Year: 1879

SAW the WOrQ "keStaurant ABOVE
basement door, and descended the steps.


There were two or three men at the
bar when l entered; paid no attention
to them, but gave my order to the waiter
and entered box. To beguile my time
until the chop could be prepared, and TO
rid myself somewhat of the weight that
oppressed me, l took up daily paper
the Herald-which lay on the table and
began to read. Il


Ny eye fell upon an account of the
evidence, before Coroner's inquest, con
cerning mysterious murder which then
occupied deal OF public attention. The
mystery lay less in the murder than in
~ ~. = ssderer, whom no one had been able
Nh sees These we're the facts:
,befiss. 80 g walden lady, named Mary
Ann Lawson, kept millinery shop in
the Bowery. She slept in the back part
OF her shop-got her breakfast and tea
there, hut had her dinners sent in from a
neighborins eating house. She had sew
eral girls at work and one to attend .he
shop. The work-girls always left at dark
The shop-girl st 10 o'clock ct night
except on Saturdays, when she stayed an
hour later. Miss Lawson had been en-
gagged in her business about twenty years
and had accumulated some property. She
owned the house in the Bowery, letting
the upper floor to various parties, and a
handsome house in Thirty street,
which was tenanted by punctual and
responsible man. She received, there
fore, a good deal of money, but she
never deposited it in the banks, she had
lost few hundred dollars once by the
failure of one of these institutions, and
from that time forward became her own
banker.


On one Friday night, about II o'clock,
the neighbors and passers by had their
attention and alarm excited by series
of fearful shrieks proceeding from Miss
Lawson's shop. a crowd. soon collected
around the door-the windows were fas-
tened-and one having had the courage
TO enter the rest followed, They were
met by the shop-sirl, Jane Brady, who
came toward them with her hands and
dresss dabbled with blood, exclaiming
that Miss Lawson was killed. In the
little back room, parutioned off from the
shop by the curtains, the body of the un-
fortunate woman was found lying in a
pool of her own blood, which had es-
capped from deep wound in her head
The instrument used in producing her
death lay near by. 1t was round piece
OF cast iron, into which an iron rod had
been fixed, with cross-piece of wire at
the extremity. 1t made stand for the
display of bonnet, but tue bonnet which
had been on this lay on the floor of the
little shop.


As soon as the girl. who was in VIC
lent hssterics, had sufficiently recovered
she g.a her statement 1t was repe-
titinn "a thise given before the Coroner,
whiesr was printed in the paper. There
vas bonnet which had to be sent home
early in the morning, and she had stayed
alter hours to assist Miss Lawson in en-
ishing it. At 10 o'clock it was found
that another yard of ribbon would be
wanted, and as soon as Jane had closed
the shutters she was directed to slip
quickly round into Grand street and get
it. She did so, but found none of that
particular pattern; she knew 1t must be
had and sought it elsewhere. She found
it at length and on her return found her
mistress on the floor in the back room.
She raised her head, but she was quite
dead. Then she shrieked, and knew
nothing more Of what happened until
she found herself in the midst of the
crowd in the front shop. She stated fur
thermore that Miss Lawson alwss car
ried her money in the bosom of her
dress and that she saw her that day with
a great roll of bills.


An examination showed that the
wound. which was on the top of the
head and little to the front, had been
dealt from behind-the iron weight,
which was broad at the base, fitting only
in that way into the wound. This would
seem to show that the murderer must
have been very tall, as Miss Lawson was
herself above the medium size. There
had been but one blow. There was no
money in the bosom OF the dress, and
The latter was not torn or displaced ex-
cept that the upper button in the front
was unfastened.


The shop girl was at first suspected,
but it being found that she had called at
the shops at the time she named, and
nothing else appearing against her, she
was merely held in custody as witness.


The only clue to the murderer was in
the testimony of boy who assisted the
grocer on the corner. He was putting
up the shutters about half-past ten, when
he saw short man with hump back
and a slonched bat, leaving Miss Law
sons shop. Atthe distance, and by the
dim light of the street lamps he could
res be certain, hui he thought the man


IS dressed shabbily. He could not see
ais face, and did not think he would re-
eognize him again.


That Miss Lawson had been killed for
the money on her person there could be
NO doubt.


l was reading the details for second
time, when some one entered the box
where / was and sat down at the cppo-
site side of the table. raised my eyes.
1t was the same man whom had seen
in Broadway and at the theater, but he
had removed the green spectacles.


Why had he not chosen some other
box of which there we're several without
tenants? l was quite right in my con-
lecture; the fellow was dogging me. /
was just about to speak to him sharply,
when he spoke himself:


81 beg your pardon" said he, "5ut it
is dull sitting alone, and so, if you have
no objection, l will eat my oysters on
this side of the table. Reading about
the Lawson case, ] see"


/ saw that there was little use OF re-
buff-the mans impudence was too
strong, so l merely answered:


"Yes."


"Singular case to some reople-very =
he said. "But to a man of penetration
"a man accustomed to see men closely
lit is not at all mysterious. l could
lay my hand on the murderer at any
moment"