Show The Detective Story How H ow an Assayer Fell Into a Cunning Trap and Ex- Ex Guilt of Murder I That said ald the detective c is another anther anther an an- o ther other story stor You have of tit f course h heard icard numerous versions of or the affair b but ut none I venture to sa say more mor than p accurate for a handed-down handed t ale tale In a mining camp soon loses its i and theres there's not a man among amonS' a all ll I have seen In camp toda today who was h here ere when the thing happened I had r reason eason at that time for lor becoming familiar familiar fa fa- fa- fa with ever everybody bod about tho ho he place and its it's par my bu business to remember b ber r faces i It was dusk usk at the close cise of a Q hot SUmmer slimmer s day da daon on the desert Outside the theoffice office of oC one ot of the most famous gold gold- producers of ot the Southwest four men sat Idly enjo enjoying their cigars in the trifling breeze The attention of or three of oC the m men n VaS was as centered In the conversation con con- of or the fourth a 11 stranger stringer who had nad arrived Cd on on the afternoon stage It was the la last t day of oC clean up on the morrow the great greal mass of shining amalgam m In t the e safe fafe would ouId go to the retort to make into an apparently apparent valueless brown spongy mass and then into the furnace to enlarge finally fInalI final fInal- I ly la a large larse shining bar representing the monthly product of the mines To see this c costly bit of express express matter safely to its destination at Contra Costa Costa Cos Cos- Costa ta was the object of ot the tho strangers stranger's 8 visit It The story referred to was the Paulson Paulson Paul Paul- son murder which had been heen a m mystery lter for weeks and which bid fair to toCH CH re- emain e- e main so o but Co for the skill of of the man speaking I haven't ha been down this S wa way to stop since that murder murdel he continued for Cor my work ork as superintendent tt of ot the northern division 1 usually keeps mo me on the other oilier side of Our regular man being eln sick however It occurred to me to run down to this place this month and Incidental incidentally re renew renew renew re- re new ac acquaintances u Things s look about the same though as 35 the they did when I dropped off orr the stage here one aft afternoon alter after r- r noon six years ears ago for or the same purpose purpose pur- pur pur pur- pose e that brought he toda today As As you ou know gentlemen the splendid splendid plen- plen did financial condition of the company at th that t time had be beeh beh effected through the careful management of oC James Paulson the superintendent who was murdered He was a thin wiry littleman little littleman littleman man who though he he never st st. seemed emd to tire worked entire entirely on nervous ener ener- gy After others had h relinquished their business s cares for the da day he might be bo seen going about to satisfy himself that some someo minor detail had been at attended attended attended at- at tended to It was vas this characteristic perhaps that had won him a a. reputation among amonS' mining mining- men as tho the most successful suc suc- mining manager In the West lest but which brought him to an n untimely end On the night of my 01 arrival I talked with the eld od Id man as he was familiarly familiar I ly called calle 1 until a ala late p. p hour after which ho left lert saying he guessed he would see If things were wee all at the cyanide plant before beCore retiring That was the last time I Ill saw iw whim him alive all He lie did not appear appear ap ap- pear pea at the usual time the next mornIng mornIng mornIng morn- morn Ing and investigation showed ved that he had hall not occupied his room Search carch was as made in all and it was va only a short time before the tue bod body of ol the superintendent Was as fOUnt In a little lit lit lit- tie tle arroyo 0 le leading to the mountain at atthe atthe the back of the plant Another discovery dIscos dIscos' er cry ery made at the same Mine time lime though in ir I light of the first not nt so startling was va I Ithe the theft then of or pounds of ot pr precipitates from the cyanide plant It was fall fait to tc presume that Mr l Paulson had hail surprised surprised sur sur- the thieves es In the act of or robbery rob rob- robbery bery antI and fearing Cearing recognition thc they had har I made va way with him A tl n baS baS' with I the thc crime had been hoen committed I Ivd fo found nd on the rocks near by hy It was a da day of great tion Nn Naturally affairs fell to my direction di l- l that morning and later in my P I company compan directed me to continue the thc Inv Investigation Thanks to ton a scrubby P growth of ot beard heard I had inadvertently r failed to leave with the barber barbel before coming out from the city I made up I sufficiently rough to go So on at noon tending chuck In place of one of the thc old hands who had been taken with L I cramps Run RUll a machine Why in my dear deai fellow a L man In my 01 business finds It to his advantage to be a tim tim- merman n amalgamator or and with the thu i knowledge I pl picked ked up while on some som special at the mint I believe I could I do tb a a. fair Job of oC assaying on a a. pinch I Joined tho the union lived r In th tho i bunkhouse was a 11 good fellow tello with nith th the l boys bOs o and no one outside the office en c ever even I surmised m my Identity lIty l To all appearances appearances appear anC ances H the local Constable and anel deput deputy from the Sheriffs Sheriff's office had charge chare o of DC I affairs No one was allowed eil to leave lean i camp without a most rigId examination anti ami some of th the ten ten day hobo fraternity fraternity fraternity frater frater- were held heIr over o their limit several severa 1 lays days on suspicion Days Daya len lengthened th ned I Into weeks and still NUll no clue was found Tho The reward 0 of ZOO of offered hy by lb the a county friends and the company compan was S doubled but without avail I confess gentlemen things thinS's looked very ery dark I 1 had already written n my mr company compan V I to this effect when the first t. t gleam o of ot f light came to me through h an Indian and since that da day I have felt that theold theold the theold old saying The only good Indian I is a a. dead one Is not in all Instances s cor cor- rec t. t Anionic Among the Indians doing odd Jobs about the tho camp then was Old Jim a handsome stalwart fellow ellow who for his many good qualities s was the recipient of oC man many favors from Crom the office and was often employed about the store Sitting Sit Sit- ting tins down doun b by b m my m side so quietly as 31 to be unnoticed as I sat on the store bench one a afternoon he said You no workum much white fingers finners Me ole savvy you ou long time with boss hoss same came night he gr g i over o th there re and arid the theold theold theold old fellow toward the plant with a l quick almost motion mo mo- tion of ot his finger r. r White man 1 lIum boss me show you ou Amazed at the theman's theman's theman's mans man's effrontery it Is needless to say I followed him without Curt further her Question ques Ques- tion to where the superintendents superintendent's bod body had been found Lifting a broad piece of shale thale which I remember havIng haslag hav has ing lag placed under the dead mans man's head at the Inquest the Indian dl-Clo dl disclosed ed the perfect Imprints of a a. pair of oC nailed hob shoes On the toe sole ole was fashioned a horseshoe and on the heel a a. triangle In the former two nails forming the bow were missing missing- In the rl right foot ht Imprint while the hack back point nail was missing in the tho left Jen heel I had been among amonS' the first to arrive at the scene on the fatal morning and I was s sure no IU on one had preceded ceded me wearing wearing- miners miners' ml- ml ners' ners clumsy shoes Odd Indeed It was that b by placing a Hat fiat rock over the one mall mali runlet of or sand I had unwittingly pre preserved the only clue which held promise e of oC good results result Elated at the pleasure I manifested at al his discovery discover Old Jim said You wan turn shoes me That afternoon af at- f- f I made casts of the Imprints and afterward I sat pat t for some ome time with the Indian near the tore store door before which ever and anon he would sweep Finally a man passed d Into the store and Jim aroused me from m my roy reading b by saying Same shoe and truly In Ira the swept carefully adobe were the prints e we were after The wearer of ot the shoes was wat a n. young oung Indian lad to whom no I suspicion could be attached Old Jim shared n ny manifest disappointment He sat Rat In the corner of ot th the tho dingy storeroom storeroom storeroom store store- I room for an hour looking steadily atthe at atthe the telltale shoes and then disappeared I The next morning he led me mo to th the tent I wan turn shoes me inc That af- af alone Everywhere were the prints we weso weso so to much ranch d desired f Shortly afterward was brought to the by the Constable Enraged at being suspected sils- sils of ot the crime he maintained a 11 sullen silence until confronted 1 with the shoes which fitted the thc marks about his tent He then admitted they were his but hut had been stolen from his tent tenta a few days s 's before the murder Little notice was given this last statement and preparation w ws s made to get him to the county jail Immediately Immedi atel for to have hae held him In camp over O night would have ha simply been murder sentiment was so high All Alt this goes to show gentlemen that thal we are arc oftentimes mistaken ani and I am am convinced that many Innocent men are arc hanged on circumstantial evi us' dence At the la last t moment McKenna proved plo to our complete te satisfaction that he lie Brent all of or the fatal Catal night pla playing il poker In the company's saloon Five Fhe nights later after a long ride through the Indian reservation I re returned returned re- re turned to camp with the young youn buck from whom we had taken the shoes Between threats and promises he took mo iO straight to the house he hail hall stolen the tho shoes shoe Coming CominS back to the office I was attracted at at- 1 to the hospital b by a little group at the tho door The doctor was engaged In Jn dressing some ugly wounds on the young oung assayer who lay unconscious on the operating table It was evident c theman the theman theman man had a serious fall on the rocks Aiding the physician I washed the patIents patIent's patients patient's patients patient's pa pa- tient's face end and hands and cleaned his grimy rImy nails Later he was able to walk home After he ho had gone I said Doctor will Mill you please brush the sleeves slee of or this coat carefully He did so 80 and a 0 dark powder fell tell onto the paper paper pa pa- per cr I had hC spread to receive It And nd this Chits h handing him bins a black accumulation tion on my knife blade may al also o be put with the powder Do up the sam earn sample sample pie ca carefully II and seal It lIe Ho did so ami arul I put It in the tho safe Rafe The next morning in the presence of the doctor I handed the al assayer a package e which had ostensibly come through h the mall mail and asked him to give I e me an af assay sa on It lIe He handed me mea a report the next day at lunch At 3 o'clock that afternoon the tho officers of or the com company pan met mel me mo by appointment On the plea Iea that I had bad lost his report leport I asked the assaf come Tu-come over with his T record Ord hook book Lets see here hert It is is Friday July assay 13 13 left heft b by Mr D. D runs rum In gold sold with traces of ot copper and zinc Then In short Mr 11 WilkIns likIns I EXclaimed ex cx- claimed turn turning InS InS' suddenly in my chair It Il Is la a pretty fair sample of oC a l cyanide precipitate The lad saw kaw his ment ment- but retaining his presence of mind he said Ive left my burners going at nt the tho asa assay office Ill I'll be back In iii Ina a CL moment nt soon as I turn them off orr The deputy stopped him and pinioned hi his arms Taking up the mans man's book Iraqi from the floor I road read Friday Frida June assay No 13 left leU hY by b Mr D. D D.- D. D. In gold trace tiace of oC copper and zinc came camo from your our own finger nails nails nall and the thc sleeves f of oC your coat oaL On the night of OC I Mr Mi 0 h Paul Paulson's ons on's murder you 01 wore shoes stolen stol n Irons from McKenna and subsequently subsequent subsequent- I ly h stolen from our your tent b by an Indian I Y Your ur cuts were received on returning I from Crom the mountain where you ou ha have conc concealed ald your our plunder Charles CharieR lUkins I arrest you OU for Cor or the murder of or James Paulson Paul During these proceedings In the of ot- lice fice the tho Constable had harne harnessed Ned a It lively team and a fe few minutes later we were hurrying the prisoner to the count coun coun- t ty Jail It wan waa shown that heln being fa with the operations at the tho plant Wilkins took an opportunity when the precipitates were d sealed In cans read ready for shipment ot make way with them On the tho night of or the murder he had packed the cans on a mule and was starting starlin for or a place of concealment In the tho hills when the tho superintendent discovered ills dis covered and recognized him Los Los An- An Angeles bel geles s Times |