The Jeffersonian. [volume] (Stroudsburg, Pa.) 1853-1911, 1855-05-31

clasped her hands. Big tears rolled down
her cheeks, and as the stern officer gazed
upon her thus he could not find it in his
heart to refuse her further. He wrote an
order for her immediate admittancc to the
Jail, and when he handed it to her said:
"There, 60 and and see him; but you
must make up your mind that this will be
your last visit. l shall feel miserable
when | hang the poor youth, for l have
always thought him noble"
$50 he is. So he IS. You shall not
hang him, by heavens, you shall not =
He never did it-he never did il"
The sheriff pitied the poor girl, for he
thought the thing had turned her brain.
He knew not that that brain was ten times
more strong than before.
Mary sought the Jail once more, and
she found no difficulty in gaining admit
| tauce.
Cornelius Drake sat in his cell. He was
not more than ne-and-twenty-a noble
looking youth, with auburn hair and large
blue eyes, and countenance full of good
ness and truth. His very appearance
gave the lie direct to the idea that he
could commit deliberate murder, and
yet all knew that no one could have kill
ed the pedler except in cool blood, for
old Magduhl could have had no enemies.
Mary Carol entered the cell. She
stood an instant upon the threshold, then
sprang forward and threw her arms about
the young prisoners neck.
"Mary, Mary" he cried, "the holy
saints bless you for this. / can't embrace
you, darling, for see, my hands are
chained"
"Husb, Corney dear, I can embrace
you, and for even that we may be thank
full. They told me you were to be hung,
but l swore that you shouldn't"
"Ah, Mary my fate is sealed, and no
earthly power can help me now"
"But you did not do that wicked muir
der, Corney."
"You know I didn't, darling"
"Indeed 1 know it."
"Then there's some satisfaction in that"
"But there'd be more satisfaction in find
ing out who did it," said Mary.
"That's past hope," returned Corney.
"But don't you suspect any one ,
Haven't you the least idea of who did it"
she eagerly asked
"Not il the least. But why do you ask"
"First tell me all the circumstances at
tending your finding of the body"
Corney went on and told the circum-
stances just as they had transpired. How
that be was returning from the London
derry side of the great bog just at night
fall, and when he had nearly reached the
Tyrone side he saw dark object against
the bushes near the solid path. He went
up to it and found that it was the pedler.
Life was extinct, but the bod was warm,
and the blood was still flowing. Under
these circumstances he took the body up
and carried it to the upland, where, as the
reader already knows, he came across the
pack. The rest he told in a few words.
Everything was against him--the evidence,
thoug h circumstantial, was yet almost pos
tive, and it had taken but few minutes
for the jury to bring in their verdict.
"Tell me" said Mary, as Corney closed
his story, sis there no one whom you think
might have done this thing! Do you
know of any ones having been in that vi:
cinity on that eveningl"
"No-only the three men who found me"
"Was not Casper Bagroon there 2"
"Casper Bag. But tell me, Mary
what do you meant My God believe
Caspar dogged me there He has sworn
to kill me. He may have laid in wait for
me, and the appearance of the pedler, the
apparently we'll filled pack, and the lone
illness of the hour and the place, may
have excited his cupidity. He had the
heart capable of i'll know he did. But
We can't prove anything"
Mary sat down upon the edge of the
low cot, and for some time she remained
in silent thought. Her foot played ner-
vously upon the tiled floor, her little fin
gers passed to and fro around each other,
and when she at length raised her head
all traces of tears were gone, and her
whole of a resolute woman's unyieldiDg
will.
"Corney," she said, "I believe God
sometimes puts the truth into the heads
of US poor mortals when no earthly un-
derstanding could have caught it
Tonight Caspar Bagroon was in my cot
tage, and he bascly-"
"Ha Did he dare"
Hush, Corney, he did not harm me-
| saw blood upon his shirt-sleeve, and
when showed it to him he trembled and
stammered and broke from me. Then he
seized me, but leaped away, and he fol-
lowed me- He caught me and dragged
me back, and he drew his knife, The
thought came upon me like shaft of
lightning that Bagroon had murdered the
pedler. God must have given me the
thought. for it came like perfect convic-
ton. I got away from him again and
fled, and then I came here"
Mary Carol arose from her seat and
clasped her hands firmly together.
CorDey,"s she continued, ''if there proof
of the real murderer on the face of the
earth I'll find it out. | will, or I'll die