The Spanish Fork press. [volume] (Spanish Fork, Utah) 1902-current, 1909-05-20
Tragedy Ofthe Brook
- By DR. George f. Butler Herbert c.


At a few minutes after six o'clock
men at the Metropolitan Print works
were crossing Winchesters field ma
king a short cut for home and break
last, when one of their number uttered
cry of horror and broke into a run.
His companions stared after him, at
first In wonder, but the next moment
they, too, were running in the same
direction, and in a few bounds came
upon their fellow IL 1orer, who. in a
frenzy Of haste md excitement, was
dragging the body of a woman from
the waters of the small brook which
flowed there.
is she browne q" whispered one.
Drowned" exclaimed another, sig
nificantly, and pointing at the red
stains on the face and clothing
Don't touch 1t, Barney" cried an
other. Wait for the police. Leave it
exactly as you tom d it--man, don {
you know enough f,-r 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 | cant let her stay in the wa
ter" Barney demonstrated He laid
his burden on the shore and stood
looking at it awkwardly, while one of
the men ran swiftly to the police sta
tion and the others crowded around
and In awed tones discussed the prob.
abilities of the case. The girl had
been known to them ALL in a general
way, for she had formerly worked in
the boarding house quarter, though
for the past year or two she had
served as a domestic in various rich
families in the city. Her reputation
was that of a quiet, well-behaved and
thoroughly respectable girl. a steady
church-goer, without either enemies or
men followers-a girls girl fond of
innocent amusements among her own
sex, bright, good-humored and inoffen.
sive. Vaguely these workmen felt that
such a tragedy as this was incongru-
out with her character. They could
not imagine any motive for such a
crime against her. and in their low
toned conversation long periods of
grewsome silence were more frequent
than words.
The medical examiner with the am
bulance and police soon arrived and
Immediately pronounced the gSl dead.
The body was taken to the nearest
undertaking establishment, and then
the police began their search for the
murderer.
That evening a refined appearing
woman, dressed in the fashion and
heavily veiled 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 impassiye face
beneath professional beard, the eyes
concealed by colored spectacles.
well" the lady continued, Il do
not wish to give you my name, for rea-
sons which you will appreciate, am
sure. cannot be openly connected
with such an awful matter. But if you
have read the evening as well as
morning papers"
She paused inquiringly. He said
Yes" and she continued
You have seen. then, that they
have arrested man for the crime.
That man is innocent. | know it.
swear 1t now, here, TO you. He must
not he 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. |
say | know all this But 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 movement as Tito use her
handkerchief, but the thought OF the
veil evidently stayed her hand on its
way to her eyes, and she sat in silence
moment with heaving breast. Then
she continued:
u can give you only a womans 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"