Page:The Green Bag (1889–1914), Volume 11.pdf/433

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The Green Bag.

strong foreign accent, " To Old Pye Street, count for the discovery of his papers by the Westminster." side of the murdered woman. He had So far the scent was hot, and it seemed as landed, he said, from Germany at Hull, and if the quarry must be speedily run to earth. had made his way through Leeds, Oldham But the trail was lost at Sutton, and every and Manchester to Liverpool, where he effort to pick it up again failed. No one hoped to get a passage to America. could be found who had seen anything of But failing in his object he resolved to the two foreigners after the policeman ac tramp to London in search of work. On costed them at two o'clock on the Tuesday his way thither he fell in with two fellowmorning. The government offered a re countrymen, both sailors, the one named ward of one hundred pounds; Mr. Alcock Adolphe Krohn, the other Wilhelm Gertensof Kingswood Warren, M.P. for the division, berg. added another hundred pounds; but no The latter had no papers, and being of further clue was fortheoming, and the mur about the same stature and complexion as der of Martha Halliday seemed destined to Franz, was perpetually asking him for the be classed among the unsolved mysteries of loan of his papers, as the description, he crime, when an accident put the police upon said, would suit both of them. But Franz the track of the murderer. refused to grant his request. One evening On the second of July, more than three in May they all three lay down to sleep be weeks after the murder, a German was taken hind a stack of straw in an open field. Franz into custody in the east end of London on a was so tired that he slept soundly. When he trumpery charge of assault. The inspector awoke, his companions were gone, and they on duty was about to let the man go, when had taken with them his papers and his bag, it suddenly flashed upon him that the fellow which contained a suit of clothes of the same bore a resemblance to the description circu stuff and pattern as he was then wearing. lated of Johanri Carl Franz, and he ordered Among the papers stolen from him was one him to be detained until the Reigate police which was missing from the packet found in could be communicated with. The Reigate Kingswood Rectory : it was a railway guard's inspector came up to town, saw the sus testimonial or certificate. From the moment pected German and, after close examination, he awoke and discovered that his companions had deserted and robbed him, he had never decided that he was sufficiently like the de scription of Johann Carl Franz, given in the set eyes on either of them. He had eventu service-book already mentioned, to justify ally reached London, where he wandered the his arrest. Accordingly the man was brought streets in a state of destitution till he met a fellow-countryman whom he accosted and up before the Reigate magistrates for exami nation. He gave his name as Salzmann, asked for assistance. The man took him denied that he was Johann Carl Franz, of into an eating-house, and whilst he was whom he declared he knew nothing, and having his meal, read to him from a news was remanded for further inquiries. At his paper the account of a murder, the per second examination he caused a profound petrator of which was supposed to be a sensation by voluntarily confessing that he German named Johann Carl Franz. He was Johann Carl Franz, the owner of the was dreadfully alarmed on hearing this, and papers that bore his name. But at the resolved to assume another name; for that same time he stoutly denied all complicity reason he had called himself Salzmann. in the crime, declared that he had never So far the story was plausible, and as been in or near Reigate or Kingswood in Franz declared that his clothes had been his life, and told the following story to ac stolen as well as his papers, and that those