The Peoples' Voice (Norman, Okla.), Vol. 17, No. 29, Ed. 1 Friday, January 29, 1909 Page: 3 of 8
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Detection of Chinky
T$y George F. ^Butler and Herbert Ilsley
Dr. Furnivall Solves a Perplexing Case by the Use of His Psychometric-Deductive Powers
T 5:30 in the
morning a laborer
with two cents for
his breakfast milk
k warm in lii.s hand
stopped in front of
Swartz' provision
store and stared
blankly at the
closed door and
shutters. The place
was always open
at five at this time
of year, and he
was in a hurry.
The stillness was broken by the
policeman. Drawing his revolver he
tapped with it lightly on the glass,
calling in a loud voice:
"Hi, there! You In there! I se«
you. Hold up your hands and come
on out o' that! Come out, I say!"
"Well, well, well! 'Tis poor old
Swartz—he's hung himself!" the po-
liceman whispered in awe. Then he
remembered that the door of the shop,
fastened on the outside, was secured
by means of a bar and padlock. These
must have been put in place by some-
body with Swartz in the shop! Then
who could that somebody be if not—
the murderer! Yes, it was not suicide,
it was murder, and if murder, who
could the murderer be but Flannigan,
the only person besides Swartz pos-
sessing a key to the padlock?
With the flash of this obvious se-
quence into his mind, the policeman
hurried to the store telephone and
called up his station, notifying it that
Swartz was murdered, that Flannigan
a clerk, had done the deed and was
missing.
From the evidence not a man of the
force present entertained the slightest
doubt of how the crime had occurred,
nor who the criminal logically must
be. Flannigan, just before closing-
time on Saturday night whpn, trade
being over and the shop deserted, the
street door was closed and the shut-
ters put on all but the back window,
had for some reason throttled his
boss with his powerful hands, slipped
the rope around his neck and hoisted
him up there to make it appear to be
a case of suicide, locked up and fled.
Flannigan was thick-witted, and It
would never occur to him that he had
left all the signs pointing to himself,
and only to himself. As long as no-
body had seen him do it he would feel
safe; for he was one of those people
who are continually repeating for the
information of their audiences that
"what you don't see you don't know."
Officers were at once dispatched in
several directions for the man. The
fact that he was not at his boarding
house, but must have returned to his
room from the shop and changed his
clothes at some time between six
o'clock on Saturday evening and eight
on Sunday morning, was precisely the
evidence that the police looked to find
there, and they found it. Flannlgan's
lodging mistress said that on going to
his room to put It in order on Sunday
morning at eight, the usual time, she
saw that the bed had not been slept
in, and examination showed that his
every day clothes hung in the closet
while his best suit was missing from
Its accustomed hooks. And he had
not been seen in the vicinity since
Saturday morning, when he left the
house for his day's work. To this in-
formation the police, making a search
of his room on their own account,
added certain other suggestive items.
A badly soiled shirt, torn up the back
as if discarded in a hurry, was crowded
behind the bureau; a razor, unwiped
after using, and a shaving paper with
dried lather on It, as If tho shaver
was In such haste that ho could not
stop to clean away the traces of his
work, were on a little table near the
gas jet; a traveling bag, which the
lodging mistress asserted that lie
owned, was not to be found; there was
no linen in the bureau drawers. In
fact, all the evidence tended to show
that the man had left suddenly for
parts unknown, saying nothing to any-
body of his Intended absence, taking
with him what few valuable effects he
possessed. If the razor remained be
hind it was because in his excitement
he had forgotten li
Inquiry in the neighborhood soon
brought to light a man who had seen
Flannigan late Saturday night with a
suit case and a big roll of bills stag-
gering from one saloon to another on
the wuy down to the south station:
and ft presently being learned that !
Flannigan had relatives In the little
country town of Fairview, which was
his native place, the rest was easy.
He was just the type of man who,
having committed a crime, would Ini
mediately make for the vicinity t," *•!.-,
old home, having neither h'nse nor
general information enough to steer;
as widely away from that particular
spot as possible. Connections wer<
made by telephone with the police el
Fairview, and within two hours from
that time Flannigan was undergoing
examination at station five.
He was a vary muscular fellow of |
m
4'k&iMii.kfiu.. 7/6 Poo/? o/D f/m£LF,
27 years, with a face full of good-
natured imbecility. It seemed evident
at once to the examining officers that
the man would know no better than to
commit murder, and would commit it
under provocation, the last thing to
enter his thick head being tho fact
that he, with his grade of intelligence,
would not have one chance in a thou-
sand of escaping the penalty. He as-
serted his innocence of the charge, but
in a half hearted manner, as if he was
very far from realizing the serious-
ness of his position. He said:
"If old Swartz is dead, I'm sorry. I
didn't do it. He always treated me all
right, and I wouldn't do him dirt. If
I knew who did I'd lick him good."
"What did you go away from your
room for without telling anybody
of it?"
"Shucks! I didn't have no time. It
was most 11 Saturday night when I
knowed it first myself. The boss, he
says:'Flanny,' he says, 'how'd you like
a vacation?' he says. 'Everybody but
you and me Is taking a vacation,' he
says; it's the fashion nowadays,' he
says. 'You go to-night, Flanny,' he
says, 'and I'll go when you git back.
You can stay a week,' he says, and
here's two weeks' wages. That will
do you,' he says. Then he counted
out dollars from the big roll he
had in the safe—"
"So he had a big roll In the safe, did
he?" the captain Interrupted.
"Sure! He had just put it In there
—$248. He? says: 'Flanny, this is the
biggest day we ever had, and I'm a-
going,' he says, 'to give you a vacation,
because,' he says, 'Flanny, you're all
right, and we can afford to be in the
fashion,' he says."
"Well, what did you do then?"
"I says If I'm going I'd go then, so's
to git the 11:45 train and be home
Sunday all day. So he says go ahead,
and 1 goes—"
"You went to your room before
taking the train?"
"For sure! I had to git my glad
rags. And I started to shave, but
didn't. I didn't have time."
"You had time to drop Into a num-
ber of places on the way down to the
station, didn't you?"
Flannigan grinuud slyl.
"I wouldn't if I'd shaved," he an-
swered.
That ended the examination as far
as it need be given here. Swartz was
found hanged in his store, to which
only he and Flannigan had a key,
Swartz' key was in his pocket, Flan-
nigan's key was in his pocket, and the
store was locked from the outside.
Flannigan had run away, and when
caught had told a cock-and-bull story
of a vacation, a luxury never heard of
before in connection with any employe
of "Fatty" Swartz, or even with
Swartz himself, who had been for 13
years In that store every day of Ills
life except Sundays, and all day. The
notion that he should suddenly propose
such a thing to Flannigan at 11 o'clock
at night, make him a present of a
week's pay anil pack him off at once,
was preposterous—just the kind of a
foolish story that a man of Flannl-
gan's caliber would be likely to in-
vent. Only one thing seemed strange
to the police: What had Flannigan
done with the $248?
The next day after Flnnnigan had
been committed for trial without bail I
a little old woman with beady blacu
eyes, a wrinkled, yellow skin, a highly
nervous manner and a very shrill
voice called on Dr. Furnivall, and an-
nouncing that she was Flannlgan's
mother said that her son was of
course Innocent, nnd as she had no
money to pay a high-up lawyer and
detective to prove it, she had come to
him as the only thing left for her to
do.
Dr., Furnivall was given access to
Flannlgan's cell. He commanded:
"Flannigan, carry your mind back to
11 o'clock Saturday night, and toll
me what happened to you then?"
"Why," he answered without hesi-
tation, "the boss was giving me 26
plunks to go on a vacation with."
"Did you leave the store then?"
"I left as soon as I put the shutters
up to the front windows. Tho old man
said he'd fix the back one."
"Was he in the store when you
left?"
"Yes, sir."
"Alone?"
"Yes, sir."
"When you went out at the door
where did you go?"
"To Tim Foley's place first, and
then to Randall's, and then to my
room."
"Did you talk with anybody in those
places?"
Only the barkeeps. They was
hardly anybody around then. It was
closing time for those shops. They
ain't victuallers."
"Did you see anybody at your lodg-
ing house?"
"No. The lights was out and I went
in quiet. Everybody was abed."
"When you came out where did
you go?"
"1 took a car for the south station."
"Did you talk with anybody on the
car?"
"I can't think. I don't think so."
"You don't think? Can't you say
positively? What you had takiin at
Foley's and Randall's hadn't bc^un to
affect you, had it?"
"Well, 1 h'isted it In quick, and a
lot of it, and my head was going some,
all right."
t'p to this moment Flannigan had
been talking In a normal manner. The
doctor's gaze had put his face through
tile preparatory stages of change only.
Hut now, from a startled, then earnest
passing to a peaceful and contented,
expression, his eyes leaped to that of
absorbed thought, and he continued In
a monotonous voice:
"I think somebody was there; some-
body I didn't know very well. I think
1 spokft to him. But I don't remember
if he said anything to me. It was an
open car, and I guess he was way
over on one end of the seat and I was
on the other."
"Was he on your right or your left
side?"
"I don't know. Seems to mo he was
sort of behind me. I'm pretty sure I
didn't see him. 1 sort of felt him, 1
guess, and I asked him—"
He hesitated, a strange, Intent, in-
trospective look In his blue eyer,
"Asked him?" suggested Dr. Furul-
vall, softly.
"Asked—him—what—time—It—was"
He proceeded thus hesitatingly,
groping In his mind for the clew to
the Impression faintly traced there.
Then suddenly he went on In lull con-
fidence: "No, 1 asked him if we had
time before the 11:45 train to drop in
somewhere for a little taste."
"What did lie say?"
"He asked me where I was going,
and I told him to Fnlrvlew on my va-
cation, and I mustn't miss the train."
"What did he say then?"
"He said there was plenty of time.
So we got off and walked through
Arch street to Heuizer's, but lie
wouldn't go In. He said he'd wait out-
side."
"But you wont in?"
"Was he waiting when you came
out?"
"No. I guess I stayed too long. I
missed the train and had to go homo
on a freight."
"You say you didn't know the man
very well, but can't you remember
anything about him, any peculiarity
ubout him?"
"Well, ho had a funny smell."
"A funny smell. What was it like?"
"It was kinder sweet. He said he'd
been eating something for his breath.
He gave me some, too. He said I
ought to have some by me, it was so
good for a whisky breath."
"Have you any of It with you?"
"Yes, in my vest pocket."
The doctor searched the pocket and
presently found a kernel of a well-
known proprietary article for the
breath. He chewed it a moment and
then leaning toward the man so that
the scent must strongly reach his
nostrils, said:
"Do you remember that smell?"
"Sure I do."
"What is associated with it In your
mind? What does it remind you of?"
"Heuizer's hotel."
"Did you ever smell It before you
were in that place?"
"Why, yes; that is what Chinky
gave me just before I went In—"
"Chinky? Who is Chinky?"
"1 dunno. He's a feller I met some-
times. I dunno his last name."
"Why is he called 'Chinky?' "
"They say it's because when he
runs to turn the switch the dimes
and nickels chink in his pocket."
"Then he must be a conductor on
the street cars?"
"Oh, yes; that's what he Is! I re-
member now."
Dr. Furnivall returned to the office.
The captain had just returned with
(he information that, sure enough, the
key did not fit the lock on Swartz'
store.
"Of course," said Dr. F'urnlvall.
"Now hunt up a man—a conductor on
the street cars, who Is known as
'Chinky.' He is your man. Bring him
to me and I'll prove It."
But "Chinky," who was found to be
a conductor by the name of Alan
Westover, frightened so that he could
not stand on his feet when charged
with the crime, admitted Ills guilt at
once, and there was no necessity fof
hypnotizing him. He said that Satur-
day night after his work ho had met
Flannigan on a car. He told him he
was going oil a vacation, that Swartz
was in the store with a big roll, which
he was intending to take home with
him, as the safe was no good, and that
he (Flannigan) had brought away tho
store key instead of leaving It with tho
boss, is he ought to have done, seeing
that li was to be away so long and
might lose it. Flannigan was stupid,
and "Chinky" easily got the key from
his pocket as ho helped him from the
car to go to Heuizer's, substituting ono
of his own In its place. Running to
the store he watched until he saw
Swartz removing his butcher's frock,
and while it was over his head, en-
tangling his arms, lie rushed in and
choked him with a short length of
rope. He meant only to render him
unconscious and get the money, Ilia
hastily conceived plan being to throw
uspiciou on Flannigan, who would
seem to have run away after doing the
job; and that was why he had stolen
the key. But when he saw that ho
had overdone the matt< r- that Swartz
was dead—the pulley and rope dan-
gling down from the loft gave him
the Idea of complicating the affair by
making it look like suicide. So ho
hoisted the body up nnd left it hang-
ing, shut the door, put up the bar,
locked the padlock and went home.
He had suffered the most horrible tor-
tures of mind ever since; had been on
the point of giving himself up a dozen
times, feeling that death would be a
relief to him, and now that he was
taken he was glad of It. They would
put hlrn out of all his misery before
long. Ills only excuse for the crime
was that he was a cocaine fiend, and
supposed he was crazy and didn't
know any better.
Flannigan, released at once, went
home for his vacation, this time with-
out stopping on the way; and he never
entered a saloon afterward. Westover
was electrocuted, after a long trial In-
stituted by a benevolent society In the
attempt to prove him Insane.
(Copyright. 1901), liy \\ u. Chapman.)
(Copyright In Gruut Britain.)
OFTEN THE CASE.
Women Struggle Hopelessly Along,
Suffering Backache, Dizzy Spells,
Languor, Etc.
Women have so much to go through
In life that it's a pity there is so much
i HnilMniiWm suffering from baclt-
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mon curable kidney
i"s- H you suffer so,
"TSTj profit by this wom-
'i an's example: Mrs.
VMMM Martin Douglass, 52
Ofldar St., Kingston,
N. Y., says: "I had a
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d dizzy spells, head-
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of the time I could not attend to my
work nnd irregularity of the kidney
secretions was annoying. Doan's Kid-
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Sold by all dealers. 50c a box. Fos-
ter-Mllburu Co., Buffalo, N. Y.
ONE THING AT A TIME.
ave you noticed that the baroness
never talks about other women?"
"How could she? She is all the
time talking about herself."
THE WONDERBERRY.
Mr. Luther Burbank, tho plant Wiz-
ard of California, has originated a
wonderful new plant which grows any-
where, In any soil or climate, and bears
great quantities of luscious berries all
the seasou. Plants are grown from
seed, and it takes only three months
to get them In bearing, and they may
be grown and fruited all summer in
tho garden, or In pots during the win-
ter. It Is unquestionably the greatest
Fruit Novelty ever known, and Mr.
Burbank has made Mr. John Lewis
Cliilds, of Floral Park, N. Y., the In-
troducer. He says that Mr. Childs is
one of the largest, best-known, fair-
est and most reliable Seedsman in
America. Mr. Childs is advertising
seed of the Wonderberry all over tha
world, and offering great Inducements
to Agents for taking orders for it.
This berry is so line and valuable, and
so easily grown anywhere, that every-
body should get it at once.
For the Public Taste.
The following makes a very popular
dish, the usual name given it being
"funny paper." Take three mothers-
tn-law, two Irishmen, one German
one or two tough kids and a coon;
mix and stir well. A jag is considered
to add flavor. Sprinkle in a little
spice and ginger, and garnish with
drawings. The addition of a pinch of
hardsense is advisable, though not es-
sential. Chestnuts are used for stuff-
ing. The dish is usually roasted,
though poaching is not uncommon.—
The Bellman.
WANTS HER
LETTER
PUBLISHED
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Allan, John S. The Peoples' Voice (Norman, Okla.), Vol. 17, No. 29, Ed. 1 Friday, January 29, 1909, newspaper, January 29, 1909; Norman, Oklahoma. (https://gateway.okhistory.org/ark:/67531/metadc118238/m1/3/?q=Hughes: accessed April 19, 2024), The Gateway to Oklahoma History, https://gateway.okhistory.org; crediting Oklahoma Historical Society.