which was OF such an un-
usual nature that / remembered the
names concerned long enough to rccog-
niZe them In the newspaper reports o'
n court case which divided family.
The letter was addressed to woman
and filled with the frank and open
ayownl OF mans forbidden love, for
the woman was the wife OF another.
carefully secrctcd the missivc ana II
few hours later was confronted by II
tail, heavily vcrcd lady, who asked n
n letter had been found In book
which happened to be morbid prob
lem novel OF great popularity mt the
time. the work OF well known Eng
lIshwoman. The question was asked
in n voice which tried hard not to
shake. ] handed the letter over, ana
the woman hastily took herself OH.
Scarcely a month later ran across her
name in the newspapers as defendant
I'm a divorce court
"Yct the writings we find In books
are not always so intimate. Sometimes
they SAVIOR OF domestlcity ana the de-
lights OF the kitchen. Indeed ] have
enough recipes for desserts and sweet
meats to publish the collection IA II
cookbook. Now and then n book IL
ycritable mine. have found In them
gold, silver and precious stones. EN-
broidery silk by the yard and or ram
bow hues may be nshcd out from some
novels, and, alas. nm occasional ciGa
rette paper.
THE evidences Of masculine forget
fulness ore rnrcr. | have forgotten nj
most all such Instances, but or those
which I do remember there Is one ol
which the details are ns clear To me
now ms II they had happened yestcr
doy. Indeed II will never leave my
mind for Il led to the capture of
gang of criminals.
"a wealthy but solitary old bachelor
was found lfclcss on the floor OF his
library one morning. ON his body M
wound was discovered, and as FAR ~
the detectives could ascertain no on'
had gained access to the house. The
casc excited great public interest, nno
| | followed the developments with close
ness In the newspapers. There hnt
been ut first some talk OF suicide ant
more of heart failure. but the autopsy
| nut new phase upon the case, for l
showed that the old man had come u
| his death through m insidious yet pow
crful poison. The question then arose
| Who administered Il? As | was read
lng the detailed report of the doctors
suddenly dropped the paper l rcmcm
bcred that n month before n strange
| had come In one wet. dismal night an'
asked for a rccondite work by Tor
| cign author. IL was STANDARD
treatise on poisons and volume sci
| dom read.
| IL hurried To the library and sough
| the book. Opening II and rapidly run
| ming over the pages YOU may imsgin
| my astonshmcnt and almost horror 4
| find lying between two pages deNote'
| TO n det,rsled account of the very poiso'
| that caused the old mans death
| smIrckcd and thumb marked piece @
paper. ON IL was writing In IA sma'
\ and angular hand referring to In
| chaptcr and page on which the potSo
| was described. | then looked up tn
record of the books withdrawal an
found the name which the man ha
given. | also found that the book ha
not been taken ont since. Having al
certaiucd these facts. ] went NJ one
To the police. Taking the informauo
as n clew. the detectives, after Ion
and nr,luous search, followed II 10 II
logical end and arrested the only rcl'
tive the old man had possessed. Il me'
ical student. whose existence had n'
even been known. He confessed N
| share In the crime and. with his accom-
| plIees. paid the penalty. That ca'
II = N,...N