The Lee County journal. (Leesburg, Ga.) 1904-19??, 1907-01-11

| was only a young man then
twenty-six- just married, and with
reputation to make. At that time the
whole detective staff were engaged on
the mysterious Damian case, which
you no doubt remember. No?
Ii was this: Miss Damian was
wealthy old lady who lived on the
outskirts of Windsor. She was eccen-
trio. but generous, and lived alone
with man and his wife as servants
whom she treated very kindly.
One morning the female servant al
IsDst dead with fright, crawled into
the Windsor police station with the
intelligence that thieves had broken
into the house during the night ana
that something dreadful had happen
ed
Miss Damian had heard them and
cried out. Petworth, her husband mad
gone to Miss Damia's aid. She her-
self was so terrified that she dared
not move. She heard eroan, and
lay paralyzed with terror till it was
light, and had then crept down the
back staircase, and brought the news.
What had really taken place she dld
not know
Two officers went back with her'
They found Petworth on the stairs,
unconscious from great wound n
his head, and Miss Damian outside
her bedroom door, stone dead.
Petworth was taken to the intirm
airy at once. and the hue and cry was
raised. Windsor telegraphed to us.
Two Of use went We came to the
conclusion that it was a London job.
Ii appears that Miss Damian kept a
large sum of money IN the house, and
there was valuable plate besides and
with all this the thieves had made off.
We found a jimmy, but with no dis
tinctiye marks that would give us a
clue Petworth rallied a little, but
was unable to give any very decided
account of the affair. There were two
men, but his description OF them was
so vague as 20 be quite useless for the
purposes of Identification. Poor fell
low! Inflammation Of the brain set
in, and more than twelvemonth
elapsed before he was we'll again.
We worked hard to secure the muir
derers We made every inquiry at
Windsor and at the railway stations.
We closely watched all known thieves
in town, and arrested ON suspicion
/. lFa1e INA
was useless. For several weeks we
exerted ourselves to the utmost, but
il became one Of those many crimes
that seem fated to be secret OF
course the papers, who were wiser
than we, were very severe with us on
account of our failure, We had come
to the conclusion that il was one of
series of robberies that had taken
place within radius of thirty miles
from London, which had all of them
completely batiled us
H.
One evening, about month after
the murder, being off duty, my wife
asked me to take message to her
brother, a Strand tobacconist's assist
ant My wife used to tell me / was
the handsomest man Of the force, and
she delighted in making me look as
smart as possible AS l was going
out she plucked a carnation and stuck
it in my buttonhole, laughingly de-
claring looked lust lovely" Little
did we guess that that simple flower
would bring fortune TO one and death
to another.
! found my brother-in-law was not
there being out on business, but was.
expected back by the train due at
Charing Cross at 715; SO / strolled up
to the station TO meet him A train
had just arrived, and | sauntered up
and down the platform watching the
arrivals.
Everybody had cleared away from
the platform when a yelled lady came
hurrying by She looked at me and,
observed took particular notice OF
the flower in my coat She made as
if to pass me, but turned around.
Good evening, Mr.. Trenchard," she
said in an inQuiring tone
I do not know what spirit of mis-
chief it was that prompted me, but
answered Good evening"
q should have known you by the
description I've had of you, sir as
we'll as by your flower. but thought
you would speak first"
What did that woman mean? A de-