The Lee County journal. (Leesburg, Ga.) 1904-19??, 1912-10-10
THE PoPRAN CENTER MURDER
De oIsarIna W q pu.1IIng 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
bf words in telling you--that Herman
Bauder, the twelve year old son OF a
millioaaire florist at Popham Center,
Pennsylvania, was found dead on his
fathers lawn one July evening with
his toy air rife by his side, and abb
Rolutely no trace Of why or how he
met his death or who was responsible
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 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 fg 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 If 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
a manner as that in which the crime
had been committed Startling TO the
layman, that is, for to Cluffer and my
self, as operatives in the Burns De
tective Agency, it came merely as
part Of the days work, and to US in
no way differed from scores of cases
which we We're assigned to clear up in
order to earn our weekly salaries.
The Popham Center murder occur
red on a 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 office
manager of our agency sent word for
me TO 90 In and see the Chief. Cluf-
fer, another operative, a short, bow
legged and good humored little Eng
lishman, already was in conference
with Burns, Clutter was an old man
in the Office; | had been 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 It isn't likely that they've got
the right man. There Is reward OF
Ave thousand dollars offered by the
boys father In addition to that the
fathers lawyer has retained us by
wire. Now, you and Clutter 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 a so,
luton of the case. 1t seemed mighty
cool OF the Chief to order us to run
over and clear It up, but that is the
way the modern high class detective
agency works Crime and the dis
covery of It's perpetrators are only
matters Of business, and the high
class agency handles them exactly as
another kind Of business Office hand
Aes an order for goods.
'Have you any theory you want us
to work on?" / asked.
eyes," said the Chief. tits rob
berry crime, sure. The kid must have
got hold of some money or valuables
and somebody must have put him out
OF the way to set them. That's the
way these crimes most always shape
up. I've listed two hundred Of them
and petty robbery has been the motive
In $50 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. If
am wrong. II the thing looks very
involved after you've been there thret
or four days, let me know by wire.
That was ali. Clutter and I casheC
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 to be one Of the mos
exciting experiences OF our lives.
We reached Popham Center late a
night 1t was small, but exceed
ingly prosperous town in the foot
hills of the mountains, and Cluffei
and / repaired to its single hotel Nat
urally the place was buzzing with tall
OF the crime that for the moment haC
made it a place of national import
ance. The rooms at the hotel were
all taken by reporters, photographer.
and artists from Philadelphia ant
New York, and Clutter and were
lucky to find two cots available il
lone 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 giver
up work on it.
I've got the right man" he said
boastfully, "got him the first crack
We don't need you wise guys from the
Big City to come over here and show
as how to catch crooks-not oyel
here. knew these three niggers haC
been hanging around town for &