The Topeka state journal. [volume] (Topeka, Kansas) 1892-1980, 1905-07-25
WHEN THE DRUMMER CAME.

One summers day there appeared IN
a peaceful village among the hills of
New England a man of mystery he
gave a name, but he was close moutheo
about his business, and in day or two
had everybody guessing as TO Wheulef
he was a criminal hiding from justice
or a second Sherlock Holmes. 1t was
four or five days before he took any one
into his confidence. Then he took the
landlord of the inn up into the garret,
locked and double locked the door, and
after peering and peeking in every DIV
rection he whispered:
I'm at the head of a detective bureau
in Chicago. The accusing finger points
this way. I want you to become de-
tective and assist me to unearth these
mysteries
The landlord jumped at the chance
He had been a resident OF the village
for forty years, and during that time
the only crime committed Wlthln It's
precincts was the stealing of sheep
skin, but fifteen minutes talk with the
detective satisfied him that there were
at least a dozen of his fellow villagers
ready to commit burglary ana murQer
when the opportunity offered he
agreed to keep his eyes open, make
written reports every week and do his
best to send some one to state prison.
Then the mysterious man called on the
undertaken, the grocer, the postmaster,
the blacksmith, and the aid of each one
was GnllSIou, uuhnOWII u Lit OLAACAs
Only one woman was taken into the
strangers confidence. That was Aunt
Sally Warner, the gossip of the village,
and a sister of the undertaker's wife.
The moment the detective mentioned
mysterious crimes to her she replied:
Eyes, I've suspected for the last 20
years that murders and other things
were going on in this village, but never
have been able to trace them. will
now take the trail of these guilty
kaIz1 CT n
Justice. won't sleep nights until some
of them are hanged
The last thing the stranger did be-
fore leaving town was to caution each
of his assistants to watch another The
grocer was to watch the postmaster,
the postmaster the blacksmith, and so
on around, while all were to watch
Aunt Sally. Weekly reports were TO
be mailed to a certain address, and in
case crime was unearthed htllng
reward was to be Forthcoming. The
inn keeper began his Old Sleuth duties
before the stranger had reached the
depot His place was the only one in
town where a stranger could get d
drink, and there were always num-
Der of idlers hanging around. He be-
gan to run his eye over them. There
was Dan Tompkins. carpenter. Dan
had the reputation OF being a gooo
fellow, and he was always at work,
but now, as the landlord watched MIN
Dan had a suspicious look about him,
and he determined to keep close watch
on his future movements.
Farmer Joe Skinner, who had come
in after a pitchfork and had stopped
to wet bis whistle for the dusty drive
home, was one of the county super
visors and man of property and rep
utation, but as he stood at the bar
and talked about the later bugs and
the want of rain the landlord made
IL It'd hot a A.
ton and calculated to throw him off
the scent. There was no doubt that
Joe Skinner was meditating crime, but
he would be nipped in the bud He
also had his eye on the grocer, the
postmaster and the blacksmith, and if
Aunt Sally succeeded in committing
burglary without being caught she'd
have to be sharper than a fox.
The postmaster got onto score of
suspicious things within a couple of
days. Certain people in the village re-
eeived letters from Illinois, Indiana, and
Michigan. Certain other people received