New Orleans daily crescent. [volume] ([New Orleans, La.]) 1851-1866, 1852-06-08

conlounu hef WIN tne Laura Who mad IN early
| life excited the same emotion in his mind.
| Laughable as the matter was in one sense,
there was--and the fair widow had noticed aa
well MS myseE-a serious, merscing expression
| in the mans eye not TO be trified with; and at
her earnest request, we accompanied her TO her
own apartment to which Renshawe had threat
ened soon to return. We had not been minute
in the room, when his hurried step was heard
4 approaching, and Mrs. Waters and I stepped
hastily into an adjoining closet, where we could
hear and partly see all that passed. Renshawes
speech trembied with fervency and anger as he
broke at once into the subject with which bis
disordered brain was reelfng.
" on will not dare to say, will you, that you
10 not remember this song--that these pencil
marks in the margin were nos made by you
thirteen years agosT he menaeinely calculated
:" know nothing about the song, MFR. Rem
| shawe," rejoined the young woman, with more
spirit than she might have exhibited but for my
| near presence, g 1t is really such nonsense.
Thirteen years ago was only about rine years
| Of age"
You persist, then, unfeelfng woman, in this
cruel deception. After all, too, that 7 have
suffered; the days Of gloom, the nights Of hor-
ror, since that fearful moment when beheld
you dragged. a lifeless corpse, from the water,
and they told me you were dead
Deadf Gracious goodness, Mr.. Renshawe,
don't go on in this shocking way. was never
afaSseo out VI d ponI, nor supposed to he dead
4 never You quite fighten one
Then you and l, your sister, and that thrice
accursed Bedford, did not, ON the 18th Of August,
Il 1871, go for sail the piece Of water at Low
field, and the skif was not, in the deadly, sud-
den, Jealous strife between him and me, acci-
dentally upset But know how it is: It is
this brat, and the memories he recalls, that
:" Mrs Irwin screamed, re- and stepped sharply
into the room The grasp Of the lunatic was
on the child's throat. ] loosed it somewhat
roughly, throwing him off with force that
brought him to the ground. He rose quickly,
glared at me with tiger-like ferocity, and then
darted out Of the room. The affair had
become serious, and the same night had posted
a letter to Yorkshire, informing Mr.. Oxley of
what had occurred, and suggesting the pro-
priety Of his Immediately coming to London.
Measures were also taken for securing Mrs
Irwin and her son from molestation.
But the cunning Of lunacy is not easily baf-
fled. On returning home the fourth evening
after the dispatch Of my letter, / found the
house and immediate neighborhood in the Wild
est confusion. My own wife was in Mysteries.
Mrs. Irwin, was told by half dozen tongues
at once, was dying and the frightfnl cause of
3 Fall was, that little George Irwin, o farorite
with every body, had in some unaccountabIe
manner, fallen into the river Lea, and been
: drowned. This, at least, was the general CEN
} viction, although the river had been dragged to
! lo Pun puSo-lAc pun Cu1Nt DliSh DedHeT nat
and feather having been discovered, foated to
| the bank considerable way down the stream.
, The body, it was thought, had been carried out
into the Thames by the force Of the current.
: A terrible suspicion glanced across my mind
:. "Where is Mr. Renshawe = asked. Nobody
knew. He had not been seen since five O'clock
: about the time, I soon ascertained, that the
child was missed had the house cleared, as
quickly as possible, of the numerous gossips that
; crowded it, and then sought conference with
! DR.. Garland, who was with Mrs Irwin Tie
!, distracted mother had, | found, been profusely
bled and eupped, and it was hoped that brain
fever, which had been apprehended, would not
| ensue. The PHYSICIANS suspicious pointed the
8 same way as mine; but he declined committing
himself to any advice, and was left to act ac-
, cording to my own discretion Twas new to
3 such matters at that time; unfortunately go, as
it proved, or the affair might have had less
painful issue.
9 Tomlins and ! remained up, waiting for the
return of Mr.. Renshawe; and as the long. slow
hours limped past, the night-s only broken
BY the dull moaning and occasional spasmedle
:, screams Of poor Mrs. Irwin, grew very much
t excited. The prolonged absence Of Mr.. Rem
Shave confirmed my impressions OF his guilt
s and determined to tax him with it, and take
t him into custody the instant he appeared +
was two in the morning when he did 50 and tn,
is nervous fumbing, for full ten minutes, with hi
is prepared me for the spcctral-like aspect he pre-
ID sented ON entering. He had met somebody, j
n afterwards appeared, outsde, who had aasura
st him that the mother Of the drowned child wa
/ either dead or dying He never drank, I knew
|, but he staggered if intoxicated; and after HI
q had with difficulty reached the head of th
|, stR1rs, IN reply to my question as to where b
had been, he could only stutter with whit
y trembling lips;
s "H--it--eannot be-be true-that Lau-tha
y Mrs. Irwin is-dying p
d "Quite true, Mr. Rensbawe,s' very impru
l. IDENTIFY replied, and in much too loud tone, fol
e we were but few PAGES from Mrs Irwinss bed
|, room door. g And if, as suspect, the child ha
IT been drowned by you, you viii have before Ion,
n two murders on your head
1t A choking, bubblng noise came from thu
e wretched mans throat, and his shaking finger
vainly stroye to loosen his neck tie At thC
y same moment heard noise, as of struggling
IL in the bedroom, and the nurses voice in cage
= remonstrance. INSTANTLY made movement to
wards Mr.. Renshawe, with view to loosen hi
D cravat-his features being frightully conyulsed
e. and to get him out Of the way as quickly as pos
h sible, for guessed what was about to happen
III when he, mistaking my Intention, started back
l. turned half round, and found himself confronte,
II by Mrs Irwin. her pale features and white nigh
n dress dabbled with blood, in consequence of {
: partial disturbance OF the bandages in strug
= even to me; to him utterly overwhelming, an,
le scarcely needing her frenzied exeeratons on tn
murderer of her child to deprive him utterly O
ie all remaining sense and strength He suddenl
st reeled, threw his arms wildly into the air, an
before could stretch forth my hand to save hin
e. fell heavily backwards from the edge OF the stee
r stairs where he was standing to the bottom
g Tomlins and hastened to his assistance, lifte
le him up, and as we did so, a jet Of blood gushe
to from his mouth. He had likewise received tel
e. rible wound near the right temple, from whic
rs the life-stream issued copiously
We got him to bed, DR.. Garland and q neigh
OF boring surgeon were soon with us, and promp
t. remedies were applied. It was fruitless Ia
or bor. Day had scarcely dawned before he hear
IL from the physicians lips that life with him wa
y, swiftly ebbing to its close. He was perfect,
to conscious and collected. Happily there was n
a. stain of murder on his soul he had merely en-
nd ticed the child away, and placed him, under al
be ingenious pretence, with an acquaintance a
ng Camden Town; and by this time both he an
ad his mother were standing, awe struck and weep
ing, by Henry Renshawes death bed He ha
d, thrown the childs hat into the river, and hi
er motive in thus acting appeared to have been
" double one. In the first place, because h
IS thought the boys likeness to his father was til
Iohs, 10