Evening journal., 1904-09-05
SKELETONS IN BOOKS
SECRETS THAT ARE UNFAIRLY LEFT
IN LIBRARY VOLUMES.

fANNANAN " ~ NNANtAs
Tho letter began, "Niy Sweet Anne"
Surely a stranger must be pardoned
for reading It through, for it was found
hidden snugly away between the leaves
Of n dusty and ancient volume of poems
drawn from a great library. The find
CT took It carefully TO the librarian.
"Another oneT said the librarian in
qulringly. "Out Of the old edition OF
Moore, eh? Wen, l guess we won't
send it bnck. | generally return per-
sonal letters If they are of enough in
terest and nobody calls for them, but
IL sent everything back that we find
the directors would be about my ears
for wasting postage stamps The aft
ernoon was quiet one, and the Ii
brarlan continued:
1--WE shake every book that is return
ed, and almost always something falls
out II may be letter like the one
you have just found or a visiting card
or a hairpin. Almost invariably the
treasures that we unfold bear the ear
narks OF feminine possession. ] am
not charging women with carelessness.
/ am simply stating a fact
Generally the things we find are
documentary In their nature Last
week shook out of n book on home
life signed and indorsed check for
$40 made payable to the dressmaker
whose statement OF account was
pinned to it, On another occasion a
fifty dollar bank note huttered out.
Both were called for within a short
time. Occasionally one gives us a
glimpse OF love secret or tragedy.
Not so long ago letter was taken
from a book which was of such an un-
usual nature that / remembered the
names concerned long enough to recog-
nize them in the newspaper reports Of
court case which divided n family.
The letter was addressed to woman
aud filled with the frank and open
avowal Of a mans forbidden love, for
the woman was the wife Of another.
carefully secreted the missive and a
few hours later was confronted by a
TALL heavily veiled lady, who asked IL
a letter had been found I'm a book
which happened to be morbid prob
lem novel OF great popularity at the
time, the work of well known Eng
lshwoman. The question was asked
in n voice which tried hard not to
shake. / handed the letter over, and
the woman hastily took herself off.
Scarcely month later ran across her
name in the newspapers. as defendant
in a divorce court.
"Yet the writings we find in books
are not always so intimate. Sometimes
they savor Of domesticity and the de-
lights Of the kitchen. Indeed ! have
enough recipes for desserts and sweet
meats TO publish the collection as a
cookbook. Now ana then book is q
vcrtable mine. have found in them
gold, silver ana precious stones. En-
broidory silk by the yard and Of rain
bow hues may be fished out from som'
novels. and. alas. an occasional ciga
rctte paper
"The evidences Of masculine forget
fulness are rarcr. ! have forgotten al
most all such instances, but of those
which / do remember there Is one OF
which the details are as clear TO ml
now as If they had happened yester-
day. Indeed It will never leave my
mind. for it lei TO the capture Of a
gang Of criminals
"a wealthy but solitary old bachelor
was found lifeless on the floor Of his
library one morning. On his body no
wound was discovered. and as far rs
the detectives could ascertain no one
/ had gained access TO the house The
case excited srcat public interest. and
/ followed the developments with close
ness in the newspapers. There had
been at FIRST some talk Of suicide and
more Of heart failure. but the autopsy
put n new phase upon the case, for II
l showed that the old man had come tc
his death through an insidious yet pow
I erful poison The question then arose
Who administered it? AS I was read
ing the detailed report of the doctors
suddenly dropped the paper, remem
bcrod that month before a stranger
had come I'm one wet, dismal night anc
asked for a rccondite work by for
eign author II was a standard
treatise on poisons and n volume sci
dom read.
Il hurried to the library and sought
the book Opening IT and rapidly rrn
ming over the paaes you may imagine
my astonishmcnt and almost horror t'
find lying between two pages devoted
TO a detailed account Of the very poisoy
that caused the old mans death {
smirched and thumb marked piece O.
paper On 1t was writing In small
and angular hand referring TO th'
chapter and page on which the poisoI
was described | then looked up III,
record OF the books withdrawal ant
found the name which the man ha,
given. ] also found that the book ha,
not been taken out since, Having as
certained Mese facts, l went at ono
TO the police. Taking the information
as clew. the detectives. after a lon
and nrduous search, followed II to il
logical end and arrested the only reia
tive the old man had possessed. n meo
:. ical student. whose existence had no
! even been known. He confessed hi
share in the crime and. with his accon
plices. paid the penalty. That cas-
opened my eyes TO the value Of inspec
ing every book as it returned to N
T. library."-New York Tribune.
Freight Brakeman Killed.
SayHOok, Conn, Sept. 5-By IL
telescoping OF two freight cars