CHAPTER XXVII.

_A Midnight Visit to the Barn._--_The Detective wields a Shovel to some Advantage._--_Fifty Thousand Dollars found in the Earth._--_A good Night's Work._

The day following the revelations made in the preceding chapter, Edward Sommers returned to the agency and communicated the information which he had received the day before, and awaited instructions before proceeding further in the matter.

My son Robert A. Pinkerton determined to accompany him upon this visit to the barn, and he also requested the German Consul to delegate some one from his office to be one of the party. To this proposition the German Consul at once a.s.sented, and Paul Schmoeck, an attache of the Consulate, was selected to accompany them upon their visit to the Schulte estate.

Procuring a dark lantern and a garden spade, the party left New York about nine o'clock in the evening, and, without accident or delay, arrived at South Norwalk. On leaving the train, they separated, and Sommers, being acquainted with the road, walked on in advance. In order to avoid attracting attention, they walked up the main street of the town a short distance, and then, changing their course, they reached the railroad, along which they traveled until they arrived at the strip of woods in which Henry Schulte had met his death. They traveled along the narrow pathway and reached the stone wall, from which the house and barn stood in full view.

The evening was beautiful indeed--a bright moon illuminated the landscape almost with the luminous light of day. The air was still, and not a breath rustled among the leaves of the trees overhead. A silence profound and impressive reigned over all. From afar the rumbling of the train which they had left was borne upon the air.

Involuntarily the three men who had come to this place upon a far different errand stood in silent admiration of the natural beauty that was spread before them.

Fearing that Henry Waring might have remained away from home later than was his wont, they waited until they felt reasonably sure of a freedom from interruption in their labor, and then, having finally concluded that all was safe, they proceeded quietly to the barn, whose doors were wide open, and offered no bar to their entrance.

Lighting their lantern, they thoroughly searched the interior, in order to discover if any tramps had taken refuge under its roof. All was quiet as the grave. The moonbeams shone through the open door, lighting up the barn with its rays, and almost revealing the figures of the men who were within. They were afraid to close the doors, which they had found open, lest some one looking from the windows of the farm-house should suspect its being occupied and be tempted to make an examination.

The spot designated by Bucholz was easily discovered, but, to the dismay of the visitors, they found that a large quant.i.ty of bark had been piled upon that particular corner of the barn, and that upon the top of this were thrown several sheets of tin, which had evidently been taken from the roof of some building.

There was no help for it, however; the bark and tin must be removed, and Edward Sommers, throwing off his coat and vest, went to work with a will. Robert held the lantern, while Paul Schmoeck stood by, with his hands in his pockets, eagerly awaiting developments.

The rattling of the tin, as it was being removed, was so loud that it was feared the sleepers in the farm-house would be awakened by the noise. They stopped and listened. Evidently their slumbers were profound, for not a sound came from its enclosing walls.

The bark was soon disposed of, and then Edward Sommers grasped the spade and struck it into the ground. The clock in the distant town struck midnight as he commenced the task. Eagerly he worked and eagerly watched the two men beside him. Their eyes seemed to pierce through the damp mold, and every spadeful of dirt, as it was thrown up, seemed to increase their anxiety. Steadily worked the detective, and the new earth lay piled around him, but as yet no indication of the treasure they sought. The perspiration rolled from the face of the anxious Sommers, and a doubt began to creep slowly into his mind.

Robert, too, partook of the anxiety of his companion, while Paul Schmoeck, who scarcely understood the object of their visit, looked doubtfully upon the proceedings and indulged in frequent mutterings of disappointment.

Could it be possible that they had been deceived--that they were seeking for something which had no existence? Could Bucholz have imposed upon the credulity of Sommers and sent him upon this fool's errand? Or could the detective have made a mistake in the location designated? One or the other seemed to be the case. But hark! the spade strikes a hard substance; it must be the stone mentioned by Bucholz. With redoubled energy the detective wields his implement, and, at last, as he withdraws it from the ground, something glitters in the ray of the lantern. A closer examination disclosed several bright gold pieces, mingled with the dark lumps of dirt which had been lifted by the spade.

[Ill.u.s.tration: "_With a joyful cry he exultingly held up a large wallet before his excited companions._"]

An audible sigh of relief escaped them all as they looked. Robert took out his pocket-handkerchief, and the coins, dirt and all, were deposited within it. Surely success was certain now--and soon, by carefully digging away the surrounding earth, the detective was enabled to place his hands beneath the stone. Then, with a joyful cry, he withdrew a large wallet, and held it up exultingly before his excited companions.

Ah, yes, victory was a.s.sured now, and, after carefully searching around the stone to discover if anything else had been hidden there, the wallet was placed in the handkerchief along with the coins, and they prepared to leave the place.

The earth was replaced, the bark and tin were piled upon the top of it, and after they had finished, nothing in the appearance of things would indicate that midnight workers had been there, or that the murdered man's treasure had been discovered and removed.

The overwrought nerves of the worker and watchers were strengthened by a long draught of prime "Eau de vie," which had been brought along by the considerate Paul, and after making sure that everything was as they had found it, they left the barn and proceeded toward the railroad.

It was necessary now to get rid of the lantern and the spade. To retain them would be hazardous--they might be stopped upon the road, and the possession of a dark lantern and a wallet of money would be strong evidences of something else than a detective operation, and besides this, secrecy was all-important at the present time.

Pa.s.sing a ravine some distance from the scene of their operations, Robert threw the lantern away, and it dropped to the bottom with a noise that was echoed upon the quiet air; further on, the spade was disposed of, and then, disenc.u.mbered, the trio walked to Stamford, about eight miles distant, where they boarded a train and returned to New York, well pleased with the result of their night's work.

It was six o'clock when they arrived. They proceeded at once to the Windsor Hotel, where the German Consul resided, and, awakening that gentleman, Robert sent up his card, when they were admitted to his parlor and the package was exhibited to his astonished gaze.

To count the contents of this enclosure was now the next duty to be performed, and in the presence of all the parties the labor was at once commenced. The gold pieces were found to amount to one hundred marks--consisting of three twenty-mark and four ten-mark pieces--and it was noticed that one of them had a hole drilled through it. The wallet next received attention. It was discovered to be a pocket-book enclosed in a canvas wrapper, securely sewed together and fastened with sealing-wax.

The German Consul removed this outer covering and the black leather book was disclosed to view, which gave evidence of containing no small amount of money.

The contents were removed, and upon counting it, were found to amount to two hundred and four thousand marks, in one-thousand-mark bills--or nearly fifty thousand dollars. Verily a good night's work, and one to be proud of.

The murdered man's money had been found, and the man who had stained his hands with blood would never reap the benefit of his crime.

The notes, from their long continuance in the damp ground, were quite moist and adhered closely together, and the German Consul was therefore required to lift them carefully with his knife, and great care was necessary in handling them. Each of these notes was found to be numbered in the same manner as those recovered upon the first visit, and a complete list was made by which they could afterwards be identified.

Besides the money, the package contained some cards, and a foreign pa.s.sport in the name of John Henry Schulte, dated in April, 1878.

After counting the money, it was, together with the articles found, wrapped in stout brown paper and duly labeled. All present then affixed their signatures to the wrapper, after which the German Consul wrote out a receipt for them, which was taken charge of by Robert.

They then partook of some refreshments, after which they departed, and feeling completely exhausted after their laborious experience of the night before, Robert and Edward Sommers sought their couches, and were soon wrapt in slumber.

The German Consul was elated at the success which had crowned our efforts, and he no longer entertained a single doubt of the guilt of the miserable man, in whose behalf he had originally interested himself.

The information of our success was conveyed to Mr. Olmstead, the State's attorney, who received it with evident surprise and satisfaction. We had succeeded beyond his expectations, and the correctness of his original theory had been fully demonstrated.

He experienced the proud consciousness of being able to successfully prosecute a criminal who had violated the law, and to convict a wretch who had taken a human life in order to possess himself of the blood-stained fruits of his crime.

While all this was transpiring the guilty man pa.s.sing the weary hours indulging in alternate hopes of escape, and oppressed with harrowing fears of punishment.

CHAPTER XXVIII.

_The Detective manufactures Evidence for the Defense._--_An Anonymous Letter._--_An important Interview._--_The Detective triumphs over the Attorney._

These events occurred during the latter part of May, and the trial would not take place until early in September. It was necessary therefore that the utmost secrecy should be observed in reference to what had transpired, and especially so far as William Bucholz was concerned.

The visits of Edward Sommers to the jail must be continued, and every effort must be made to pierce through the dead wall of Bucholz's silence and reserve in relation to the murder.

Hitherto when in their conversations the subject of the murder had been mentioned, and Sommers would quietly hint at his complicity, the other, with a shrug of his shoulders and a peculiar smile, would abruptly change the conversation. His strong will and the constant admonitions of his counsel had prevented him from revealing in any manner the secret of his crime, and except for certain actions, small in themselves, but speaking a "confirmation strong as holy writ," he had given no sign that he was acquainted with the dreadful circ.u.mstances, or had any knowledge of the affair other than had been already related by him.

After arriving in Bridgeport, Sommers hastened to the jail and found Bucholz impatiently awaiting his arrival. He was nervous and excited, and his mind was troubled about the success of the enterprise upon which Sommers had gone.

The news which the detective brought rea.s.sured him, however, and he laughed gayly as he thought that his money was now safe from the reach of any one but himself and his friend.

There was something so cold and brutal about this laugh of Bucholz that caused the detective involuntarily to shudder as he gazed upon him. Here between the narrow walls of a prison cell he stood face to face with a man who had taken a human life, and who stood almost in the awful presence of retributive justice, yet his laugh was as clear and ringing, and his face as genial as though no trial awaited him and no judgment was in store.

The sensitive nature of the detective recoiled from such close contact with this crime-stained man, but his duty required it and he performed it manfully and well.

He related to Bucholz his visit to the barn (omitting, of course, to state who his companions were) and the finding of the money. As he mentioned the discovery of the gold pieces, Bucholz exclaimed:

"Gold pieces! I cannot tell for the world how they got there. I don't know anything about them."

It was evident that he had not examined this package prior to burying it in the ground, and Sommers suggested the possibility of their having been wrapped in the paper which enclosed the canvas-covered book.