Des Moines courier. ([Ottumwa] Iowa) 1848-1854, 1854-02-23
OTTUMWA, IOWA, THURSDAY, FEBRUARY %, 1854

IL was uus ,hls pi"m;se, bat deslre
TO oblige Captain Stanley, ,ha, induce
Miss EvandaIe Ia ihriv on her bonne,
aud shawl and hasten back tn Mary Wal
ters, to request The locke, from her
Two hours had not elapsed since The
Ia ter had obtained possession of is: yet
she came too late. The locket had al
ready passed into other hands-iato
hands that would not release their hold
of il ill mnre satisfactory explanations
were given regarding il than those Cap.
tain Stanley had yet vouchsafgd.
Mary Walter had menlinned the ex.
lraordinary circumstances Of the locket
TO Mr.. Ecclesfnrc. who chanced to call
a few minutes after Miss Evandale had
left her.
This gentleman who was ah intimate
friend of the family, had been part pro-
prielor of the unfortunate vessel com
manded by young Evanaale, and joint
ajren,urer with him in the trading spec.
ulafion on which he had gone To The
west Of Africa--for It was TO that quar-.
ter Of tue world he had sailed. aud il
was there he had met his fate, whatever
that was.
Now. it so happened that Mr.. Eccles
ford had two or three days previously
read in the London papers an account
of the trial there Of two seamen for pi.
racy, and If the confession of ore them,
after having received sentence of death,
Of having been concerned i'll piracy on
the wes, coast of Africa. on which oc,
casion the whole crew had been murder
ed and the vessel sunk.
From the description given iii this ac-
count Of the unfortunate ship. OF the
place where, and the time when the
tragedy had taken place, Mr.. Ecc'esford
had no doub. tha, the vessel spoken Of
was the Minerva. and that the mystery
in which her fate hat been so long
shrouded was at length dispelled.
In confession The doomed wretch sta
ted a'so ,ha. the captain of the pirate
ship, whose person he strictly described.
was, he had reason to believe, in Britain.
although he knew not where.
From regard to the feelings Of the
friends and relations of young Evandaie,
Mr.. Ecclesfori had not mentioned to
them his suspicious Of the fate Of the
latter, thinking tina, tho doings would
only give needless pain.
The story Of the locket. however. had
given new turn to the affair. aud such
one as determined. Mr.. Ecclesiord
to follow out certain suspicious which il
had excited. lie, in short. suspected
aud very strongly, that Mrs. Evandale's
inmate was no other than the murderer
of her son. the murderer of Of Margaret
Evandale's brother. and Of Mary Wal
er's lover-,he captain Of the pirate by
which the Mineyea had been pluniered
and sunk
Under This suspicion he refused. mild
ly indeed. but de,erminedly. 10 give up
the locke, which Miss Walters had pat
into his hands, although without assign.
ing any reason for his conduct. which
he said would shortly be explained.
On the day following Captain Stanley,
to whom the circumstance Of The de,en-
ton of the locket by Mr.. Ecclesfort
had been mentioned suddenly disap
peared, and was nowhere to be seen
or heard Of.
Ten days after. the apprehension in
Liverpool. by a couple Of Bow street
officers. Of noted pirate captain who
had committed some dreadful murder,
was announced in The papers. This
captain was Stanley.
lie was subsequently, brought to trial.
when the deposit,ons of his companions
in guilt. who had been previously execu.
ted. and other evidence which had been
mustered agains. him including the lock
ct. the strongest OF all. secured his con-
vic,ion. and he suffered at the usual place
of execution in Londoa, for criminals Of
HE description.
l, remains only to re added that this
result. this retribitive justice, had been
brough, abou, by the activity Of Mr.. Ec-
clesford who. Immediately after obtaining
possession Of the lacket, pu. himself in
correspondence with the office in Bow
street, when the case was promptly taken
up. aud as we have seen, efficiently fol.
lowed out
On Mi.s Evandale, the effect of the
unfortunate affair was for time. suf-
Hcien,ly Distressing; butin escaping the
dreadful fate OF being united to the nur.
derer Of her brother, she found conso.
la,ion which amply compensated the
temporary paia Of disappointed attach.
men:. which ,hough ardent. had not per.
haps. been very deeply seated. And her
good sense taught her to appreciate the
kind Providence which had saved her
from so unhappy connection.