The Calhoun chronicle. [volume] (Grantsville, W. Va.) 1883-1984, 1913-07-08
Copyright by international Press suroauJ

shoot WITH" asked Clutter, suddenly.
Wed boon wuhkin' for Mr. Brooks
who runs the brickyard. wheelin'
bricks all day" was the instant an
swer. He done paid us of and we
goes over TO dis place and shoots
little craps all evenln'. We got folks
can swear to dat"
Where were you between the time
you quit work and the time you were
arrested?" I shot at them.
We went straight to dis poolroom,"
they answered. I'VE wuz dere- all deh
time"
Next morning we investigated their
story quietly. We found Brooks at
his brickyard. and he substantiated
the negroes story about being paid
off. They had left the brickyard at
five minutes after five. and at tho
poolroom Il was said they had ar
rived at 8:15. and had remained until
late at night when they were ar
rested.
Gross OF the coons," said Clutter.
They never had finger in this pie
! knew IL the minute saw 'em; coons
always try TO look foxy when they're
lying. Those coons were just plain
scared. Let's 80 look at the situa-
ton"
The Bauder home we found to be
exceptionally striking even in that
town OF prosperous homes. Bauder
was florist who had become a mil
lionaire by investments in oil, but he
stlll conducted. IN the fields, imme-
diately back OF his house, the florist
establishment that had given him his
start In front OF the house was the
great, well kept lawn upon which the
IL year old son had been foully done
to death.
"Alr Baudcr." said. did your lit
tie boy have any possessions on his
person or elsewhere that might tempt
Tobber?"
Him? That little fellow" burst
out the old man. NO, he didn't have
thing-not thing o. hold on"
He stopped as II romething had come
forcibly TO his mind Well. now"
he said. II never thought OF that. lie
had savings bank with $50 in 1t.
and / haven't seen II since he-since
We lOuIu IlU OH the lawn.
A hurried and thorough search of
the house was made for the bank Ii
could not be found 1t was not in It's
accustomed place in the child's room.
or elsewhere. 1t could not be found.
There" said Clutter as we left the
place. lis your motive. Let's get
away and smoke and think It over"
We went back to the hotel, and pro
ceeded to lay out our theory. Hav-
Ing established the fact that tho
child's bank with $50 in 1t had dis.
appeared on the same night as his
murder 1t was apparent that the two
were connected: the boy had been
killed for the bank, slain by some mis-
creant who valued that paltry sum
beyond a child's life. But how was
this connection 10 be established in
way 10 further our work? The boy
had been put TO death out on tho
lawn. The bank usually was In his
room. There had been no burglary
OF the house. No one had entered it
to take tho bank. How could the per-
son or persons, who killed the boy,
get the bank? Did they get It before
they committed their savage crime, or
afterwards? Was the murder the
main crime, or merely an incident to
n robbery? Or was the robbery 4
mere incident to the murder?
The chief had said that we prob
ably would find robbery to be the mo-
tive. II this was DO, then the person
or persons who killed tho boy did so
because he stood between them and
the bank. They had to get him out
OF the way to get that fifty dollars.
They wouldn't have killed him other
wise. But the bank was-or usually
was-up In the boys room In the
house, where no intruder had entered
why should they kill the boy out on
the lawn TO get nifty dollars In one
OF the upper rooms OF the house?
Either" said I. the boy had
caught them taking the bank-or he
had the bank with him"
Clutter sat UP rlgldly
'Wow!" he said That's some
bunch. Either someone had taken
the bank, and be knew who It was
and was going to tell on them, and
they killed him to keep him quiet
or he had II with him believe we
are beginning TO see toward the light. "
Being I'm charge OF the case said .
Clutter, ] suggest that you 20 TO
work I'm the Bauder home and get ac-
quainted with the servants. viii get
Job In the flower houses. I've got
bunch that points that way"
Next day the Bauder home had q
new man around the house to do odd
Jobs. and there were new band in
the flower houses, learning tho for.
lists trade. Bauder put US both TO
work upon our request. and we had
the run OF both house and flower
houses and intercourse with the ser
wants and employees without being un-
der suspicion as detectives. Then,
haring decided whittier our theory
pointed, Clutter and ! began our task
Of clearing up the Popham Center my.
stery
All The circumstances attendant on
the case suggested TO my mind that
the guilty party Was someone who
was extremely familiar with tho Baud.
or household, and with tho Bauder
boy The more ! dwelt on the odd
feature OF tho case-the Staying OF
the boy on the lawn and the disap-
gearing Of the bank I'm the house-tho
b1Ore ] became convinced that no out
slider had done this crime II looked
moro and more like the work Of some