Year: 1878

sleet, on my way to the tragi
: scene.


81 now had an opportunity t
, study over the sad affair, and tn
! causes which must have led poo
Pancoast TO commit the rash act


AS was my custom, | drove m
thoughts from the present, anG


as the saying is, went to tn


root Of the natter


Gle had been agent at Att


ca for some five years; he wa


also agent for the U. S. EXPIRES


Co., doing the railroad and ex


press business with the same of


flee. He was a single man ant


slept at the depot office. H,


kept good comrany--in fact


was a consistent Christian, an(


there being so few Of that class
Of Christians, ones attention i!


attracted when one of the true


metal is found. AS he did moi


drink, gamble, drive fast horses


or speculate, and consequently


was not in financial troubles


why did he commit suicide?


But did he commit suicide:


"That question l mentally an
swered most decidedly in the
negative, when an hour later |
stood in the Office and viewed
the body and surroundings 1t
was still lying in the same po-
sition as when found, it not
having been disturbed further
than for an unauthorized exam
ination of the pockets in which
were found his watch, a small a.
mount of money, and the key
to the safe. | took the latter.
and opening the safe examined
its contents.


81 found but a few small ex-
press packages, of small value,
according to the figures marked
on them, with the receipt-book
belonging to the agent. 1t
showed no other entries than
those of the packages mention
ed, and if, as | supposed, he had
received any valuable package
from the messenger OH the night
before, or for railroad freight he
had neglected to make an entry
of it, or had been murdered ere
he had the opportunity. You
see by that last how my thoughts
were drifting.


"But how account for fhe Of
fec being securely locked--as
we'll as the outer door--and no
possible signs Of forcible en-
rance on doors or windows?


"What easier than for the mur-
lercr to slip into the freight
com unperceivcd, after Pan
coast had hurried out to the
rain, conceal himself behind the
reight, and when the agent
ocked the outer door follow
lin to the inner Office and per-
)etrate the deed?


81 procured light and went
orowling around in the dark COR
lers behind the freight, scan,
ling everything carefully; and
just as | was on the point Of
going elsewhere for a clue, my
we rested on something deeply
on the top of a box,
which, on examination, l found
o be the impress of boot-heel.


Snow you may say that there
vas nothing strange i'll that; but
When / tell you that a man
landing on the top of that box
.ould just see over the pile of
reight and watch the inner Of
ice, you will know | picked up
broken link--that the impress
vas to me What the broken twig,
II faint imprint Of a foot is to
he scout on trail.


"IIere then the murderer had
TODD and watched with baleful
yes his victim. From this
ookout he had planned the man.
Ter and time for attack. Then,
topping carefully down, he ap-
,roached the unconscious agent,
With open knife in readiness for
he fatal stroke, graspcd him,
rev hinfquickly backward, ,and
With one lightning flash of the
,lade across the throat and the
Iced was done.


"But to make sure of his work
le lad used the knife in giving
everal stabs in the region of