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Show I A DETLtriVfS STOHV. Iloo ll,e riealea nf a Tl-ttlnc lard t la an liupoHant rr,l Two men eat lu n eetltidrd c rner i f thalibWtt Ilouee lobby and enjiied a iiul t chat over their alter dinner dgarfc That was not a remarkaUe fact, but ono of tho men la on of the beet kuown memhera tu hla pmfeluu, and If lie wera Inclineal lo tell ft blatory of hla in tereatlog eiperlenco it would fill vol-mnea. vol-mnea. The smooth shaven ttenlleliutl with the tpjlet delneanor la "tie of the tinieit of irlmlnal catcher- (1. M Fletcher, of Chicago. Mr. Fletcher re-litM re-litM what he calla tlio strangest nnd Imkleat piece nt trailing In hi- life, and the end of the trail was In Waahlngion. although," save Mr. Fleliher, "It was only luck on my rt that It did " Fifteen years ago a wealthy 1 1 1 f inner naiuM Wilaoii was found intirdf rel juat outalde hla hottae, n-ar Kruiit"n. 111. Tie- old loan hid that div com liuM tho sale of a piece of pnipeny, and was ro tiirnlug with nearlv W 000 In hla ket, im it was growing ilaic, the ca-h having le4n jiltl over jiMer banking hours in Uianaton, and Wilson incautiously al-jowe.1 al-jowe.1 the rnnaik to drop tint he wlshe.1 he hvl not made the aato until mat dar He ill J not like, the Idea of carrying so much wealth to hie home, live tin! distant. dis-tant. These facta, bealilea tho inunh r Itself, nnd the knowledge 111 it n notorl OUS gulubler IIAIill-1 Ililmolldou hail overheard the eTerh, were all tin) clno offered Hie detectllea, wlniwere let tu woik on the case with a reward of f I 000. held out as au inducement for ninmng down the murderer or lunrdrnrs. Months passed, but no further truoof tho gambler whoawas aueia-cled could be found anywhere. During the early rlngof la"Fletchrr was emit oat on A mission by tho agency uf which he la a inniWr. and In the course nf bis trip tonclnhil lo sjnd n ilayor twoln Wa-hlngton liefupa retnrn-Ing retnrn-Ing to the Like City. While lslng np l'ennsylvaiila avenue, near Hlsth atrcet, with ft friend, hlsattentlouwalaltracteil loft small vlallilig card, wl.kli, afttr the manner of hi profcaeiou, ho )ii.knl up and exnmii.Hl. ' "I waan't thinking of bualneaa joat tlien," said Mr. Fletcher, "hut I eupiuso Instinrt IM mo to do as I did, and what do )nu aupioea tint iwutelawtrd contained! con-tained! The autograph of the very man I ha 1 been looking for for iu nlh. Of course tlio signature was in t familiar to lot, lint the Ant thought to suggest Itself It-self WAS. 'How did tho card gel there" and 1 could answer It only one wa-ladinonlm wa-ladinonlm had ilrupi-l It but how did lie hapw n to retain tho same name if !to was guilty, unless ho did not fear 11111;-tlonr 11111;-tlonr "Will, to cut a long story short, I tie-tenntneil tie-tenntneil to stny in Wnshington awhile anil we what could be seen. I found out the moat notable hou where a gamhler of his t pa would Is) likely to l.oll forth, ami after ten diys shadowing shadow-ing I found lum lu au old frame houan 111 Four and a Half stmt, ltmund-son ltmund-son came with me without 11 reoulsitlon, anl made no light in fait, ho was tlreil of leading a hunted life and confess! con-fess! tho irltue lie snld ho always ha 1 an Idea lint the visiting card oul 1 proi o his ilootii, but soineleiw or other ho could not destroy It, and knew at oncowheu he missed It from his caso that It would be A clew, fur ho had licen traielliiguuiliran assumed name allien the murder. Tho card was the lat link of his former life. 'l!inon Ison was hanged a fere months later, and tint ended the most curious iltsode lu my twenti-fho J ears' expe. lienco as a lUtectiie." Washington Tost. |
