The Elk Mountain pilot., 1924-09-18
What He Found
Written Under
Prison Bench
By AUGUSTUS sHERwIN

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%. 1874. Western Newspaper Uaion-)
had been the employee of q pri-
vate detective agency for ten years
when Dan Haley was released from
the psnitentiary. had been advised
Of the day when he was to be re-
leased.
The warden fixed 4 serious look
upon me. "See here. Blake" he said,
you have been a good man In your
line, and 1 wish could give you some
suggestions regarding Haley. OF
course you, who made his famous cap
ture ten years since, have never for
given him for hiding the booty and
keeping 1t hid"
AT least / know IT IL hidden" 1
declared with positiveness. 81 am
satisfied that when closely cornered.
he disposed Of his plunder In some
safe secret place"
That all sounds reasonable" nod
ded the warden. The only thing IL,
that while Haley has been not only
our best behaved convict and close
mouthed az q clam during the past
year. he has changed"
How changed7" asked.
'He has become queer. He shows
lapse Of memory. It would be a
strange retribution, would 1t not"
added the Official insinuatingiy, IF
after all his cunning planning Haley
had forgotten where he concealed that
plunder-heyT
"Zoundsi" could not refrain from
remarking-..thatw would upset all my
fond calculations indeed" .-' r. Z
They were fond, those same, for q
very superior reason. was In love.
More than that, was In love with the
daughter of John Marsh. and John
Harsh was the then wealthy merchant
from whom Haley had stolen q cool
hundred thousand dollarA
At the time Of the deed the lawyer
Of Mr.. MArsh paid me q I'VE hundred
dollar reward for capturing the cul-
prit At the same time no advised
mo that In case I recovered the booty
or any part Of 1t, twenty-five per cent
Of the same should bs mine. At the
end OF 4 fsw months gave up hunt
Ing for the hidden fortune-kor ten
years.
At the end Of the ninth year 1
sought out Mr.. Marsh. He was no
longer 4 capitalist. found him liv-
ing In q very humble way. supported
By the earnings Of his daughter. Con
stance, a music teacher.
When 1 recalled his former loss, he
was aroused to desperate excitement
He offered me half Of what might se-
cure
1t was not this prospect of munid-
cent reward. however. that impelled
me to perfect my plans with renewed
diligence and fervor. 1t was because
I had seen and now worshiped Con-
stance Marsh: I think 1 first won her
kindly attention by my steadfastness
Of purpose in pursuing an apparently
hopeless case to the end.
had not seen Dan Haley since he
entered the penitentiary. was
shocked at his aged appearance. BE
seemed lost in his new environment.
The free air. the bright sunshine and
varied crowds did not inspire him,
they rather confused.
His first move with the money the
prison authorities had given him was
to board train for the town where
he had formerly lived. He was a
widower. Haley proceeded to the
site of the house where he once lived.
It was easy to shadow him.
The house he expected to find had
been burned down for two years. A
new one was now In course of con-
struction. Finally, after an hour. he
turned from the place.
My heart sank within me-Dan
Haley had forgotten
knew it surer than ever the next
day, when he left the little lodging
house he had put up at, with myself
for a vigilant nelghbor In the next
room. He started out to seek work.
l was near to him when he approached
a carpenter building fence. The lat
ter held a board across a saw horse
and was just turning 1t to mark where
1t should be sawed with the pencil in
his hand. when I noticed a sudden
glow In Haley's eyes. He uttered
what was almost a scream. He start
ed from the spot on a dead run.
Straight to the railroad depot Haley
proceeded, thence by train to the
prison town and then to the very
doors of the penitentiary he had left
less then twenty-four hours previ-
ously.
am detective and therefore have
to think. l mentally connected the
carpenter and the prison. and when
/ heard Haley humbly solicit the war
den to allow him to revisit his former
cell I nodded to the latter and fol-
lowed.
Once inside the cell Haley got
down and looked at the under surface
of the bench riveted to the wall. he
transcribed some words written there.
traced those tell-tale words later.
They were: Under the woodshed