The Yale expositor. (Yale, St. Clair County, Mich.) 1894-current, 1911-12-07
CHAPTE I.

Ssas a good haul, too. Forty thousand
dollars in crisp coin of the realm Is
pretty high pay for almost any Grim
tnaf for few hours work and risk,
and that is what the perpetrator got
out of it.
You will notice that | said Grim
tnai" 1 did that to distinguish 1t from
the operation of gang OF thieves !;
for as IT turned out it was the work
as n single individual and not the
combination OF effort of a coterie.
That made it still more difficult to
solve AS a chain is no stronger than
M = combination of men no keener
than the wits of its dullest member.
That is why conspiracies generally
come to- gfief-somebody turns out to
DO weak. In the matter Of which am
speaking there were as many battling
points rs there are to hedgehog, and
for time it seemed impregnable. AS
for The sleuth hounds of the police,
they came up to 1t with caution,
smeIred about 1t discreetly and then
Grew away. looking wise, to ponder
over IL, and for Sill l know are look
Sug wise and bordering yet. But with
William LeDuc the case was differ
eUt
LeDuc had been something OF a
friend OF mine ever since we were
scboolboys together. and he did real
Iy brilliant work on the case. Every
thing coniuTed up by the human mind
IS capable of human solution If we
go about it right, and LeDuc found
Che way. Just because a dog Is help
less before a bristllng porcupine it is
40 sign that all animals are. The wild
Eat isn't. He is too quick for the
WHISTLER He feints him out of his de-
fens7ve posture by lightning play
xn& eventually gets him by the un-
protected nose-which is the begin
ming Of the end OF the problem. Just
what LeDuc did has never been made
public up to this time for the reason
chat none but he or is competent to
give the inner particulars of the run
ming down of the thief and up to this
dime neither OF us has cared to tell
But feel that must do so now.
That happened to know more than
anybody else about certain incidents
connected with the affair and was
able To supply LeDuc with the proofs
0f guilt was due to the fact that
lived with Uncle Abner at the time
the crime took place. I. also, was the
ezne who found him lying bound and
unconscious. Also ii was myself who
SSported matters to the police and in
erosinced LeDuc to my uncle. AS for
sbs time when the burglary took
place, I happened to be away from
home, having stayed at a hotel in the
business district quite a few miles
from where / lived.
And now at the outset / am going
Ia emphasize one fact. While 1t is an
unpleasant thing for me to do so.
nm going to tell everything l know
regarding this crime. am going to
wpare nobody's feelings. faults or repu-
fafions- That have not done SO be-
fore was because of reason which
will be apparent when all the other
FACTS are known. But now that
certain event has happened l feel
free to make everything known.
In writing this account have
Thought best to do so chronologically
when possible. Therefore, l must go
somewhat into matters which pre-
coded and were more or less directly
connected with the crime in order
that the motive may be shown and
that there may be the proper per
spcctive. To do this | must tell mere
or less about people not absolutely
connected with the burglarly but who
are necessary TO the narrative by
reason OF their propinquity How
ever, they are simply the shading
and side lights that go to make up the
picture. And while LeDuc may disap-
pear for considerable periods In the
telling. the mistake should not be
made OF thinking he is nowhere
around. That Is what he did In the
actual ferreting out of the case, and
fhaf is what misled the criminal. But
when his fine italian hand did appear
sat the finish. It wore a glove of mail.
Right at this point | find myself
somewhat at loss to decide just
where to begin the recital This is
for the reason that | am not a writer
trained in the art OF building up a
mystery with such skill that 1t stands
intact until the time comes to demol-
fish It. when with one deft blow the
keystone is removed and the whole
fabric comes down with crash.
Therefore all can hope to do is to
efrnply and plainly outline the char
acters which seem to me to be per-
sinent to a full understanding OF con-
dftfons, and then go on and relate
events az they happened. Perhaps
bad better begin with a brief descrip-
tion Of Uncle Abner, his peculiarities
and n,esnnesses.
When you look at that last SEN
tence again you will begin to under
staud that I meant It when ! said |
was going TO spare nobody. Neither
do believe any one will think as