The Elbert County tribune., 1909-01-28

me stiffness was broken by the
policeman Drawing his revolver he
tapped with 1t lightly on the glass.
calling in loud voice:
" Hi, there! You in therel l sec
you. Hold up your hands and come
on out o that! Come out, say,"
We'll, well. welll 'Tis poor old
Swartz-hes hung himself" the DO
hce1Sn whispered in awe Then he
! remembered that the door of the shop,
fastened on the outside, was secured
oy means of bar and paddock. These
must have been put in place by some
pody with Swartz in the shop! Then
who could that somebody be if not
the murderer! Yes, 1t was not suicide,
1t was murder, and II murder. who
could the murderer be but Flannigan.
the only person besides Swartz pos
sessing key TO the paddock?
With the flash of this obvious Sc
quence into his mind, the policeman
hurried TO the store telephone and
called up his station, notifying it that
Swartz was murdered, that Flanagan
a clerk, had done the deed and was
missing.
From the evidence not man of the
force present entertained the slightest
doubt OF how the crime had occurred.
nor who the criminal logically must
be. Flanagan, just before closing
time on Saturday night when, trade
being over and the shop deserted, the
street door was closed and the shut
ters put on all but the back window.
l'had for some reason throttled his
boss with his powerful hands, slipped
the rope around his neck and hoisted
him up there to make 1t appear to be
I a case of suicide, locked up and fed.
Flanagan was thick-witted, and it
would never occur to him that he had
left all the signs pointing to himself,
and only to himself. As long as no.
body had seen him do it he would feel
safe; for he was one of those people
who are continually repeating for the
information of their audiences that
what you don't see you don't know"
Omcers were at once dispatched in
several directions for the man. The
TACT that he was not at his boarding
house, but must have returned to his
room from the shop and changed his
clothes at some time between six
O'Clock on Saturday evening and eight
on Sunday morning, was precisely the
evidence that the police looked to find
there, and they found it. Flannigan's
lodging mistress said that on going to
his room to put it in order on Sunday
morning at eight the usual time. she
saw that the bed had not been slept
In, and examination showed that his
everyday clothes hung in the closet
while his best suit was missing from
Its accustomed hooks. And he had
not been seen in the vicinity since
Saturday morning, when he left the
house for his days work. To this in
formation the police, making a search
OF his room on their own account
added certain other suggestive items
A badly .soiled shirt, torn up the back
as If discarded In a hurry, was crowded
behind the bureau; a razor, unwiped
after using, and a shaving paper with
dried lather on 1t, as II the shaver
was in such haste that he could not
stop to clean away the traces of his
work, were on little liable near the
gas jet; travelling bag, which the
lodging mistress asserted that he
owned, was not to be found; there was
no linen in the bureau drawers. In
fact, all the evidence tended to show
; that the ppr had left suddenly for
9 S-tq unk q, saying nothing to any
5 > ~ of Intended absence, taking
q tn him IT few valuable effects he
possessed. If the razor remained be-
hind 1t was because in his excitement
he had forgotten Il.
Inquiry in the neighborhood soon
brought to light man who had seen
Flanagan late Saturday night with
suit case and big roll of bills stag.
g6,ere. from one saloon to another on
truve.s 7 down to the south station;
ant In tpreseutly being learned that
Fla msan IN relatives in the little
coLIe of Fairview, which was
hisyreht Aace, the rest was easy.
He uas MIj the type of man who,
having MllIitted crime, would i'm
mediately make for the vicinity of his
old home. having neither sense nor
general information enough to steer
as widely away from that particular
spot as possible. Connections were
made by telephone with the police of
Fairview, and within two hours from
that time Flanagan was undergoing
ezamihation at station FIVE.
He was a very muscular Iellov OF