The Calhoun chronicle. [volume] (Grantsville, W. Va.) 1883-1984, 1913-07-08
THE P0PHAM CENTER MUROEF
Tho Clearing Up Of a PuzzIIns Case

III 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
Of words In telling you-that Herman
Bauder. the twelve year old son of
millionaire florist at Popham Center.
Pennsylvania, was found dead on his
fathers lawn one July evening with
his toy air rifle by his side, and alb
solutely no trace of why or how no
met his death or who was responsible
for the dastardly deed Later IT 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 for weeks the press
rang with stories Of one OF the most
sensational man hunts in the history
OF detective annals I'm this country.
All this and more you know II you
were reading tho papers at the time.
What you do not know, and what I
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 Clutter and my
self. as operatives In the Burns De
tective Agency. II came merely as
part OF the days work, and 10 Us in
no way differed from scores OF cases
which we were assigned to clear up In
order TO earn our weekly salaries.
The Popham Center murder occur
red on Monday evening, and Tues
day morning the papers were playing
up The Popham Centor Mystery"
BY this name the case became known.
On the Thursday following the office
manager OF our agency sent word for
me 10 20 in and see the Chief Cluf-
fer. another operative. short, bow
legged and good humored little Eng
lishman, already was in conference
with Burns. Clutter was an old man
in the ONCE; had been a detective
only 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 fer doing the
Job. II isn't likely that they've got
the right man. There is a reward of
five 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 1t 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
les an order for goods
Have you any theory you want US
TO work on?" asked.
Yes" said the Chief. It's a rob
berry crime, sure The kid must have
| got hold OF some money or valuables.
and somebody must have put him out
4 OF the way TO get 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
| I'm 100 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, II !
am wrong. II the thing looks very
/ involved after you've been there three
or four days, let me know by wire"
That was all. Clutter and cashed
an order for expense money, packed
our grips, and within two hours were
whirIng over New Jersey toward
/ Pennsylvania bound for what after.
wards proved 20 be one Of the most
exciting experiences OF our lives.
We reached Popham Center late al
night. II was a small. but exceed.
ingly prosperous town I'm the foot
hills OF the mountains and Cluffer
and I repaired 20 It's single hotel. Nat
urally the place was buzzing with talk
Of the crime that for the moment had
made II a place OF national import
ance. The rooms az the hotel were
all taken by reporters. photographer
and artists from Philadelphia and
New York, and Clutter and were
lucky 10 hnd two cots available IN
one 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 lie had given
up work on Il.
I've got the right man" no said
boastfully. got him the first crack
We don't need you wise guys from the
Big CITY 10 come over here and show
us how to catch croOks-not oVOl
here. knew these three niggers had
been hanging around town for 3
couple Of days and just as soon q
heard that Herman Bauder's IA
had been murdered knew who'd doas
The Job. and threw those felIers iEaa
JAIL Oh, we don't need you oVlB
here"
Have these negroes confessedV. 9
asked
No. but they viii after few AJz
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