The Davenport gazette. [volume] (Davenport, Scott Co., Iowa) 1841-185?, 1851-12-04


release her, and do their part towards com
! f,r,ins her, they returned their verdict
and she was Immediately acquitted, an'
borne out Of the dock, sense!ess.
. Alice Sharpe absconded during the con
fusion in court. and her husband, in th'
intervals Of delirium, and just before hi:
: death, made fearful confession, OF which
can only give the ou,line,-
;, Martha, Fanny, and William Steel were
the three children Of tradesman living n
Yorkshire village. The son Of the Squire
latiracted by the bold beauty Of Martha
|paid her go much attention, that she full,
; Expected the intended to marry her. and
therefore, boasted Of her conquest to al
her companions, but just when she had
decided 10 her own mind that the proposal
ought to be made, Fanny returned from
school.
From that time Martha lost empire over
her lovers heart; and in her treatment oi
the unfortunate cause Of her disappoint-
ment, showed the first SYMPTOMS Of that in
nate cruelty Of heart which afterwards
worked so much evil to herself and others.
In few months, worn ont with her sisters
unkindness and tnun,ing words, and urged
by her lover, poor Fanny Steele eloped,
only leaving behind her vague note for
her brother William, whom she dearly low
ed.
Soon after this their father died, and
! Martha accepted a situation as house
keeper, to solicitor in Liverpool. There
she became acquainted with her cousin
George, and in very short period, attain
ed SO great mastery over him as TO per-
suade him 10 commit the forgery for which
they were both subsequently tried and ac-
Quilted. After this she was, OF course,
homeless and characterless, her guilt had
been too evident TO admit ofany doubt, and
il was very well known that her life had
only been saved BY some flaw in tho in
dictment; no wonder, then, she found il
to obtain any situation.
j Ia this position she thought Of her broth
er. She knew that he was most mercifu
and forgiving, and thought that if she
could only persuade hmofher innocence Of
the crime for which she had been tried, be
might receive her again. This after {
time he consented TO do, on the condition
that she changed her name, so that she
might not be recognized as the heroine ef
the celebrated forgery case. This proviso.
however, reasonable as it was, angcred
her greatly, but she affected to be grateful,
and after her brother broke up his comfort
able house in Yorkshire and went to Wor
cester, she followed him in the capacity OF
house-keeper. Two years after an anony.
nous letter, informing him Of his sister
Fsnny's dangerous iluess, reached the
Ikind-hearied surgeon. Without saying
anything to Martha. he went to The place
10 which he was directed, just in time 10
see hi. dear sister before she died, end to
undertake the charge Of her infant. He
learned then, for the first time, that her
husband was dead. and that his family had
refused TO receive her. After the funeral
Mr.. Steele entrusted the child to the care
Of the woman who had nursed her mother.
and some weeks after, he received the in
fant from her in his own surgery while, 10
battle the suspicion of Martha, [now called
Alice Sharpe,l to whom he had said moth
ling Of Fanny's illness, and death, and 10
whom he dared not intrust the secret, he
deposited the baby, the bank-note and the
letter at his door.
| But Marthi was not long deceived.
The likeness to her sister was so strong in
The chiId's infant features, that her suspic-
ions were soon awakened, and her broth
er's tenderness to his protege, all though
careluIv concealed, speedily confirmed
them. She was, however, too wary to SUI
| fer her knowledge Of bis secret to be dis
covered by the surgeon, and she revenged
herself for the silence she was compelled
to maintain, and her previous disappoint T.
ment., by harshness TO the unofiendlng
Miriam. But after time new lear
sprang up in her mind, and she dreaded
| lest Mr.. Steele, whose health had already
begun to fail, should at his death bequeath
all his property to the poor, forlorn little
child. This fear she communicated 10 her
cousin George, who had followed her 10
Worcester, aud, by aid of false reference,
obtained employment in a lawyers office !;
and then commenced the diabolical system
Of slow poisoning, which wore her broth
er's life away atom by atom, and finally
ended in destroying it.
Previous to his death, however, she in
ltroduced George into his room as stran
ger, and prevailed upon the dying man TO
make will in her favor which he willing
Ily did. having another form ready prepar-
ed for his signature, which gave everything
to his niece, This he contrived to execute
during Mar,ha's absence, the night before
his death, in the presence of some stone
masons who were working in The yard, and
| i. was this which he inclosed in q letter to
Miriam, explaining her parentage, and
which after bis death was stolen from her
BY Marlhs. OF the fire, also, the miser-
able mnn gave full account. II had been
planned aud executed by Martha, part'.
| from revenge and jealousy Of her hus-
bands admiration of Miriam, aud partly
that she might, by her conviction, gel rid OF
| her forever.
All this, aud much more, George Steele
confessed upon his dea,h,bsd; and as, but
for his sudden cowardice, which had caus-
ed SO great a diversion in her favor, that
moor Girl must have been found guilty upon
1.-The strong circumstantial evidence brought
AGAINST her. have ever looked with fear
and suspicion upon my verdict sentencing