Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1913-08-31

Who should have wished to WI MW T.
kill this man, and why he wv I'm
should have wished to kill him,
ma tiers of complete mys
terry. He had enemies in the town, and strangers
had been seen there recently When his body
found with bulethole through the heart in vacant
lot right off the main street, his watch and his wallet
containing fifteen dollars discovered to have been
untouched. There signs of struggle, and it
was definitely learned subsequently from persons who
had heard the shot that there had been outcry.
Hence the theory OF attempted robbery was practically
wiped off the slate. Everything pointed to the fact
that the man had been shot in cold blood-but by
whom?
After three weeks had gone by and the local
stabulary had made progress remotely guess
ing the identity of the slayer members of the
munty got together and enlisted the services Of detec
tive of wide national fame to get at the of the eng
sufficient importance to merit his personal attention,
and accordingly assigned of his aides to it. This
aide presently uncovered the startling truth that the
murdered man had been secretly involved in particu-
arly dsreputabe scheme with native of the town who
not only pillar of the church, the leader of what
social element the town boosted, prominent official on
the community governing boards, but was, on the
whole the biggest man in the place
The aide advanced the belief that the murdered man
had threatened to betray the higher up for some
other and that the latter fearful OF his name,
reputation and jail sentence, had sealed his under
lngs lips with 80 bullet. The aide further informed
his chief that it absolutely impossible, matters
and that the only way which his association with the
crime might be fixed would be to "put tail on him.
The latter phrase is detective argot for shadowing.
The head detective at glance that matters stood
the fororn and almost hopeless shape that his ass
tant stated they did He realized that the under
picon must not for second think he was suspected
that he could not be Swallowed in town of eight thou
and people, for the very good that shadowng
always out of the question community where every
body knows everybody else at least by sight, and where
the arrival of stranger certain to unwelcome
suspicious
THE head detective observed Immediately that here
a problem worthy of himself, one that would
his skill to the uttermos-and, going to the town,
he made his home with of the townspeope who had
drawn him into the thus avoiding suspicion by pos
ing friend and guest OF the family. Once on the
ground the detective that the only way to get any
thing on the would be by the shadowing process,
and that the only way he could be Swallowed would be
to get him to leave town.
Here, then, the problem How was the detective
to force this man. constantly his guard to leave his
home, where he safe and go away against his will,
and thus incidentally practically betray his guilt!
That letter faxed up from friend business man
another city would the trick apparent for
three first because the might be suspicious
of the trick; secondly because the had absolutely
business to draw him away from his home and third
ly and sesufciently, because the letter device had
been careessy tried by the ncautous aide, and had
failed completely The would not leave-that
all there was to it. But he had be made to leave and
at the time suspect he leaving of
his voltion. How? For four solid days the de-
tective puzzled over the situation
AND late the night of the fourth day, he lay in
bed unable to sleep, his mind at last hit on the plan
He hoped of bed got into his clothes quickly went
down the icebox left the house. and started through
the streets with the seemingly irrelevant object of steal
ing dog His search finally rewarded by the sight
of asleep the porch of house up of the by
ways. He tiptoed up to it, bestowed upon its eager