The Evening statesman. [volume] (Walla Walla, Wash.) 1903-1910, 1910-03-19
THE CULPR|T?
BY SALLY MENDUM.

lCCpyrlSnts lSlO, Dy american STeSS ASSN
ciation.l
All Petersville was ringing with the
murder of Tim Meagher, an old man
who lived alone in his cottage on the
outskirts of the town. Miller, the head
of a detective firm in the city. twenty
miles distant. was called for by the
town authorities. He went up. looked
the matter over. came to an agreement
with the mayor and promised to put
some one on the case Immediately. he
was taking bis supper in a private
room in u restaurant when the door
opened and man of rather seedy ap
pearance entered.
MIR. Miller. believe" said the new.
conner
lam. What can do for you"'
Il was in the detective business once.
and I'm trying to get into it again. I'd
like to take hold of this Meagher case"
Pm going to send man up to at
tend to it,"
The seedy individual pulled letter
from his pocket and handed it to the
detective to read. 1t was certificate
from a detective firm that Joel Zim-
norman had worked for it and done
good service.
Miller's bargain with the mayor had
been largely contingent upon tracking
and capturing the murderer. not very
profitable way to do business. 1t oc-
Cured to him that if be could get
this person cheap he would let him
work for awhile-at least long enough
to make some development. Besides.
the man told him that he suspected a
certain person and would look for
clew in that direc ton. He felt so con-
fident in the matter that he offered to
work without pay unless he made a
valuable discovery. but stipulated that
he should have the field to himself.
No other detective should be put on
the case. On these terms Mr.. Miller
engaged him and went back to the
city to attend to other matters that
promised more certain results.
Joe Avery. a nephew Of the murder
ed man. lived in Petersville, much re-
spected young man. with very nice
wife and two very pretty children.
One day while walking on the street
he picked up ten dollar bill. He was
in hard luck at the time and very
much delighted at his find. The bill
was partly spent for meat at butcher
shop. The same afternoon Avery was
arrested for the murder of his uncle
on information furnished by thinner
man. The detective produced list OF
bills. giving their numbers. that he
said he had found in an unused Chin
ney in the murdered mans house. The
list was supposed to refer to $1,000
that the old man kept there. The the
DRY was that the money had been tax
en- by the murderer, who had unwit-
tingly left the list.
Everybody in the town was surprised
at Avery's arrest. and no one at first
believed him guilty. 1t was not sup
posed that his uncle had any money.
and if he had the murderer was the
only one who could have known of it.
There was strong case Of circum-
stancial evidence against Avery, but 1t
was weakened by Zimmerman himself,
who under cross examination contra
dicted himself as to how. where and
when he had found the list. Experts
disagreed whether it was or was not
in the handwriting Of Meagher. By
throwing doubt upon this evidence the
prisoners attorney saved his client
from a verdict of guilty. The jury dis
agreed. but in order to avoid the ex-
pense of another trial brought in YER
dict of not guilty.
Avery had no doubt that he had
been made the victim of plot and as
soon as he gained his liberty set about
bit of detective work to discover the
author The first fact he noticed was
that with his acquittal the case was
dropped. The authorities believed that
the murderer had been discovered, but
that his acquittal was case of mot
proved" rather than mot guilty." The
detective who worked up the case
against him had dropped the matter
and was now working for the Miller
detective agency that, had employed
him. Indeed. every one seemed salts
fed to let the matter rest except the
man who had narrowly escaped the
gallows and was in consequence living
under the ban of being a murderer
These were the reasons that induced
Avery to take up the case on his own
account.
Avery made up his mind that his
uncle had been hoarder. Indeed, he
remembered certain incidents to in
dictate that such was the case. Some
one had discovered that the old man
had money in his possession and had
robbed and murdered him to get pos
session of it. If his uncle had saved
money possibly he might have had
something to do with some bank. He
sent out a circular letter to all the
banks i'm the state asking il Timothy
Meagher had any deposits there. Sew
en- savings banks replied that bank
books to the aggregate amount of
S260OOO had been issued to one Tim
othy j Meagher. Avery did not sup