The Press., 1915-09-01
A Turkish
 Sleeve Button Experience of a Detective.
By ESTHER vANDEvEER

"Mr. Hawkins" said the chief of the
 - detective bureau, "a robbery and
 murder have been committed during
 the night, and have been called upon
 to send a man to make an examination
 of the premises with view to picking
 up a clew. The murdered man is MT
 Charles Forsythe, a wealthy gentle
 man, whose address you will find on
 this card. I am assured that nothing
 in the room where tie murder was
 committed has been touched. Go al
 once and see what you can make out
 of it"
 Hawkins went to the address given
 where he found a dwelling indicating
 that the inmates were people of con
 siderable means. He was received al
 the door by the butler and shown into
 a room where lay the corpse of MT
 Forsythe on the floor. There had evil
 dently been struggle, during which he
 had been stabbed to the heart. bu-
 reau drawer stood open which had evi-
 dently been rif1ed. Several small pieces
 of jewelry were scattered on the floor.
 Hawkins was informed that the vic
 tim had been fond of jewelry, though
 be wore very little of 1t on his own person. He had kept what he owned. consisting of studs, sleeve buttons. stickpIns. rings, etc, in the drawer. The robber had taken all there was ex- cept the few articles dropped on the floor. either during the scuffle or in his haste of departure. Hawkins gathered up what he found and put it in his vest pocket. He was a silent man, as de tectives should be. taking in what he heard and saw and giving out nothing. Indeed. after his examination of the room the only information he gave any one was list of the articles of jewelry that he had picked up on the floor. This he handed in to a MT. Withers, a relative of the family who had been given the care of the house. This list was given because the articles were retained by the detective. He kept some other articles. but since they were of no especial value he did not include them in the list.
 Having finished his examination of the room in which the murder had been committed, Hawkins requested that every one in the house. including the servants. be assembled in the draw ing room. Mrs. Forsythe and her chill dren were excused until after the oth- CTS had been inspected. and then the detective excused them altogether.
 Those assembled consisted of the fol- lowing persons: Miss Ashworth, gov erness; cook. a housemaid and the butler. Of the four Miss Ashworth showed the most agitation. They seem- ed to realize that they were brought be- fore the stranger for preliminary ex- animation as to their possible com- plicity in the murder. The cook and housemaid were very i'll at ease. The only person who seemed to be sufh- ciently conscious of innocence to be perfectly safe was the butler, an Eng hShman. whose name was Mosely. That he was of the lower class was evident not only from his position as a servant but that he had the manner of speech of a low bred Englishman getting his h's in the wrong place. Nevertheless, he was a good looking man.
 Hawkins soon set them all at ease by asking questions which pertained to possibilities of entrance and exit to and from the house. whether door or window had been left unfastened. what time Mir. Forsythe had gone to bed. whether any one of thsm had heard sound in the night. While making these inquiries the detective Indicated by his features and tone of voice that they were of vital impor- tance to the case. They did not ap- pear. however, to deceive Miss Ash worth, who continued to look at him as If he had his eye on her and was simply asking the questions to throw her off her guard while his steel gray eye was searching her for guilt.
 While this examination was being made the door opened and MT Withers and said to the detective:
 "Mr. Hawkins, 1t has just been dis covered that some of Mrs. Forsythe's jewels have disappeared"
 Hawkins turned those merciless eyes of his upon Miss Ashworth. She bore the glance for a few moments, then swayed and fell from the chair in which she sat. The housemaid picked her up, and with the assistance of the others she was laid on the sofa.
 Please all leave the room," said Hawkins in that well modulated voice of his.
 Every one departed, and all those who had been under examination seem ed well pleased at being dismissed. MT. Hawkins closed the door after them. and they all returned to the servants quarters, where they discuss ed what had occurred, all talking at once. Hawkins remained in the room with Miss Ashworth only a few min- utes. when he came out. saying that the lady had recovered, and he direct ed the housemaid to get vinaigrette and take it in to her. Then he de- parted.
 Those who had witnessed the gover- ness collapse. when it was announced that Mrs. Forsythe's jewels had also been taken, expected her arrest at any time. The theory most popular with them was that she had been in collu- sion with some man; that 1t had been arranged between them, on her infor- nation. for him to enter the house and take MT. Forsythe's jewels, while she stole those of Mrs. Forsythe. Her confederate had awakened the man he robbed and had been obliged to kill him in order to effect his escape.
 The day passed without Miss Ash worth being arrested. She kept her room that and the next day. TAen it | was whispered among the servants that | she was under arrest. tkat bail had been given and she was awaiting the | action of the grand jury. The butler | ventured to ask MT. N'ithers if this | were so. but MT. Withers declined to | .alk about the case. The absence of | ienial was considered a confirmation | ,f the suspicion.
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