The Lakeland evening telegram. (Lakeland, Fla.) 1911-1922, 1912-03-16
Pulling Off
A Job
By Claudine SiSSon


In front of the Bennett house, with
: Miss Nellie Bennett looking out Of
one OF the parlOr windows on the
highway the horse and coulter being
driven by stranger met with dis.
aster. The left-hand runner Of the
cuttes struck an icy lump and was
lifted up until the cutter was upset
Tho driver was pitched out into the
snow, but hung to the lines and
stopped the horse after being dragged
a couple of rods.
Miss Nellie neither screamed nor
tainted away. She saw the man get
up, right the cutter and drive away,
and that was all there was to it-fOr
the moment Her eye caught some
thing fluttering after he had disap-
! peared, and she walked out and
picked up handkerchief Close TO 1t
lay a letter. These things had been
dragged from his pockets The hand
kerchicf gave her no clue to the
mans Identity, but me supcrscription
on HE envelope was IN a business
hand aud read.
Mr. Joseph Gale. Fvrndalc."
l'crudaIn was 2 country postoi!i 9
4 mile away. The !otcr was post
marked tton the r'i, ma had just
been received. As the Bcnnotts,
mother and daa,aier aud brother
Jack. had laley moved into the
neighborhood, they bad heard of no
Gales. 1's ietiof iuclo.eI was very
brief. II read:
Dear Jog Yo4rs q hand VIII he
down Weonos.ay evening to hclp
pull or the job. WA be bloody
affair, but | cue S We can manage 1t
ell right. Frank"
III must refer to contemplated
murder, said the mother, when she
had been shown TIC letter.
Why, OF course il daes," rel HE'D
Miss Nelly. II 4 Bloody affair
doesn't mean cutting some ones
ltlu4', what Gu 4 mean
ri J3rh were lore lie coald tell
us
Yes. bur lie wonl u bact from
Fuaalo mn lr ~ No'h'r, here
IS 4 matter tit iaDst he sr,l 10 At
once. Murder has lcau p.dtAel and
i may b. oHr murder Providence
Ia, put clue iaio orr hands
Thore's a constable living in that red
house mile down the road, aud Tn
going down there"
"But ! may BE- murdered While you
are gone''
This letter says Wednesday night
Murders never come OF before the
date set Say, Won't have TO 20 at
all. There's he constable coming NJ
the road now. Jack told him to keep
an eye out for us. He'll be right on
to the ease in no time"
When the constable had entered
the house he got the story and the
clue. and he patted the girl on the
back and chuckled:
I'VE have got 'em dead to rights
at the very first go-off! It's my idea
that they mean to murder old Shep-
hard, the miser. He lives alone and
is supposed 10 have barrel OF
money. Joseph Gale? Joseph Gale?
There's family named Gale living
about three miles along the road. and
believe there is q son. Was this a
young man,
Yes. think So"
Have a reckless look about hin?"
why, | cant say as to that"
"Tll note ii down that he had lie
must have. TO plan coldblooded
murder Did he put the CAD to the
horse after righting the cutter and
jumping in?'
He surely did that" ..
"A murderer always does something
like that to give himself away. We
are coming on, girl-we are coming
on. Did he glance at the horse in .
furtive way"
Il didn't see him.
But I'll note 1t down here that he
did Yes; he must have done SO.
Murderers are always glancing about
in furtive way. Did his face wear
a startled look when the cutter up
set?"
1T was too far for me to see"
but it must have" said Nellies |
mother.
Right you are, marin. He thought |
for a moment that | had hold OF him. |
startles a man when he has |
planned a murder He hasn't come
driving back 10 look for the letter, has
he?"
Not that ] have SEEN"
Another evidence Of his guilt. An |
honest man would have missed the
letter within five minutes and come
right back. oh, he has left clues
cnnuph IN hang dozen man