Washington standard. [volume] (Olympia, Wash. Territory) 1860-1921, 1912-11-29
By DONALD CHAM . ERR

about her | remembered was that she
wore IL hat with bird on it.
Not long after | took up her ticket
| the train shot into Il tunnel Nowadays
in all passenger trains on well teGnlat-
ed roads one or more lamps are n9ht-
ed, but in those times they didn't IiSht
| ul)--;it any rate. not unless the tunnel
WAS Il very Ion. one. ! WAS in the ear
where the woman with the bird hat
was sitting. and when we entered the
tunnel sat down in the rear seat next
the door. During the passage in the
darkneSs-w when we were about haIt
way through, | re;'kun-l heard Il moHn
or course one can't tell where sound
comes from without the aid of MS
eyes. but it seemed to me in this M
stance to come from about the center
Of the car. remembered that there
were two men sitting on the left III
different seats and Il man and Il We
man. also in different seats. on the
right. The woman WIS the one with
the bird IN her hat and was sitting II
few seats forward Of the center OF the
car. We were approaching the end III
the route. which accounted for there
being so few PERSONS in the ear
| Naturally. as soon as we shot out of
the tunnel. | looked over the pasSpn
gers to see if anything mad happened
to any OF EN-. | noticed that The w"
man in the bird hat had sunk down
against the window. | ran to her. and
the first thing noticed when reach
ed her was blood Oh her dress. Her
face. too was white as a sheet. She
looked to me us if she were dead. ami
It. turned out that she was. There was
a doctor in the next car in the rear
who. being summoned. examined her
and found Il wound in her breast. maue
| evidently by Il knife.
! AS soon as | regained my wits
looked over the persons who had gath
cred around the woman. didn't see
u guilty face among them. | recalled
how many passengers were In the car
when we entered the tunnel and miss
ed one man. but which one Of the nlen
l couldn't tell. Then it occurred to
me to go through the train aud invesu
gate. also questioned the brakemen.
| All the Information | gathered was
from the brakeman on the car where
the murder had been committed. who
said that when we entered the tunnel
he came into the car and sat down IN
| the forward end seat. as | sat Oh the
rear end While we were in the tun
mel the forward door had opened and
crossed. 1t seemed. very carefully 20 as
to make no noise. He felt It press
against his foot.
| Months passed. and there was no ex-
PLANTATION of the mystery. l confess /
never entered the tunnel after that.
and passed through 1t every day.
without bit Ut shudder. though
after the murder we always had the
cars lighted before going into 1t. But
after year had elapsed grew used
10 1t and thought no more about it.
One day when we were approaching
the "hOle." as we railroad men called
the tunnel. was passing down the
aisle OF the second car. which was the
done. when l noticed man sitting In
one Of the seats with wild eye In his
head muttering to himself. He SEEM
ed to be one of those persons with alb
normal cerebral activity. SO ! passed
on without paying attention to him.
came back into the car Immediately
after We had passed through the tun-
mel and saw the same man at a wash
basin next to the saloon washing his
hands.
Having no duty to perform till we
reached the next station. took seat
| In the car and within ten minutes after
the man had washed his hands he got
up from his seat. went to the basin
and washed them again. Though bit
surprised. thought nothing Of the
matter. but when. after the next stop.
went through the car to take the
| tickets l saw the same man washing
his hands again l began to notice the
| fact Within an hour he washed them
FIVE times.
had long before read In paper an
account Of French murderer who
gave himself away by continually try.
Ing to wash blood from his hands and
ptoDuUiy tulS suggested Tue tuouSut
that perhaps this man was trying to
do the same thing. The next connect
Ing link was remembering that muir
derers are drawn irresistibly to the
scene Of their crime. and might not this
man have killed the woman In the bird
decorated hat?
Taking a seat directly behind him
and pointing to where the unfortunate
woman had sat. said to him:
THAT woman over there seems to
be Ill.,"
There was no woman near where
pointed
What woman?" he asked. n fright
tned look coming over his face.
'"rhe one with the bird on her hat"
Tie had no power to speak further
! had ni'l''i'"! he third degree. which
| III his ''nS' was Il very simple process
| lrft h'ilt nv' k"ut an eve ui MIN 10
! the ,''''i - '',' .r.pt, hnVlnc instructed