The Evening statesman. [volume] (Walla Walla, Wash.) 1903-1910, 1906-01-22
The Inspectors Story
IOrigfnal.1

evidence in criminal cases. During the
early part Of my police career I was
much affected by those medieval
methods in vogue, especially with the
French, Of working the nerves Of
guilty people. Indeed, was well
adapted to apply such methods, for I
have an eye that can look a man
through and through and an impress
i've manner. Besides, consider my
self as possessing good deal of inge-
nuity in laying traps for the guilty to
fall into.
One Of my first cases after having
been appointed an inspector was the
AthertOn murder. Howard AthertOn.
a bachelor and a well known man
about town, was found dead in his
rooms in an apartment house shot
through the heart by pistol ball. His
own revolver, with one chamber emp
tied, lay on the floor beside him.
The last person seen coming out of
Atherton's rooms some fifteen or TWEEN
ty minutes before the murder was his
friend, George Bronson. AthertOn and
Bronson were inseparable. The lat
ter's mother and sisters were very
much opposed to the intimacy, consid-
ering Atherton's influence over BrOn-
son deleteriOus. They knew that Ath-
erton was indebted to Bronson for
borrowed money which was slowly
growing in amount Money matters
are the cause Of many murders, and
formed theory that Bronson in trying
to collect from his friend had got into
quarrel with him and shot him.
l was at Athertons rooms soon aft
fore anything was moved. l made up
my mind that the murderer had en-
tered the sitting room from the hall,
AthertOn having entered the room from
his bedroom, revolver in hand. Ather-
ton had fired a shot at his assailant,
which had lodged in the door by which
the murderer had entered. This was a
theory, but well supported by the con-
ditions.
did not arrest Bronson, but sent for
him to come to my office, ostensibly to
get his assistance in ferreting out the
guilty person. He came and while he
answered all my questions did so as if
studying to say no more than was alb
sOlutely necessary. l asked him if he
would oblige me by going over to the
rooms where his friend had been shot,
and he complied, but with great re-
luctance. AS soon as we were in the
sitting room 1 began to picture the
scene of the murder as 1 had conceived
it. Fixing my eye on Bronson, said:
"Atherton was doubtless taking an
afternoon snooze in his bedroom when
he heard the sitting room door open.
He got up from his bed and saw
through the bedroom door what was in
the wind Do you follow me?"
"Yes."
''There were hot words about his in
debtedness."
Eyes"
Turning again to his bedroom, he
seized his pistol and advanced upon
you. You started back for a moment
irresoute''
81 did"
'Your friend fired, you sprang aside,
and the ball entered the door. There,
do you see the hole?'
yes"
''YOu then fired and"-
''Shot him through the heart"
l led Bronson out of the room dOcile
as a lamb and when in the street called
to the first policeman l met to go with
us to the station, where a charge Of
murder was entered. Bronson looked
like one in dream. Never had 1 seen
such a decided effect in getting a con-
fessi0n by acting on the nerves. My
first arrest in the case was the self
confessed murderer.
Bronson spent the night in a cell, and
l visited him the next morning. l eX-
pected he would deny having made
confession, and he did Indeed, he pre-
tended not to remember having the
conversation with me. l was diSap
pointed at this, for it would compel me
to prove him the guilty one. In most
cases Of confession the confessOr is
too broken down to recant. In his case
it seemed probable to me that over
night he had remembered that the
chances were l had drawn his admis-
sions without evidence and that 1 had
no witness to them.
l worked hard on the case, followed
a number of clews, only to be baffied.
The sole proof l had against him was
his confession, which unfortunately
was unwritten. On this confession l
held him for months, while his health
was gradually breaking down. was
in quandary. The man had con-
fessed his guilt, but 1 could not con-
Wet him.
One day when Bronson had been in
Jail for eight months and l was much
worried to know what to do with him
l received an anonymous note that
the Atherton murder, which had been
committed under circumstances that
would prevent any jury from convict
ing the slayer, would be revealed on
condition that the affair be hushed up.
Tired out with the matter, l gave my
consent A man whose wife Anterior
had been intimate with went to Ather-
toms rooms to demonstrate. Ather-
ton, supposing that he had come to kill
him, shot at him, and the man in self