The Meeker herald., 1912-08-10
THE poPHAM CENTER MURDER
Tn. Clearing Up Of Puzzllns Case

The Clearing Up Of a PuzzIins Case
II you have been reading the daily
papers at all in the last two years
you already know something of the
Popham Center murder case. You
know-for the reporters spent oceans
Of words in telling you-that Herman
Bauder, the twelve year old son of a
millionaire florist at Popham Center.
Pennsylvania, was found dead on his
fathers lawn one July evening with
his toy air rife by his side, and alb
solutely no trace of why or how he
for the dastardly deed. Later 1t was
discovered that the boy had died from
suffocation, which further complicated
the mystery; for how he could have
succumbed in this fashion out there
on the open lawn on a summer even
ing was inexplicable More investi-
CATION showed that he had been
choked. You know also how his
father, frantic with grief. had ragged,
placed his fortune at the disposal of
anyone who could clear up the my
stery, and how for weeks the press
rang with stories Of one of the most
sensational man hunts in the history
of detective annals in this country.
All this and more you know II you
were reading the papers at the time.
What you do not know, and what
propose to tell, is how the mystery
was cleared up in almost as startling
Q manner as that in which the crime
had been committed. Startling to the
layman. that is. for to Clutter and my
self, as operatives in the Burns De-
tective Agency. 1t came merely as
part of the days work, and to LIS in
no way differed from scores Of cases
which we were assigned to clear up in
order to earn our weekly salaries.
The Popham Center murder occur
red on Monday evening, and Tues
day morning the papers were playing
up 1.-THE Popham Center Mystery"
BY this name the case became known.
On the Thursday following the offlce
manager, Of our agency sent word for
me to go in and see the Chief. Cluf-
fer, another operative. q short bow
legged and good humored little Eng
lishman. already was in conference
with Burns. Cluffer was an old man
in the once; had been q detective
only a few months.
Cornell" said the Chief, we've
been retained to clear up that Pop
ham Center case over in Pennsyl-
vania. The sheriff and the police
and the county detectives over there
are all up In the air. They've already
arrested three negroes for doing the
Job. 1t isn't likely that they've got
the right man. There Is a reward of
five thousand dollars offered by the
boys father. In addition to that. the
fathers lawyer has retained US by
wire. Now, you and Cluffer go over
to .Popham Center and clear that
thing up"
had been reading the newspaper
accounts Of the murder and had been
impressed by the apparently insur-
mountable difficulties that lay in So
luton of the case. It seemed mighty
cool Of the Chief to order US to run
over and clear 1t up, but that is the
way the modern high class detective
agency works. Crime and the dis
covery Of its perpetrators are only
matters OF business. and the high
class agency handles then exactly as
another kind Of business ONCE hand
les an order for goods.
Have you any theory you want US
to work ONT" asked.
"Yes," said the Chief. Its a rob-
berry crime. sure. The kid must lave
got hold of some money or valuables,
and somebody must have put him out
of the way to get them. That's the
up. I've listed two hundred of them,
and petty robbery has been the motive
in 1870 cases. don't know the situa-
ton over there, but that's the idea
want you to base your work on
until you find that I'm wrong. II l
am wrong II the thing looks very
involved after you've been there three
or four days. let me know by WIRE"
That was all. Cluffer and cashed
an order for expense money, packed
our grips, and within two hours were
whirling over New Jersey toward
Pennsylvania bound for what after
wards proved 10 Ue one Oh the most
exciting experiences Of our lives.
We reached Popham Center late at
night. 1t was small. but exceed
ingly prosperous town in the foot
hills of the mountains. and Clutter
and I repaired to its single hotel Nat
urally the place was buzxins with talk
OF the crime that for the moment had
made It q place Of national import
ancs. The rooms at the hotel were
~ taken by reporters. photographers
and artists from Philadelphia and
New York. and Clutter and were
lucky to fnd two cots available in
one end of the hall. That night We
met the sheriff Of the county and were
amazed to find that he considered the
case already settled. He had given