Port Tobacco times, and Charles County advertiser. (Port Tobacco, Md.) 1845-1898, 1858-12-16

dark, for an answer to those two questions
was still bewildered by the unfathomable
mystery of doubt into which they had plum
ged me, when the discovery of the stopping
of the bank was followed almost Immediate
ly by second shock, far more dreadful, far
heavier to bear, so far as was concerned,
than the first. While I and my clerks we're
still discussing the failure of the firm, two
!; mercantile men, who were friends of mine,
ran into the Office, and overwhelmed US with
the news that one of the partners had been
arrested for forgery, Never shall [ forget
the terrible Monday morning when those
tidings reached me, and when I knew that
the partner was Mr.. Fauntleroy
[ was true to him-I can honestly say I
was true to my beliefin my generous friend
when that fearful news reached me. My
fellow-merchants had got all the particulars
of the arrest They told me that two of
Mr.. Fauntleroy's fellow trustees had come
up to London to make arrangements about
selling out some stock. On inquiring for
Mr.: Fauntleroy at the banking house, they
had been informed that he was not there;
and, after leaving message for him, they
had gone into the city to make an appoint
ment with their stock broker for future
day, when their fellow trustee might be able
to attend. The stock broker volunteered to
make certain business inquiries on the spot,
with view to saving as much time as pos
sible, and left them at his office to await his
return. He came back, looking very much
amazed, with the information that the stock
had been sold out, down to the last five hun
dred pounds. The affair was instantly in
vestigated the document authorizing the
selling out was produced and the two trus-
tees saw on it, side by side with Mr.. Faunt-
leroy's signature, the forged signature of
their own names. This happened on the
Friday and the trustees, without losing a
moment, sent the officers of justice in pur-
suit of Mr.. Fauntleroy. He was arrested,
brought up before the magistrate, and re-
manded, on the Saturday. On the Monday
[ heard from my friends the particulars
which [ have just narrated.
But the events of that one morning were
not destined to end even yet. I had dis
covered the failure of the bank, and the ar
w. exs ~
manner, on the difficult question of his in
nocence or his guilt Before my friends
had left my ohice-before I had exhausted
the arguments which my gratitude rather
than my reason suggested to me, in favor Of
the unhappy prisoner--a note, marked i'm
mediate, was placed in my hands, which
silenced me the instant I looked at it. 1t
was written from the prison by Mr.. Faunt-
leroy, and it contained two lines only, en-
treating me to apply for the necessary order,
and to 90 and see him Immediately.
[ shall not attempt to describe the 1utter
of expectation, the strange mixture of dread
and hope that agitated me, when [ recog
nized his handwriting, and discovered what
it was he desired me to do. obtained the
order, and went to the prison. The author
It'll, s, knowing the dreadful situation in which
he stood, were afraid of his attempting to
destroy himself, and had set two men to
watch him. One came out as they opened
his cell-door. The other, who was bound
not to leave him, very delicately and con-
siderately affected to be looking out of the
window the moment was shown in.
He was sitting on the side of his bed, with
his head dropping and his hands hanging
listlessly over his knees, when [ first
caught sight of him. At the sound of my
approach he started to his feet, and, without
speaking word, flung both his arms round
my neck.
My heart swelled up. ''Tell me it's not
true, Sir For Gods sake, tell me it's not
true~ was all [ could say to him.
He never answered-oh, me! he never
answered, and he turned away his face.
There was one dreadful moment Of silence.
He still held his arms round my neck and
on sudden he put his lips close to my ear.
''Did you get your money out?' he whis-
pered. "Wcre you in time on Saturday
afternoon ?"
[ broke free from him, in the astonish-
ment of hearing those words.
t'Whatp' [ cried out loud, forgetting the
third person at the window. ''That man
who brought the message-?'
''Hushv' he said, putting his hand on
my lips. ''There was no better man to be
found after the officers had taken mel
know no more about him than you do
paid him we'll, as chance messenger, and
risked his cheating me Of his errand."
"You sent him, thenD'
II sent him.
My story is over, gentlemen. There is
no need for me to tell you that Mr.. Faunt-
leroy was found guilty, and that he died by
the hangman's hand. 1t was in my power
to soothe his last moments in this world, by
taking on myself the arrangement Of some
of his private affairs, which while they re-
NAMED unsettled, weighed heavily on his
mind They had no connection with the
crimes he had committed, so could do him