Year: 1874

Murder had been done i'm PHILADELPHIA
or, at least, so it was supposed-and
the papers were full of it, The Journals
were divided in opinion about the mat
ter, some maintaining that it was SIM
pie case of suicide, Others inclining to the
belief that there had been foul play, and
still others arguing in favor of death
from natural, though unknown causes.
Indeed, it would appear at first sight as
if the latter were the true supposition,
and the majority of superficial readers
and thinkers who talked over the affair
at home or in the streets, the next day,
seemed to have very little tronble in ar
irving at the same conclusion.


All that was known was this; An es-
teemed citizen-a man of wealth and
high station-had retired to rest the
night before, apparently i'll sound health
and good spirits, and at two o'clock the
following morning had been found dead
in bed, without one visible mark of vio-
lence upon his person. His son, who
had returned from a pleasure party ut
that hour, had entered his fathers cham
Der to deposit the front door key there,
as usual, and had made the horrible dis
cOvery. This young man, steady, re
liable, and deyout church member and
Sabbath school teacher, had then arous-
ed the house, and communicated the i'll
news to the terror-stricken family.


At the coroners inquest / was present,
and there the son, after repeating sub
stantially what has been said above,
called the attention of the jury to the
following additional and important
facts: That on entering the chamber
he had found everything undisturbed
and as usual; that the bed clothing even
were not rumpled, and that the position
of the decePsed, as he lay, was so natu-
raj and easy, that it was not until he
had noticed the absence of the deep and
regular breathing of sleeper, that he
suspected, for an Instant, that anything
was wrong.


Twas not on the jury. but was there
at the request of the family, in my Off
cial capacity of murder detective; and it
is needless to say that | subjected the
body and its surroundings to the closest
scrutiny. i could discover nothing,
however, that appeared in the least sus-
picious, or to warrant a supposItlon OF
foul play. The post-mortem exaInina-
ton failed equally to satisfy, and devel
oped no indications of poison III the sys-
TEN. But one thing it did develop, and
that was that up 10 the time of death
the internal organs of the deceased had
been in a state of healthy and vigorous
action.


For once in my life | was at fault, and
must confess that did not know how 10
proceed; but still, for ell the absence of
proof, aud the seeming regularity OF
things, felt in me deep nistrust that
murder had been done in the premises,
and by no ulskillful hand.


While was deliberating how TO act,
the son came over, and began a conVer-
sation. He talked oil the all-absorbing
topic of the moment, and was ;l-l-Ssss,,=.-
vous, restless and agitated as aVuan could
be. We were walking rapidly ep and
down the chamber where lay the corpse,
still fresh from the searching hands OF
of the coroner's physician, and as we
paused now and then TO gaze in its pale,
inanimate face. ] remarked that my
companion shook with slight and we'll
defined tremor. | made a mental note
of this, but at the same time did not
attach much Importance to it, as | con-
sidered it but the natural effect of the
trying and painful scenes through which
the son had so recently passed and whose
recollection was refreshed by those mo
mentary views of the dead. / did not,
of course, for one moment imagine that
the man at my side was parricide, but
a murder detective, from habit, is always
on the alert, and as / had no clue what
ever TO follow in the matter. was mere
ly searching for one everywhere-that
was all.


We continued our walk around the
room.


This affair passes my comprehen-
sion." said l.


"And mine Also" said the son.


was about taking my leave when a
small piece of red rag on the floor, just
under the edge of the bed, attracted my
attention, and | picked it up.


The son observed my motion, and
said:


Il wonder how that got there. Ihave
the rest OF that article i'll my drawer-it
belongs to mem


"Do you want the pieceI' asked.


Not at all, he replied; but if yOu
would like to have the remainder, | will
get it for you"


lAC ACAl hAlAAOIN hsiAlAAA- lOl III ItpiN.
and quickly returned with the rest of
the handkerchief He handed it to me
and said as he did so:


81 am at a loss to conjecture who
could have torn that handkerchief, for
thought it was safe in my apartment
when went out early in the evening. =


put the piece he gave me with the
other already had, and took my leave


Once at home and in the solitude of
my chamber, sat down at my table, and,
with my face buried in both hands, fell
to thinking and reasoning. thought of
the scene had just left, and could not
doubt that the verdict of the coroner's
jury would be death from causes un-
known" l thought of the son and his
torn handkerchief, and spread out the
latter before me on the table and fitted
it to the portion l had found, wet and
limp, under the bed of the deceased -
Then l took the wet piece in my fingers,
and felt and looked at it, 1t did not
seem to have been stepped in water, and
to the touch it was Just in the slightest
way sticky. l further remarked that it
had a very faint white tinge in spots, as
if some kind of foam had recently been
upon it. Just at that instant caught