THE FUXDAY OREUOAilAA', PORTLAND, FEBRUARY 23, 190S.
Colonel .lumrs Fraver will be re
called as one of the best chlrfa of
Police who ever had charge of tho
"hofohfes" In the world's greatest me
tropolis Colonel Fraser served with
distinction In the British army before
accepting the Important municipal
pojt, and enjoyed a splendid record,
both as a soldier and a civilian. Sir.
itlrhard Mayne, the then Chief Com
missioner of Palice, said that Fraser
was the best executive of his lime.
His Jurisdiction extended over the
fco-called "city," comprised within an
area of a little more than one square
mile. the richest and the most
densely populated section of the civil
ized world. The credit of the solu
tion of the mysteriouw murder of the
railway carriage must, of course, be
divided amonp the rank and file of
the I.ojidon police, but it aleo reflects
In a- specially brilliant manner upon
the administration of Colonel James '
Fraser.
NO. XI.
Tito time was an evening in July, some
jt'-ars ago; the place the station platform
of the .North London Railway Vornpany
ut the Metropolitan borough of Hackney.
A number of -passengers were there,
awaiting the 6 o'clock local from London.
It arrived presently, wltn bell ringing
clamorously and engine puffing up great
clouds of smoke and sparks. The mo
ment the train came to a full stop, a
man on the platform made a rush for
tlin nearest railway carriage. He opened
the door and entered but suddenly drew
back with a look of fear on his face and
a cry of horror ?n his lips.
"Get aboard! Get aboard!" cried a
guard Impatiently. "We can't wait here
all night."
The man, who had one foot on the sta
tion platform and the other on the rail
way carriage, stood there as though he
had been petrified. The guard, finding
that his shouts were uselesst hurried up
to ascertain the cause of the delay. In
" b. trice be was by the side of the hesi
tating passenger.
"What's the matter?" be asked.
In answer the man pointed the fore
finger of his right band toward the in
terior of the carriage, and uttered the
one word: "Look!"
The guard looked and what he saw
robbed his tongue of Its glibness. The
Betting sun sent a golden streak into the
coach and the glaring light revealed
there on the blue cushions a pool of red
Wood. The guard and the hesitating pas
senger entered' together and made a care
ful examination of the carriage. The
man's first sight had not deceived him.
There could be no possible doubt about
It. The' cushions of the carriage were
soaked with human blood. Inside the
coach was a hat, a walking stick, and a
Binall black leather bag.
The railway carriage was run on to its
destination and a dispatch Instantly
flashed to Colonel James Fraser, the head
of the Iondon polire force. In the mean
time the most persistent cross-questioning
failed to throw any light whatever upon
the mystery of the blood-soaked cushions.
The guard remembered In a hazy sort of
way that two men had entered tho car
riage just before the train left Fenchurch
Htreet in tendon. His impression was
that they were together but he had no
rertain recollection of that. As to their
appearance, he was totally at sea. He
only knew that he had a crowded train
that day, and in the hurry and bustle of
his work paid but scant attention to In
dividuals. There was one clue, however, and that
Rns of a character that could not be
overlooked even In the density displayed
hy the railway officials. It was the Im
pression of a blood-stained hand on the
door of the railway carriage. The first
act of Colonel Fraser was to order the
guilty carriage out of service.. He- di
rected that special pains be taken to
preserve the impression of the blood
stained hand- so that it could be referred
to whenever the occasion demanded.
That same night word came to Police
Headquarters that the body of a well
tlressed man had been discovered at a
spot where the North London Railway
passes Victoria Park. The man was .un
conscious, but still alive. He was
taken to a nearby hospital and all that
Harriman's New -Home
rcrolrcd on an Eyrie of the Ramupo Range, Can Be Reached
New York Times.
ONE of the steepest of the granite
knuckles of the Ramapo range is an
elevation known as Tower Hill, a
forest clad, boulder-strewn, massive bulk
which sweeps upward with a bold precip
itous ascent from the winding valley.
From this rock-bound eyrie the eye can
range for a full 30 miles to west and
east, over the long sweeping hills which I
roll away from this master range, undu
lations which from the crest of this
towering Tower Hill have the appearance
of great earth waves suddenly stilled.
It is on the very summit of this height !
that thcT-3 is now beinj: erected a struc- I
Hire the like of which it would be diffi
cult, if not impossible, to duplicate. Cer
tainly nothing like It exists anywhere
on this side of the world and perhaps
one might search the crags which over
look the Rhine and find there few castles
perched so high as this massive building
v-hlch Is now nearlng completion.
If Mr. Harriman should ever take it
into his mind to cultivate the fad of
Crusoe this new hoiiEC of his could well
be made into such a retreat. Here, if he
so willed, he might round out his days,
Hlone with the eagles anil the stars.
Nature sequestered the spot, and until
Harriman came it was nature's own wild
handiwork. Down the valley tho hamlet
of Arden nestles in a curve o? the range,
but its few houses are not visible from
the heights where this mansion-house is
. being built. Hard by are scattered other
small villages, with here and there, faint
;ind far off, little dots which tell of farm
houses. But the house of Harriman
Ftamls alone aloof on its rockbound
crags, dominating the dominant range, a
landmark for many miles, imposing in its
proportions, something mediaeval in its
mHSsivrness, a suggestion of early Eng
lish In the solidity of its walls, and withal
many touches of grace and beauty in
its terraces and pergolas.
Nothing but a Slinck.
A reporter for the Sunday Times visited
the place on Friday.- There had been a
report that Mr. Harriman was expending
J4.WO.000 on his house on the hill, and
that from his Harriman point of view it
was nothing but a shack. A pardonable
curiosity to know just What it was
brought about the vitit.
There are now upward of 200 men em
ployed in the building. Three hundred
car loads of material were delivered by
the Kile last month. That has been
the a erase for several months. The
mansion Is not near complete. It is
estimated that' it will be two years at
least befoi'J! It- is.
The reporter went to the hill from the
town of Central " Valley in a sleigh, for
the snow was deep. His mentor, who
handled the reins, presently nodded to a
distant height, which showed for a
'moment between gliding hills and said
briefly, "that's it." The opening land
scape disclosed another and better view, a
view of the long Ramapo range and its
dominating knob of Tower Hill, whose
medical science could do was done to
restore him to .consciousness, but in
vain. He died within 24 hours, with
out saying a word. It wan evident
from the start that he had been mur
dered. Unfortunately, his head and
face had been beaten so cruelly that
he was unrecognizable. Just at a time
when the solution of his identity
seemed farthest away the hospital au
thorities came upon a card in his vest
pocket. It read. "Thomas Brlggs, Rob
arts & Co.. Yombard street. London."
An officer was at once dispatched to
the office of Roharts Company, In
Lombard street. The head of that firm
said that Mr. Brlggs was their chief
clerk, and one of their most valued
employes, and that they were at a
total loss to account for his unex
plained absence from his post. He had
been with their banking- house for
nearly halt a century, and during all
of that time Jiad promptly reported
for work as the clock was striking
9. He failed to do bo that morning,
and they had assumed that he was 111.
Just as they were preparing to send
an inquiry to his home a message was
received stating: that he had not .re
turned to his house In Hackney the
Slight before. A hurried investigation
proved that Mr. Brlggs left his home
at the usual hour on the previous day.
He carried a gold-headed cane and
wore gold-rimmed eyeglasses, and had
In his possession a gold watch and
chain. After concluding his business
at the bank, he left at the usual hour
in the afternoon, and dined with his
married daughter at Peckham. He re
turned to the city in time, to take the
regular train nt Fenchurch street for
his home at Hackney. That was tho
last time he waa ever seen alive.
It did not take-many hours to prove
that the unoffending clerk of Robarts
& Company and the unknown individ
ual whose body had been found near
Victoria Park were one and the same
person, and that the old gentleman had
been brutally murdered for his money.
The eyeglasses and the gold watch and
chain were both missing. The blood
soaked cushions, the general disorder
of the railway carriage, and the im
print of the bloody hand on the door
of the vehicle proved that a terrible
struggle had taken place before tne
foul deed was accomplished. It must
have been done very quickly, because
the distance from Fenchurch street,
from whence the train started, and
Hackney waa only a matter of three
miles in fact, the deed must have
been committed Immediately after the
train left the city, for the body had
been thrown into the bushes of Victoria
Park, and the murderer had evidently
Jumped from the train before it reached
Hackney Station.
The hat found in the coach had a lining
which Indicated that it had been manu
factured by Walker, a fashionable hatter
In Crawford street, Marlcybone. Colonel
Fraser had an Interview with the hatter
and ascertained from him that the hat
must have been purchased within two
weeks of the day of the murder. He said
that It was almost impossible to keep
track of his customers, especially as he
transacted a considerable transient trade.
He had, however, a vague impression that
the hat in question wa9 purchased by a
short, stout, red-faced man, wearing a
blue coat with brass buttons. The -man
carried a whip, and from his dress, man
ner, and conversation, was evidently a
cabman. Further investigation among
the officials of the North London railway
brought to the front a guard from the
Fenchurch-street Station who remembered
having seen two men enter the fatal car
riage on that evening In July. The first
man he described as an old and rather respectable-looking
person. The details
corresponded to a nicety to the appear
ance of Mr. Brlggs. the murdered bank
clerk. The second man, be said, had en
tered hastily. Just as the train was about
to leave the station and Jumped Into the
carriage after Mr. Brlggs. He was
rather a rough-looking Individual poorly
dressed and evidently laboring under great
mental excitement. He was not an Ill
looking man. as men go. having a square
Cerman type of face, blue -eyes which
werevhalf closed, and very fair hair. He.
was short In stature, and his legs seemed
very light for the upper part of his body
which was squarely built and powerful
looking. This was an unusually intelll
gent description, and the police scoured
steep high sides seemed to promise a
heart-breaking, ascent. ' The reporter
looked at the horFe, whose breath was
coming in quick steaming puffs and men
tioned his misgivings. "Oh, that will be
all right," was the cheerful reply. "You
wait."
The visitor waited. Anon the panting
animal drew up at the base of the great
hill and where a dozen workshops were
clustered. "It is a rather curious thing."
his friend continued, as he gave the reins
to one of the men, "the extent to which
Mr. Harriman is going in having this
house of his all home-made. Just step in
here a minute," as he opened a door to
a joiner shop. "Here all the woodwork
is being done. Here Is the drying room,
where it is first seasoned, and here," in
dicating scores of busy workmen, "are
the men who are getting it Into shape for
the plans which the architects have made.
They, you know, are Carrere & Hastings,
the architects who designed New" York's
Public Library and the Ponce de Leon
Hotel In Florida, but of course your know
about them.
All the House Home-Built.
"Mr. Harriman's idea is to have all of
his house home-built, and it is. It is
being built mainly of stone, and the stone
is from the very rock that was quarried
out to make the foundations. Practically
all the woodwork that enters into the
building is cut from his own preserves
here. - You know he owns about 45,000
acres around here, this house of his up
there standing on the northern Bectlon of
his tract.
"Well, here you see the woodworkers at
work on the wood. All of the decoration
part is being carved by hand. Another
thing, look here! See that chair? That is
from the woods up here, timber from his
own trees. That chair is one that is
being turned out for Mr. Harriman's
house. All the rest that are to be used
up there will be turned out here, and in
the same way.
, "Yes, everything all home made and
home grown," continued the mentor as
he led the way out of the place. "Now
we will go up to the house and see how it
looks."
leading the way around the corner of
the building there came into view an in
clined railway, up which carload after
carload of material was being drawn by
steam power at the other end.
An empty flatcar bumped gently against
the buffers and we stepped on its plat
form. Some one somewhere gave a signal
and the car began Its dizzy uphill climb,
the wire, cable groaning as it tugged the
car up the steep ascent, one Vhich meas
ured nearly a half mile in length, and
whose roadbed had been pitched at an'
angle almost as sharp as the roof of a
Swiss chalet. If you know aboit Swiss
chalets you will know how sharp that
angle is; The flow of talk Interrupted for
the moment was resumed.
"See these trees on the hillside?" de
manded the mentor, as the landscape
slipped past with the queer aspect of a
hill sliding downward, "Note how all of
Colonel James
London In the hope of dragging in some
man to answer, this description.
But the days went by and there was no
result. The newspapers were filled with
the details of the crime and there was
great public indignation. The oldest citi-
zens of the metropolis wrote scathing
letters to the London Times In which
they Inquired dramatically whether it
was possible for a man o go on a rail
way journey in. the heart of the British
Kmplre without Incurring the risk of be
ing murdered. The police chafed under
this criticism, but still they did not ap
pear to make any progress. Colonel
Fraser sat in his office 'day by day and
tried to solve the problem. He finally
resolved that it would be necessary to
trace the gold watch and 'chain that had
been stolen from Mr. Briggs before it
would be possible to get a clue to the man
on. a Kock
Only by Inclined Railway.
the weak ones have been cut out, leaving
only the ones of strong and sturdy
growth. That is part of the general plan
of beautifying the place. Got that Idea
from the National Forestry Department.
Mr. Harriman has had a lot of people
working on It.and you see how much
has been done.
"Now, I want to tell you about the
road we are traveling up. When every
thing has been completed there will be
a big platform at each end. And there
-will be fiatcars big enough to hold a
carriage and Its team. These will drive
from the platform to the car, and in a
few minutes will be hauled to the top,
and there driven oft on another wide
platform, and if the carriage contains
guests, thence on to the main entrance of
the house.
"But there will eventually be another
way by whtch vehicles can reach the
place. See that bit of grading?" as a
leveled space showed for a moment in
the changing vista and then vanished.
"There is a twenty-foot-wide road being
built one that circles here and there and
twists In and out. and with a grade so
slight that the lowest-powered automo
bile can climb it. When you note how
steep the incline is you will- realize how
much twisting and turning that moans.
However, the road Is being graded and
tunneled and bridged, and in a few years
will be ready for use. Meanwhile, this
other will be used. and here we are."
The car slowed, bumped gently Into its
buffers, and we stepped on the little plat
form at the crest of the hill. To 'the
right lay the mansion, half hidden In
trees and cluttered about with work
houses, boiler houses, pump sheds, dy
namo rooms and whatnot.
The house at first appearance seemed
half sunk In an excavation. A nearer
view showed that it rested in a stone
hollow, one from which the roek had
been 'blasted from three sides. The work
of blasting the roek from the other has
not yet been completed. It Is for this
reason that the visitor does not at first
realize its size. Measuring more than
300 feet in length, and nearly as many in
breadth, its size Is still further deceptive
owing to the fact that the main build
ing is but three stories In height.
Twenty-two Bathrooms.
Of the seventy rooms which It Is to
contain, twenty-two are bathrooms. The
building Is In the form of a cross with
the entrance hall In the west wing. This
hall Is SO by B0 feet in size. In the same
wing Is the living room, another vast
apartment which, if subdivided, could be
made into two or throe tfats of the Har
lem type. The dining room, on the first
floor. Is 24 by 37 feet. It opens Into a log
gia whlrh overlooks the two lakes whose
basins are a few hundred yards to the
eastward of the mansion.
There are thirty bedrooms, all of them
on the second Hoor. The library, 30 by
58 feet. Is to be separate from the main
building, but to be connected with It by
a hall.
South of the main structure tho site on
which it is built falls away in a series of
terraces. There is a pergola, half com
Fraser and the Railway Mystery
BY GEORGE BARTON
who had committed the murder. Every
pa wnshop in or around the metropolis
was visited but none of them possessed
any jewelry that corresponded to that
which had been stolen from the bank
clerk in the railway carriage. Colonel
Fraser was not satisfied with these re
ports, and determined to personally prose-c-ute
his inquiries and researches In an
other direction. He selected the jewelers
ofi London and began his work in the.
iu amy Known as- cneapsiae.
To his delight he came upon a sig
nificant clue within 24 hours. Mr. Graves,
a jeweler in Cheapside. possessed a gold
chain which was identical with the one
that had been owned by Mr. Brlggs. The
jeweler said that he had accepted the
chain In exchange for another one which
he had priven to a foreign looking person
who had called at his establishment. To
pleted, and a vast swimming pool, whose
outlines are discernible. And then there
are sunken courts In which all manner of
flowers will bloom in time, marble circles
from which fountains will toss their
sprays, tunnels through which everything
needed for the establishment can be
brought to It direct from the inclined railway,-
billiard parlors, bowling alleys, laun
dry, drying room, dynamo room and quar
ters for a big consignment of servants.
An artesian well supplies water for the
house and supplies it in a volume of 28.000
gallons a day, the water being crystal
clear and said to be as pure as any that
ever gushed from a vein.
There is an abundance of open fire
places, the big living room, the library,
the dining room, all being provided with
them, as are also all of the bedrooms. Be
ing a full two years from completion, the
house as it stands now can, of course,
give no idea of what It will toe when all
the work is done, all the rubbish cleared
away, the lawns smoothed over, the flower
beds made, the fountains sparkling, the
swimming pool brimming, and the grace
ful pergola shaded.. In fact the building
is so far from completion that the interior
finish has not yet been decided upon..
After escorting his visitor over the en
tire structure the mentor gave voice to
some otier things that are important.
"Mr. Harriman," he said, and he spoke
as one who knew what he was speaking
about. " is not seeking to build a palace
on this hilltop. You can take it from me
that he means to consider just what It
will be when finished, the country home
of a wealthy man. So far from being
touilt at an extravagant outlay, it is being
built In a strictly sensible way, and in a
strictly business way. There Is no waste.
Mr. Harriman knew exactly what he
wanted, and he Is getting Just what he
wants."
The Wedding of the Pines and the Storm.
Paul. Ttader.
Gently now the mow descends; '
Numberless feathery forma.
To deck In glittering robes of white,
. The pines who love the storms.
Gently now they bow their heads.
And bend their branches low.
These graceful maidens of the hills.
In wedding gowna of snow.
The Utile breezes 'tend the brides.
And It rt the fleecy u-alns,
While further back among "the rocks
The gales sing eddlng-strains.
Dancing, yelling on they come.
To gaily greet the brides.
They romp and play the livelong day,
And laugh at maidens' chides.
The .lealous breeze leave the brides.
While gales so childlike romp.
And tease the maidens 'til they lose
Their look of stately pomp.
Then off they, run, with mocking laugh.
To leave the wrsrthrul maids
Before the grooms arrive, and see
- The much disheveled braids.-
Soon come the storms across the hills
To wed their brides so fair.
While with them comes the pale-faced
moon. k .
And Winter, cold and bare.
With priestly look the moon recites
The bonds, for bride and groom.
And In loud voices, by the storms.
The vows repeated, come.
The moon, and star attendants, leave,
Bach slips behind a cloud;
Then, all night long the wedding song
Is echoed clear and loud.
Add to the .Importance of this discovery,
it was learned that the exchange of the
jewelry had been made on the day fol
lowing the murder of Thomas Briggs.
The news of this first link in the chain
of evidence was widely published In the
London newspapers. On the day follow
ing, while Colonel Fraser was seated at
his desk in the police headquarters, the
door opened and a stranger entered the
room. He was a slrort, stout, red-faced
man, wearing a blue coat with brass but
tons. The man carried a whip and from
his dress and manner was evidently a
cabman. He saluted in an awkward man
ner. "Is this Colonel Fraser?"
"It Is," was the terse response.
"And may you be the chief of police?"
"That's what I am called sometimes,"
was the Indulgent response.
Photographs Pet Cats and Dogs
Western Woman Finding Xo Babies in New York to WorJpn Devotes Her Time) to Animals.
ffrv RIVATE photographer, specialty
dogs and cats," is the reading
on the professional card of a
prosperous young business woman who
makes her home in .a well-kept apart
ment house on Riverside drive. Having
read and duly pondered the statement, a
New York Sun reporter asked the young
woman to talk about her specialty.
"To begin with, I used to make a spe
cialty of children, little babies. There
are so many more children in the West
than here In New York! You know, I'm
from the West," the young woman went
on. "When I first came to New York
I almost starved to death the first six
morfths. It took me Just that long to
catch on.
"You see, I brought the idea of making
a specialty of children with me to a
place where there are no children. That
is. none that people care about having
photographed.
"It worried me to death at first. I
couldn't make out what was wrong.
Then I began to realize that instead of
wealthy and well-to-do people having
children as in the West, they all had
either cats or dogs. 1 had a set of new
cards printed and set out.
"I didn't have a bit of trouble. It was
all plain sailing. Everybody wanted her
cat or dog photograped. Just as in the
West everybody had wanted her baby's
picture taken.
"In less than three months after I
made that discovery I had every minute
of my time engaged ahead, and moved
from the boarding-house where I had
found It difficult to make both ends meet
with 'specialty children' to a charming
apartment of my own, with money to put
In bank.
"Cats, are much more easily photo
graphed than dogs, for the simple reason'
that they are not so restless, have fewer
eccentricities or less individuality. I
have known eats intimately al lmy life
and have only found two. varieties so far
as dispositions are concerned, the ami
able cat and the spiteful cat.
"As for the Intellectual cat and the
stupid cat, they exist only in. the fond
imagination of their owners, so far as I
have been able to 'see. Eve-y cat that
I am called on to photograph, to listen
to its owner, is a marvel of Intelligence.
When I come to make their acquaintance
it is the some old thing, either spit or
purr.
Cats Are Kasy Subjects.
"Photographing a cat of the purr va
riety is the simplest thing imaginable.
A few gentle strokes and It will remain
in any position you place It;, hold a
hrlght-colored object or a bit "of food
over its head and It will become animat
ed at once: put an electric mouse or bird
on the floor and it will crouch and make
ready for a spring. If my subject is of
the spitfire variety I follow the rule of
contraries.
"Of all the cats that I have known I
don't believe six of them care for per
sons, only for places. In spite of this all
too evident Indifference the owners of
"Well, my name is Bobby Smith."
"Glad to see you, Mr. Smith."
"I'm a cabman." "
"An honorable vocation," responded the
Colonel, with a smile.
"I understand you're investigating the
murder of Mr. Brlggs."
At this Colonel Fraser was all atten
tion. He scanned the man's face care
fully and replied:
"Yes. I am. Can you furnish me with
any information on the subject?"
"I don't know," was the response, "but
I have a little box here that may In
terest you."
Whereupon he handed Colonel Fraser
a Jeweler's little card box bearing the
name of Mr. Graves, trie Cheapside jew
eler. The officer looked- It over and said:
"Where did you get this?"
"If belongs to my little girl," was the
' reply. '
. "Where did she get It?"
"It was given to her by a man who
lodged with us his name is Franz Mul
ler. He left very suddenly after the pa
pers had become full of. the Mystery of
the Railway Carriage."
This was news with a vengeance. The
cabman was taken in hand and subjected
lo a rigorous cross-examination. He told
all about his German lodger and said
among other things, that the man had left
his photograph on the bureau in the second-story
back room where he had lodged.
The police immediately secured the photo
graph and Colonel Fraser hastened to
Cheapside and presented it to Graves, the
jeweler.
"Did you ever see that man?" he in
quired. "I did." was the reply. "He Is the for
eigner who came here and exchanged the
chain on the day after the Briggs mur
der." Colonel Fraser returned to the cabman's
home and held another long interview
with the red-faced person who had so
providentially furnished him with a clew.
The cabby proved to be a veritable
mine of information. He testified, among
other -things, that he had purchased the
hat which was found In the railway car
riage, doing so at the request of Muller,
his German boarder. It was learned that
Muller had transferred his residence to
a cheap lodging-house in the White
chapel district. This was carefully guard
ed, and Colonel Fraser having supplied
himself with a warrant, went there one
morning to arrest the suspect. Two men
were stationed in the front of the house
and two In the rear, and Colonel Fraser
himself went upstairs to make the arrest.
He hammered at the door. There was no
response. He burst it open, and found
nothing. The room was empty. The bird
had flown. Another hurried investiga
tion, in the course of which half of the
police officers of the London force were
employed, was made, and as a result of
which it was learned that Muller had
been seen at the office of an interna
tional steamship company within 48 hours.
He had purchased tickets for America,
snd only that morning had left the Lon
don docks In a sailing vessel which was
bound for New York by way of Canada.
Public excitement had now grown in
tense, and there was general Indignation
over the failure of the authorities to ar
rest the culprit. Many weeks had gone
by and, although the police had discov
ered and followed several important
clews, the guilty man was practically as
far away from them as he had been in
the beginning. Colonel Fraser realized
the importance of prompt and speedy ac
tion, and he at once formulated plans by
which two of the shrewdest detectives
In the metropolis were detailed to go to
America to arreft Mr. Franz Muller.
Bobby Smith, the cabman, and Air.
Graves the Jeweler of Cheapside, were
sent with the officers for the purpose of
identifying Muller. This curiously assort
ed quartet immediately went to Liverpool
and took the first steamer across the
Atlantic. It proved to be the City of
Manchester, which in its day was one
of the fast ocean liners, but which at
the present time would be ranked among
the slow freighters. However, the sailing
vessel in which Muller took passage was
even slower, and It was calculated that
the Manchester would reach New York
some days before the Victoria.
It was an anxious voyage, and tire time
'was counted with feverish Impatience;
but the expectations of the pursuers were
realized and tho Manchester reached New
York more than 48 hours ahead of the Vic
toria. The four men waited on the
cats are as a rule really attached to
them. One cat whose photograph I have
made every month since I have been in
the business Is the most Indifferent little
piece of flesh and blood that I have ever
seen, yet its mistress, a wealthy un
married woman, is as devoted to it as
she or any woman could be to a child.
"Blood? No, Indeed, this little cat
hasn't even the slightest claims to blood.
She was a regular little guttersnipe
when I was first called in to take her
picture. .
"The lady had picked her up in the
street only two days before.' The little
thing had been hungry, and as the lady
stepped from her carriage she whined
and looked up in her face. I believe she
even rubbed against her skirt. -
"This was taken as a great evidence of
intelligence, as the lady was especially
fond of cats. Being without a pet just
at that time the kitten was brought Into
the house and fed. She found her way
into the parlor, and there she has been
ever since.
"At the present time she -sleeps in a
white enameled crib beside the bed of
her mistress and has four carriages and
a maid especially engaged to wheel her
in Central Park. As for cushions and
cloaks, they are-almost without number
and all of the finest and daintiest mate
rial. "The owner of this cat considers it the
greatest compliment that she can pay a
person is to give him a set of photo
graphs of this little white and black
pussy. She is an attractive looking little
animal because she is clean, heajthy,and
well fed, but as for intelligence well,
she is' just the common purring variety
of cat, and that is all there is to her.
One Tabby That Has Jewels.
"There is another woman who' calls on
me quite frequently to photograph her
pet and who elects to give her cat
jewels. She is married, and requires her
husband to duplicate every present of
jewelry Intended for herself for her cat.
"This particular cat is one of the near
intelligent cats that I have met. She
really appears to be proud of her brace
lets and necklaces. She not only seems
to take pains to lie in such a position
as to show her ornaments to the best
advantage, but will often annoy a visitor
until particular attention has been taken
Of them.
"Yet I have seen that cat take as
much pride in a bright ribbon bow,
strutting before the mirror to admire
herself and scratching my skirt until
1 expressed my approval, so I cannot
believe what the cat's mistress affirms,
that the cat knows an imitation stone
from a real one. If a person told me
that a dog could tell the difference
between real and imitation I might be
tempted to believe It, but a cat I
haven't Imagination enough for that.
"To tret a good photograph of an in
telligent dog- one has first to know a
little of the dog. A dog often has as
much individuality as a hitman being.
-'l have known owners and dogs ns
thoroughly mismatched as some parents j
dock, and as soon as the vessel reached
the pier, they went aboard. Muller had
been quite sick on the way over and he
came on deck looking pale and careworn.
Mr. Graves and the cabman recognised
him at once and shouted in unison:
"That's the man!"
The two detectives immediately placed
him under arrest, and before leaving the
vessel made a search of the prisoner's
box. The watch belonging to the mur
dered man was found in his trtn.K,
wrapped up In a piece Of leather. Most
audacious of all, Muller. at the time of
his capture, was wearing the hat which
belonged to the murdered man. It had
been cut down and somewhat altered, but
there was no difficulty In finding traces
which made It correspond to the article
of headgear which had been in the family
of the victim for many years.
Through the co-operation of the Ameri
can authorities, extradition papers were
speedily prepared, and the prisoner went
back to Elngland in the custody of his
four captors, arriving there in the mid
dle of September of the year of the mur
der. Although the Bertilllon system of
Identification by means of thumb-prints
had not been perfected at that time, the
first step taken by the authorities was
to secure the Impressions of the prison
er's hands. These were carefully com
pared with the blood-print on the door
of the railway carriage, and the marks
of the right hand were found to corre
spond fairly well with the blood-stained
impression on the door of the coach.
The trial occurred at the next session
of the General Criminal Court. Sir
Robert Collyer, the Solicitor-General, had
charge' of the prosecution, ' which was
based entirely upon circumstantial evi
dence. It was charged that Muller had
committed the murder tinder a sudden
Impulse; that standing at the station he
had noticed Mr. Briggs' watch and chain
and Jewelry, and was filled with an over
whelming desire to possess them; that
on the spur of the moment he had de
termined to follow him Into the car
riage. The victim resisted, but his as
sailant determined to possess the val
uables, no matter at what cost. He had
tried to choke Mr. Brlggs into Insensi
bility, and not succeeding in that, had
seized hold of a life preserver such as Is
carried in Bnglish railway carriages and
had used it to batter In the head of his
venerable victim. There was a deep
wound over the ear. the skull was frac
tured and there were several other blows
on the bead. Following up this presenta-
tion of the crime, the distinguished solicitor-general
presented, piece by piece, the
bits of evidence which, in his mind, con
victed Franz Muller of the murder of
Thomas Brlggs. Sir Robert Collyer
said that it was the strongest circum
stantial evidence which had ever been
brought forward in a murder case in his
time. Muller. on his part, set up an
alibi, tout It was not very we., substan
tiated, and the jury without the slightest
hesitation, returned a verdict of guilty.
After his conviction Muller Insisted that
he had been found guilty upon a false
statement of facts. His case was taken
up by the Society for the Protection of
Germans In England, and the most pow
erful influences were exerted there and
abroad to obtain a reprieve for the con
vict. In the meantime. Muller was urged
to make a confession of his crime. He
ivaded any direct response to this appeal,
usually saying: "Why should man con
fess to man? Man cannot forgive man;
only God can do so. Man Is therefore
only accountable to God." He persisted
in maintaining this attitude until the
very last. He was not a vicious man
in any manner or way, and It was quite
vident that his crime was not premedi
tated, and this fact at times caused some
uneasiness of conscience to his captors.
His refusal to .admit this guilt was per
plexing and disquieting.
Finally the day of execution arrived.
A German pastor attended him to the
scaffold and urged him to make his
peace with God. The black cap was
placed over his eyes, 'and the rope was
adjusted about-hls neck. The executioner
prepared to1give tho signal whil-h would
launch him Into eternity. At that psy
chological moment Muller leaned over
and whispered In the ear of his pastor:
"I did It."
The next second the drop had slipped,
and Franz Muller had gone to meet his
creator.
(Next week: "Superintendent Frocst
and the Versatile Rogu e. " ' )
and children, and yet there would be
a certain attachment between them.
Neither would understand the other,
and the result would be a sort of gen
eral irritation on tho part of the dog.
"Whenever the owner of a dog re
ports that it is an irritable animal I
get the owner out of sight when taking-
the dog's photograph, I have never
seen a case In which a healthy dog was
cross or generally Irritable that tho
surroundings were not to blame.
"Another point about dogs is that as
a rule they prefer to be taken with
children, even where they are not ac
customed to children. Whenever I have
a dog- that is particularly hard to take
I take him to where there are children,
get the kiddies interested in having
their own pictures taken, and in a Ilttlo
while the dog- Is In the humor and I
get him at his best.
"Of course I find a good many freaks
among the owners of my dogs, but
nothing like the same proportion as
among thore who pet cats. One of the
greatest extravagances that have come
to my knowledge was that of a well-to-do
physician.
"He is middle-aged and unmarried,
but to all appearances a sensible
enough person; yet when his dosr died
he not only went into mourning, but
sent cards announcing- his dog's death
to all his friends. He didn't allow the
blinds of his house to be opened for
weeks, and I understood that he had
the body of his pet shipped to his
home in the Southwest for burial.
"Yes. the dog: was a blooded animal,
but by no means remarkable. This
man's favorite token of his esteem was
a calendar of his own making Illus
trated by photographs of his dog. The
dog- was a hideous old beast, so one
can easily imagine the fate of tho ma
jority of his calendars.
"Of course it is common enough for
women to have their dogrs dressed .to
correspond with their own gowns.
Really when women have as much
money and as little to think about as
the average New York woman I can't
sc.- much harm In It. They might de
vote their time and thought , to better
things, that is very true, but on the
other hand they might do worse.
"After one comes, to understand the
apartment-house atmosphere it is readi
ly understood why so many persons
prefer dogs to children. Kiddies art .
nice and I think there are few men
and women who wouldn't prefer them
If they could have homes, real homes,
but not in an apartment house.
"The Nw York apartment house is
the paradise of the pet dog and they
give me a comfortable living. I should
not advise any photographer wishing to
make a specialty of dogs or cats to
start business in a city where- apart
ment houses do not abound. In tho
average apartment house one can
count on finding- at least six dogs
whose owners are. glad to pay for their
photographs, . if not every month at
least several times a year."