Bryan daily eagle and pilot. [volume] (Bryan, Tex.) 1909-1918, 1913-05-19
Firing a Crime to the Evidence
DOWNRIGHT. by W. g. Chapman)

the shadows, | saw him enter dark
stairway. started to follow, then STOP
ned. The building, on the upper floor,
had noticed, was occupied on one
side by a small manufacturing concern.
sweatshop, probably. Then he must
have his room somewhere on the other
side. | hurried into the alley next to
the building and watched. Soon a
light appeared in a window on the
fourth floor. to shine dimly a moment,
then fade as curtain was pulled. l
strained my eyes at the shadow as the
man had gone to the window. I was
sure he was the one ! was following,
and that had located his room.
"That night the house took a new
lodger, one who preferred to live on
the fourth floor, where the light was a
trifie better. She was poor woman,
but at that she managed to pay her
first weeks rent in advance"
Alice Clement smiled as she said
this. and | could not help wondering
at the courage of this bright eyed lit
tie woman, slight, pretty, young appear
ing. a woman who seemed of the type
that lives for petting and for easy lux
ury. instead of the grueling life that
one must undergo when stalking crime.
The "L" train had stopped for the
transfer from local to express trains at
Indiana avenue. Miss Clement waited
until the whirring of the wheels began
again before she took up her narrative
once more.
ut isn't usual thing for a man to
buy papers like that" she said. And
that was the reason I had become sc
interested in him. What was 1t that he
desired to see? What was it that he
was constantly fearful might come
forth every day-what was 1t thai
impelled his curiosity to watcf
the very latest edition OF papers
that he must know what was hap
pening up to the very last minute
The thoughts gnawed my brain. There
, was no particular unsolved murde
mystery just at that time. Ther'
had been no very great rObberies. A
| sat in my little room, looking at Tn
faded, torn wall paper and the misei
4 able furnishings, dissected the who'll
; thing. piece by piece. That man wa
: a criminal, | felt sure of 1t. He ma
done something which as yet had no
= been found out. His conscience wa
I hurting him. The thought of crime
q weighing down upon his brain, wa
driving him night after night out int
the open, to learn If possible II tn
6 world had yet learned Of his gull
, Yes. l was sure of all that; but
= prove it was a different matter.
6 criminal, forced to the wall, is a har
1t person to deal with. l had nothin
n by which a lead of attack might
1t made. There was nothing that /
could be accused Of. There was on
one thing to do-wait and play spy.
n, "That night, as the hours grew lat
Of | sneaked into the hall and stealth
lg approached the door. There, in Il
Of shadow, just around the corner fro
h, where a dingy hall light threw
n, feeble rays against the overpoweril
in darkness, knelt, hour after hour !
OF tening at the keyhole. But no VOL
ch no sound, came from within. The
i'd. was no movement from the man vii
it. in the room, nothing that would in
We cate that he was suffering from t
"a thoughts of a crime. I went back
he my room and went to sleep.
"The next night it was the san
nut There must be new plan.
to The following day, gauging my til
1e- so that / felt sure he would be at
ne newspaper office, l tried my keys
ad the door. They all failed. Then,
Ike lowing apparent failure, there ent
de- ed hope The door of the room NJ
els went open to my touch. l saw that
1ill was vacant. l felt the walls; ii
IS; were slmost nothing. / saw that by
ing dicious use Of sharp knife l Co
lrt- have a hole through the connect
it'll one within a half hour. l set
ind work"
ght The 81" train had stopped for a l
ment, and with it stopped Miss Cl'
the ents narrative. Then, as the !
hat torman shot the lever around on
to controller, it began again.
hat when my man returned that nie
ipa- he was being watched by two e
in that were tireless. l had station
bit myself in that little room, locked {
In bolted the door, and was at the I
my hole had made in the wall. felt s
of that it would not be noticed. / '
VS. willing, anyway, to take the char
few HE came into the room somew
Idle wildly. His face was set, he seer
hid nervous. Hurriedly he walked to
for small cupboard and took from ii
way box containing some white powde
ady a cocaine fiend! Then, almost stea
lily he paced around the room, to t
to out at last some letters from d,
me, and seated himself by the light.
AIT could see that the paper was old
ase. dirty. The letters evidently had b
ess- read and re-read thousand time
anne 81 stood at that hole in the '
heir spellbound. The man before me
cap. changing in every bit of his
ap- ture. The shifty, nervous express
ten had left his eyes now. AS he l
ling line after line OF the mlsi1Ve ne
he in his hand, his eyes grew steely
and cold and glazing. Now and then
fol. lips seemed to part in snarl.
II