Daily Kennebec journal. [microfilm reel] (Augusta, Me.) 1870-1975, 1914-07-10
Famous Old-Time Sleuth.
EXPERIENCES eY JOHN
GREATEST DETECTIVES

passed. Some of the best friends I had
never forgave me for the part that I
played In it. The guilty man was one
l knew well. one in whom / had the
greatest confidence. Every move that
l made, and every fresh piece of evil
dence that l uncovered, made the case
all the harder for me to follow. / real
lied, however, that / had to throw
all personal feelings to the winds and
answer the call of duty, which 1 did
The case was the murder of Thomas
Crawford, an old carpet merchant and
trader, by Thomas J. Armstrong. The
trial was one of the biggest sensations
of the day, not only because of the
prominence of the principals in the
case, but by reason Of new expert
ments on blood introduced to fasten
the crime on the defendant. Arm
strong was a member of one of the
most prominent families in Kensing-
ton. He was held in high esteem by
all who knew him, was a Sunday
school teacher and man of exemp
larry habits. He was a real Jekyl and
Hyde In the eyes of his friends he
was q model young man.. yet his crime
showed that he was man of two
| characters.
when arrested him and charged
him with the murder, I was called a
| fool. His neighbors in Kensington
said that it was impossible. They con-
sidered that a terrible injustice had
| been inflicted on the man. even to
point the hand of suspicion against
| him. Yet it was proved without the
shadow of a doubt that he was guilty.
4
| largely because his victim was a car
pet trader. In view of the fact that
! Crawford was man of wealth, this
was considered somewhat or a dis
graceful pursuit for him to follow.
Most of the goods handled by men Of
this class were stolen. The only rea-
| son Armstrong had for getting the man
| out OF the way was that he feared
| disclosure Of some sort. do not think
that money figured in the case. The
old man was told to bring 500 with
| him. but I think this was only blind.
| 1.-THE plot had not been carefully
| planned, ard Armstrong did not use
any discretion in the time or the place
for his deed He told Crwaford that
he had a big yarn deal ready for him.
and that he was to keep the matter
|
to travel, so they would go in wag-
on. Armstrong had an accomplish with
him, whose identity we never fully
| learncd He drove the wagon. whiie
Armstrong committed the murder.
Armstrong must have been drinking
himself. or I think that he would nave
used better judgment. He not only
| went through a thickly populated
neighborhood, but did it early in the
evening OF a warm day-a tire When
| the people were sitting on their door
| steps and could not help noticing Inc
wagon and the gallopfhg horse
After getting the whisky Arm
strong and his aeeompliee drove down
| sixth street to Girard avenue, then
over to st. John street, to Poplar, TO
| Sixth street and then TO Diamond
While they were in st. John street the
horses were going at terrihe rate OF
speed. as speed was judged N those
| DAYS. and Armstrong had the man
head on the seat, hammering away at
him. scene such as that attracted
attention and created sensation aiohs
| the route After Armstrong had kllieo
the hid trader he threw the booy INTO
| tho street head first, and then fired
bullet through him. This occurred at
sixth and Diamond streets, which al
that time was considered an out-of-
the-way place.
IT was new at the game at the tiine'
| and T was detailed as an apprentice
under one of the city's Snerioch
Holmes of that day. He had one
fault. re was a trifle lazy. and he mad
been in the game so long that new
case didn't hold the same attraction
for him that it would have in days
gone nv. After we had been on the
ease n while, he told me that he was
| only a figurehead, for l knew all the
neonie and could get all the informa-
tion that was needed. He left me 10
wor,, the case alone. ! traced the wag-
on and found that II came from van
SEWERS stable. I went there, tore the
blood stained carpet from the seat Oh
Tire wagon and learned who had hired
il on the night of the crime.
"nr 1.e,dv AT that time was in the
light of fame for his discovery OF a
new process of determining the oii-
ference between animal and human
blood / lost no time IN taxing .he
Wood stained carpet to DR.. Leidy at
| the ,Ieft6TSOn t1DCpiloi'
over the district traversed by Arm
strong in the wagon and got the stores
OF the people who were sittins on the
steps. I quizzed the man who gave
the alarm of the finding of the oody'
and found that he had witnessed the
crime. Sixth street, at this point, was
nothing but empty lots, with the ex-
ception of little church near Diamond
street, with lamplight in front OF
It. This man was walking along Sixth
street with his young son, and just as
he reached the church Armstrong
threw his victim into the street and
fired. The light enabled the pedestri-
an 70 see the assassin's face. His de-
scription tailed with that of Arm
strong.
"All that was needed then was Dr.
Leidy's findings. They came in few
days The blood without question.
was human blood.
| "vyitb the evidence secure and with