Year: 1872

-


Just ten years ago, on the 7th of last
April, the cosmopolitan community Of
San Francisco was aroused and bewilder.
ed by the commission of a foul crime
the perpetrator of which had not only
escaped, but had so skillfully covered
up his tracks that discovery seemed
impossible. A recent disclosure, made
under singular circumstances, as will be
seen from this narritive, having brought
to light this once impenetrable mystery,
a brief sketch of the tragedy and its
victim may not be out of place.


Billy the Cabman was a character we'll
known in those days, especially to the
men about town who, either for pleasure
or business, found his cab swift and
convenient mode of locomotion, and
his inquiring Coupe, SIR ?" a familiar
sound to all who often passed his accus-
toned place.


Much of Billy's custom was of the
|, after. dark kind, and it was not usually
until afternoon that his cab could be
found in the ranks, although it was not
an uncommon thing to find it there
long after midnight. 1t was therefore
a matter of considerable astonishment
to his mates when policeman Siffier,
whose beat lay among the sand hills,
enacting the unusual role of driver,
brought the cab to the Chiefs office
early one bright April morning, with the
news that he had found it without
driver or passenger, being hopelessly
and aimlessly drawn about the streets
by it's hungry and tired horse.


Inquiry being made among his fellow
drivers, one of them was found who had
been on the stand with Billy the night
before, or rather early iii the morning,
who stated that about 3 o'clock in the
morning, as he and Billy were discuss
ing the probability of another fare and
the propriety of going home, a man and
a woman had turned the corner and
called for cab. Billy got the mans
attention first and secured the fare. He
had not noticed anything unusual about
the couple except that after the woman
or girl, as she appeared to be-who was
evidently quite young, and, as far as a
momentary glance could decide, quite
pretty-the man had taken Billy aside,
and talked to him in low tone of voice
for a few minutes, and then getting
into the cab had driven of, but returned
in about ten minutes, driving at rapid
pace, and commenced to search for a
part of an earring which the lady was
sure she dropped just as she got into the
cab.


Billy and the man, assisted by the
cabman who gave this information, had
searched high and low for the jewelry,
burning matches, lighting pieces of
paper, and finally obtaining candle to
assist in the search, but without avail.
The girl remained in the cab and seemed
anxious that the article should be found.
The man seemed even more anxious,
and finally, when it became evident that
the search must be abandoned, roundiy
cursed the luck of losing it, and offered
fabulous sums to whoever would find it,
but without success. They had finally
to re-enter the cab, and had been driven
off in the same direction as before.


Billy's staole, cab house, and the room
which he occupied, were all contained
in one frame shanty, upon lot which
Billy claimed by virtue of squatter
sovereignty; and as no useful end could
be attained by keeping the tired horse
down town, the friendly cab-driver
volunteered his services to put the ami
NAL up and attend to its wants, were
accepted, and mounting the box he
Grove off, only, however, to return in a
short time with breathless haste, and
face blanched with terror, to report that
Billy had been murdered in his room.
A detail of policemen, two or three
drivers, and the inevitable and ubiquit-
Gus reporters, fastened to the place, to
find scene of horror which the pen can
| make but a feeble effort to describe.
There had evidently been struggle of
the most terrible nature. The body of
the murdered cabman lay in one corner
of the little apartment, amid the debris
of broken chairs and tables, the s.ove
overturned, the bedstead broken, as
though one of the posts had been
wrenched from it to supply a weapon,
while the walls, door, and even the cell
ing were splashed in all directions with
blood.


The light drifting sand about the door
had obliterated any footprints that might
| have been left there, and in the house,
beyond palpable evidences of terrible
struggle, there was nothing to indicate
| by whom the atrocious crime was COM
| mitted.


After the ingenuity of the police force
| and detectives had been exhausted in
fruitless efforts to unravel the mystery,
| the matter was suffered to die out. and
the case became historic as one of the
undiscovered crimes of the city. Mean
while the bruised corpse of poor Billy,
mutilated and battered out of almost all
semblance of humanity, was buried, his
effects disposed of, and his existence
almost forgotten, except by his compan
ions.


| Some weeks since one of the turns OF
the tread-mill of daily newspaper life
required / should visit rumber ot
towns and villages, part of the perform
ance of which required few days stay
at the city of San Jose, CAL, and one