The Jeffersonian. [volume] (Atlanta, Ga.) 1907-1917, 1911-02-23

afternoon, and had gone across an open field
quarter of mile wide previous to o'clock
on the same afternoon was a circumstance so
peculiar that my thoughts continually re-
turned to it. Suddenly the horrible solution
of the mystery flashed across my mind. From
the pine thicket in which they skulked in my
pasture, those two men had full view of me
as [ walked down the orchard path toward
my old home-place, and when | disappeared
from their view, going toward the big white
gate, they dashed across the open field, went
into Mr.. Pearce's stubble field, passed over
the strip of oats at the back of the garden,
and went toward the little cow-house where
they thought I would come by, suspecting
nothing. AS soon as this frightful thought
occurred to me, realized that there was
sure test as to whether [ was right about it.
If my theory were correct, we would find the
same two tracks-one of which is so extra
ordinarily peculiar somewhere near the
flower garden or the little gate. [ hurried to
Major McGregor, who was then IN front of
the house, pointing out that very peculiar
track to Sheriff Clary, stating what theory
had popped into my head. I requested them
both to go with me and put the matter
to a test. The sheriff could not join
us in the search Going down to where
Mac had lost the tracks, we began our
inspection of the ground. I thought [ recog-
but was not sure of it. In the strip of oats,
however, it almost made me shudder to see
those footprints that are exactly similar to
those that are here in front of my house. It
was not until Monday morning that my
friend, Mr.. Charles Minis, of Clark's Hill, S.
c., found the tracks going toward the little
cow-house and coming away from it.
Now, remember: Mr. CARTRIDGE and the
negroes saw the two strange men at o'clock:
Maj or McGregor followed their tracks across
the open field shortly after four: they were
not In my old home place when he got there
and searched it. He naturally supposed that
the men had gone away, but my instinct told
me otherwise, and [ told McGregor so. While
he was searching the dense shrubbery of my
old home-place, they had run back to cover in
my pasture swamp. This has been my con-
tention all along; and today Mr.. Minis
found the running tracks in the open field,
and thus demonstrates the correctness of my
theory.
On Thursday Stanley Lyle and several
other men at our printing plant saw the men
near the place where they had originally
crossed into my field. Jacob Wynn saw them
the same evening: Mr. Moncrief, one of the
night watchmen of Thomson, saw one of the
men Thursday night, and shot at him. A
negro, who had to take an early train, and
who rose at two o'clock in the morning to see
what time it was, saw the two men. They are
dressed in good suits of dark color; they wear
white shirts; and they evidently have on good
shoes. The larger footprint has no popularity
about it, and is made with No. 8 or shoe.
The smaller track is about No. 6, with
high heel, and narrow sole, curving on the
left. 1t is of the style called extreme, and is
probably as good as new.
There was no rashness in my leading the
scout parties which searched two nights for