Willmar tribune. [volume] (Willmar, Minn.) 1895-1931, 1909-05-19


men at the Metropolitan Print works
were crossing Winchester's field, ma
king short cut for home and break
fast, when one of their number uttered
cry of horror and broke into run.
His companions stared after him, at
first in wonder, but the next moment
they, too, We're running in the same
direction, and in few bounds came
upon their fellow Ia Norer, who, in a
frenzy of haste .'n6 excitement, was
dragging the body of woman from
the waters of the small brook which
flowed there.
us she drownel?" whispered one.
"Drowned!" exclaimed another, sig
nificantly, and pointing at the red
stains on the face and clothing. ~
Don't touch it, Barney" cried an.
other. wait for the police. Leave it
exactly as you iioM d it-man, don't
you know enough f1r that?"
"'Tis Sadie Patrick" breathed the
first who had spoken, gazing with
frightened eyes from the pretty fea-
lures to the gaping wound in the
throat. Put her down, Barney" he
whispered shrilly. 'You are dabbled
in blood
but ] can't let her stay in the Wa
ter Barney demonstrated He laid
his burden on the shore and stood
looking at it nwkwardly, while one of
the men ran swiftly to the police sta
ton and the others crowded around
and in aWed toYes discussed the prob
ahiiiticf u the case. The girl had
been known to them all, in a general
way, for she had formerly worked in
the factory and lived among them in
the boarding house quarter, though
lor -the rast year Or two she had
served as q domestic in various rich
families in the city. Her reputation
was that Of Il quiet, well-behaved and
thoroughly respectable girl, q steady
church-gCer, without either enemies or
mon followers-a girls girl, fond Of
innocent amusements among her own
sex, bright, good-humorcd and inoffen-
siVe. Vaguely these workmen felt that
such a tragedy as this was incongru-
cut with her character. They could
not imagine any motive for such a
crime against her, and III their low
toned conversation long periods of
mreWscna silence were more frequent
than words.
The medical examiner with the am
bulance and police soon arrived and
Immediately pronounced the girl dead.
The body was taken to the nearest
undertaking establishment, and then
the police began their search fer the
murderer.
That evening q refined appearing
woman, dressed in the fashion and
heavily yelled, called on DR.. Furnivall.
Il have come to you, DR.. Furnivall,"
she began, "in the interest of justice.
You have read in the papers, doubt
less, of the finding Of the body of the
domestic, Sadie Patrick, this morn.
ing?"
Yes" answered the doctor. If his
speech was brief, one who knew him
well would have seen that he was i'm.
mediately alive with interest This
stranger saw only an impressive face
beneath a professional beard, the eyes
concealed by colored spectacles.
Well" the lady continued, II do
not wish to give you my name, for rea.
sons which you will appreciate, I am
sure. l cannot be openly connected
with such an awful matter. But if you
have read the evening as we'll as
morning papers"
She paused inquiringly. He said
Yes and she continued:
you have seen, then, that they
have arrested a man for the crime.
That man is innocent. know it.
swear it now, here, to you. He must
not be convicted. know that all the
appearances are against him, that he
is the person who was last to be seen
in her company, that they say she had
tilted him, that he loved her, and that
he swore falsely, as they afterwards
found, when he said that he went to
bed at seven o'clock that evening. l
say I know all this. But l know
something more, too, and that is that
that"
Her voice trembled, broke, and he
felt that she was exerting all her will
to refrain from weeping aloud. She
made a movement as If to use her
handkerchief, but the thought of the
veil evidently stayed her hand on it's
way to her eyes, and she sat in silence
a moment with heaving breast. Then
she continued:
IT can give you only woman's rea.
son-I realize that it would not be
valid in law-but that man is innocent.
The doctors who performed the au.
topsy declare that the process of di.
gestion had continued for two or per.
haps three hours, and as she ate at six
o'clock the crime must have been
perpetrated between eight and ten. To
my certain knowledge this young man
was vitality occupied during those
hours some miles away from that
field"
His mistake was, then, that he
didn't say so when he was examined
and prove it, instead of swearing he was
at home and in bed all the evening
Unfortunately for him he was seen
alighting from car at some distance
from his street at II o'clock, surrepti
tiously, too, as if to escape observation. y
Eyes, that was his mistake. But
taken suddenly and questioned on q
matter for which he was totally un.
prepared it seemed necessary to him,