Detective Bob Bridger — page 229: what you’re looking at

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929 DETECTIVE BOB BRIDGER. the excited crowd, and rang his club loudly upon the stone door-step for assistance. A second officer soon came running to the scene of the trouble. “Hurry up and report to the sergeant at the desk.”’ whis- pered the first officer, excitedly, in his comrade’s ear, “that there’s foul work been goin’ on in this house last night. A burglary has been committed, and there’s a man stark dead below.” The officer, as bidden, hastened away, while the first policeman kept guard on the door, driving back the grow- ing crowd, who whispered all sorts of stories into each other’s ears, and hearkened eagerly to the cries of the de- mented man within the hall-way. Soon after a squad of officers, headed by the captain of the precinct and accompanied by the ward detective, arrived. Perceiving that Moses Muggins was dead they permitted his body to remain as it was, to be viewed by the coroner. The swooning daughter of the dead man was tenderly borne to her bed. Sammy Muggins was forced to don his clothes with the assistance of the officers. For a time, in spite of their efforts to calm him, he con- tinued to cry forth at the highest pitch his voice could command. At length he sank back, completely worn out, and un- able to utter more than a low, dismal moan. Meanwhile a physician had been sent for, and the captain - and his assistants busied themselves overhauling the scene of the crime, and framing their ideas as to the method of the burglary, and their theories as to the identity of the burglars who had committed it. CHAPTER LV. BRIDGER’S MURDER PLANNED. On the morning subsequent to the discovery of the bur- glary by the police, Ted, the bartender, “Tom, the Frog,” and Goucher entered the “sawdust den” at daylight. After stirring up the drooping fire they dropped into. chairs at the table. A few minutes later ‘‘Jack, the Fork,” entered, and tossed four of the morning papers thereon. Eomicbooks.com —