Rocky Ford enterprise., 1912-11-01

j
shortly after the arrival of
the heads of departments. 1 saw at
a glance that 1t was a case OF bur-
glary, and by gang of the most ex-
pert and daring men in the business.
While the clerks were figuring up to
find how many thousands of dollars
worth had been taken l made tour
of the store to find out. II possible,
how entrance had been gained.
'I went first to the cellar and had
not got very far until l saw some
thing that gave me a start.
1.-TWO feet were sticking out from
between some packing boxes that
stood directly on an open hatchway
leading to the first floor. I pushed
aside the boxes and found the body
of a man lying In pool of blood.
felt his pulse. 1t was still beating
very family. but could see that he
was in a critical condition. He was
wearing a watchman's uniform. Yet
we had found the watchman upstairs.
I called some Of the clerks. With one
breath they declared 1t was the watch
man. Then who was the man we had
sent to the hospital with broken
head?
1--WE carried the man upstairs. Sew
eral more of the clerks took a look
at him and were unanimous In declar-
ing that this certainly was the watch
man. There was letter in the pocket
of his blouse addressed to the watch.
man at Hoboken. did not know
what to believe. One of the two men
was the watchman, but which was
unable to say. His wife had been
sent for and was on the way. She
would be able to settle 1t beyond
doubt.
when she arrived at the store she
gave one look at the body of the man
had found In the cellar, shrieked.
threw herself on the body and tainted
dead away. That settled 1t. This was
the watchman himself. To make 1t
doubly sure, as soon as she had re-
covered sufficiently to talk. asked
her II there were any marks upon the
body of her husband by which he
could be positively identified. She re-
piled that her husband, who had been
in the navy. had the picture Of a full
r.gged ship tattooed on his chest.
II quickly stripped of the mans
shirt. No ship was there. The am
bulance was at hand and. taking the
wife. went with 1t to the hospital
where the first man had been taken.
He had the ship In the right place.
I was glad of 1t and the wife was
overjoyed. for the doctors said the
real watchman was but slightly hurt,
while the fellow I had found was
certain to die.
ut was then clear to me that the
man in the cellar was one of the
thieves who had fallen through the
open hatchway. The plot was then
apparent. Acting upon the most re-
markable resemblance between the
two men. the thieves had waylaid the
real watchman, knocked him out and
substituted their own comrade in his
place. Even the policeman on tho
beat, who knew the watchman well.
had talked with his prototype without
scenting the deception. No blame was
attached to him when even the mans
own wife was deceived.
MY thread to the solution of the
mystery was now the bogus watch
man. kept close watch on him in
the hospital. In few days he died.
had 1t publicly announced in all the
papers that he would be buried in the
potters field. But the next day an IN
dertaker appeared with a permit to
take the body. I let him have 1t.
but also got strong pull on him and
had myself appointed his assistant.
Now was in a position TO learn
who was interested in the body. 1t
was a woman. 1 put shadows on her
and soon found out that she was a
Miss Snyder. who had a brother Sam
who was something of a crook That
was enough for me. I soon had the
body fully identified as that of Sam
Snyder.
"Still was long way from the liv-
ing members of the plot. But with
Sam Snyder dead was convinced that
the thieves would do something for
his sister and only living relative. 1
kept close shadow on her. Soon
was rewarded by finding that she was
in receipt of money from some source
The amounts came on the first of ev-
cry month from different places. Then
the payments stopped.
"As a last resort I went directly to
the woman. told her that l was a
,crook and an old friend of Sans who
had frequently worked with him. 1
told her SO many things about Sam
that had learned that she was con-
vinced. She began to talk freely and
gave me lot of information about
Sans affiliation with Tom Lynch's
gang.
at did not take me long to find out
that she had a grievance against Tom
Lynch. She said that Tom Lynch had