The Abbeville press and banner. [volume] (Abbeville, S.C.) 1869-1924, 1910-11-30
Story Of a Safe Blowing
at Due West.
Tom Hill the Boy Detective.

Piedmont Section of South Carolina is To-
Gated q hamlet that Is known far
and wide as an educational center and
whose moral and religious atmospere sur
passes that Of any other village or town
on the continent.
1t is strictly college town having a
hourishing, school for young men and its
graduates have been conspicuous for their
prominence in the Halls Of Congress-, and
In many Of the States, her sons have risen
to fame much to the credit Of this little
country town where they were trained in
morals and intellect. The motto OF Ers-
kline College 'Scientia cum moribus con.
iuncta," was the key note to their lives and
the "open sesame" to their success in life.
Due West, South Carolina not only
brides herself on being the home Of Ers-
kline College, put she has another institu-
ton, that she holds up to the gaze OF the
world with merited pride. The Due west
Female College, has turned out legions OF
highly cultured ladies and they too have
taken prominent rank in the various field
OF usefulness. Go to China, Brazil, Mexico
graduates Of this noted college along with
| the Alumni OF Erskine, working hand In
hand for the spread Of the Gospel and for
the amelioration Of the benighted heathen.
| Along with these two noted colleges she
has Theological Seminary, that moulds
the cultured minds of its college graduates
| into broader and fuller sense OF maturity
in matters Of religion and the graduates
of this institution like the others take
their places in the forefront as pulpit ora
tors;religious lecturers, authors, editors
and teachers.
1t has been said in jest, but to one who
knows the town, and its good influences
| it smacks nightly like the truth that in
| order to enter the pearly Gotes of Heaven
you have to 60 through Due West as a
kind of vestibule.
Crime in this village is looked upon
with fear and awe that makes its inhab-.
itante tremble when it is heard of-and
naturally when theft Is committed or
homicide Is heard OF within or near its
borders, the holy horror expressed by its
citizens is but typical Of their great right
| eOusneSs. =,
And naturally they began to wonder
from whence come the culprit that has
perpetuated deed that costs a blot of
| the civic righteousness of the sanity town
and old heads and young heads all get
use their most powerful efforts to bring
the guilty party to justice.
Yet this town with all its purity and its
morals and reputation for law abiding
citizens was thrown into a paroxism OF ex-
citement one morning when the sun was
just beginning to peep up from the East
ern sky by the startling announcement
that the store Of Mr.. Edwards had been
broken open and that his iron safe had
been blown open with dynamite.
The early rising inhabitants spread the
news from house to house, like q mad
prairie fire it soon swept the entire town
| and in less than half an hour the news
had reached every nook and corner
Who ever heard OF such daring thing
| In Due West? Such work as this belongs
to cities. Men, women and children gath
cred around the store and curiosity accom-
panied with fear and trembling actually
The older heads began to speculate as
to what was to be done.
Everybody began campaign OF inquiry
and every citizen was wrought up to such
pitch that business was suspended and
ali lent their energy to try and catch the
thief and bring him to justice. -.
The safe and the store room and all the
surroundings we're carefully examined 10
try and find q trace or clue, but nothing
was discovered that encouraged them all
that could be learned was that the lock
ON the. back eoor had been broken and the
safe had been blown open with some ex-
plosion agency,
folk il any strongers lOafers, tramp had
been seen about town, No one had seen
anyone and after the entire day bad been
spent in trying to get some clue all was in
vain ann the mystery was not to be soly. ~,
ed and the guilty ones had secured their
loot and made good their escape.
The universally accepted verdict was the
door had been forced open the safe blown
open and Mr., Edwards announced $500 in
money had been stolen.
Some Of the good old pious people called
Mr.. Edwards to one side and tried to con-
sole him by saying that he need not wor.
ry, that the thief who had done this awful
thing would be pricked with q guilty con-
science and would after seeing himself
how awful was his crime and realizing
return the money and pray you to for-
The next day after the burglars had
made sorry with thei I haul one Of the lads
OF the village who was q very bright
young fellow and had as he thought o
natural gift as u detective, this opinion OF
himself had been born after he had read a
number of the stories Of Sherlock Holmes.
He asked Mr., Edwards to be allowed to
make q careful examination Of the safe
and the room stating that he had an idea
he was keener observer and a better stu
dent Of human nature than these unsus-
pecting and pious people. Mr.. Edwards
taunted him with discouraglng words and
laugeed at his request to got clue.
The boy persisted so earnestly that Mr..
Edwards agreed just to please him.
The boy got down on his knees close to
the safe door and he discovered the nail
prints from the heel Of shoe, he become
excited and exclaimed In great Joy, 81
have struck the trail".
or course Mr.. Edwards rushed back to
see what the boy had found and when
shown the heel prints, Edwards remarked
that the man that made that heel mark
will be hard to find, "But said the lad"
suppose we found other little clues that
would possibly lead to the arrest of some
one ON suspicion wouldnot this little heel
print aid In some measure, to fasten the
crime on some one at least to strengthen
the evidence against him II the mark fitted
his heel.
Yes, but where are your other clues?
Was Mr.. Edwards discOuraging reply.
"Mr. Edwards, am no detective but
have an ambition In that line and if you
will consent, I shall work on this case and
il I am successful you may get your mon
ey will start out in life With reputation
in the line Of work that l have always
wanted to engage in-that OF detective
then can earn large rewards and be able
mother In the declining years OF her life.
This little speech delivered in such a
tone of candor, sincerely, and feeling
touched a tender spot in Mr.. Edwards
heart
Go ahead young man, do your best and
may your efforts be crowned with success
tho nrnttu II will hn to thop