Litchfield enquirer., 1862-04-24
England, and assured them of fatherly well
 come at Heritage Hall. ss5-s~ .i4 sF.G 9+

Time sped on, and the sisters with the infan reached England. They travelled by post fror Liverpool to Northampton, apd but for the acc dent of breakdown of the post chaise abou ten miles from Heritage Hall, would, on wild tempestuous day in February, have dined wit their uncle. But this was not to be.
 On the cross road that the postillion was ad vised to take, since it avoided very hillv dis trict, the chaise encountered a fallen trunk of tree, which, in the dim twilight, was not observ ed until too late and then it had so discolate the machinery of the chaise, that it was impos sible to proceed further with it, and the part were compelled to take shelter for the night a a roadside inn named The Wheatsheaf.' The rain came down in torrents, and the win, howled through the neighboring copse, as ifpre saging by it's dismal tones unheard-of evils t, the unfortunate travellers then benighted ol their journey. '...
 The inns best room-I took the trouble t, examine it, in the interest of my client-wa shabby in the extreme. It had two beds in it and there was down the middle of the room sliding partition, which, on an emergency, would convert the apartment into two. | It was in this room. then, at 10 o'clock, ol this wild winter evening, that the two sisters with the infant, were ushered. The rain dashed against the two atticed windows, as if their de structon was the sole object of the storm ant the wind struck the large, sloping roof of thu more than once believed that some one must b. at work in mad fashion above their heads. The small candle that the disappointed i'm afforded them fared and fickered in the littl, candle stick, and threatened each moment to ex pire, so they hastened to rest.
 And there were the gentle ssterly caresses the kind Good night the God bless you, An na, and God bless you, Rachel and the little one was kissed and commended to Heaven, anc the light was put out; and then Rachel iron some cause that she could not define, burst into passion of tears, and sister Anna called out: Rachel! Rachel! what is it? Why do yot cry when you are going to be so happy? l cannot help it, Anna. My heart is heavy so very heavy. And yet how much have we tt be thankful for in the kindness of ouruncle, who promises 10 make Ernest (the infant son) hi heir ?
 And then Anna laughed and spoke in badin age to raise her sisters spirits.
 'To be sure. Rachel, and go to the wall ant shall not get husband, all on account of you little Ernest, when fully intended to make Un cle Ralph leave me everything. Come. now, g to sleep. Good night
 | Good night dear.'
 | Good night
 w 1h!s little dialogue was overhead by the land lady of the inn. It was nothing in itself, but i appeared on the dispositions against Anna, al though written in letters of blood.
 The sisters slept The little Ernest slept hi last sleep on the breast of his mother. The rain still came down in torrents, and ths wind still howled around the old inn. Ont o'clock had just been proclaimed by the tall, olo fashioned clock in the bar when landlord, land lady. chambermald and boots. were all aroused by such succession of shrieks, from the room occupied by the sisters, that they one and al made rush in that direction, with such hastily snatched-up garments as terror enabled them te procure, and with the only light that was alway; on slab in the passage.
 !. The sight that met their eyes was terrible one. It was one that has converted that ole roadside inn into melancholy inn, for none would sleep in it again.
 The door of the chamber was wide open, ant Rachel, the mother of the infant boy was lying half in and half out of the room. on her face.- Anna was sitting up in bed, looking scared anG bewildered, and seemingly not conscious that hel hands, face and clothing about her were dabbleo in blood.
 The landlady shrieked Murder!'
 The landlord called for help.
 A traveller who had arrived on footat the inn some few hours after the sisters, and who hac given his name as MT. Brown, hurried along { long, ancient corridor. at the further end o which he slept, to the place of confusion.
 Good heavens? he said, what is the mat teri?
 It was terrible, then, to see Anna, as uncon sciously she passed her blood-stained hands ovel her face, and looked about her like one still in dream.
 ft,o1 1aIu
 'The child ? cried the landlord, there was { child
 What child ? said Brown, T don't see an! child here.' | Upon this the landlady uttered terrible cry and from between the bed on which Anna wa and the partition wall, she lifted the lifeless ane murdered body of the little Ernest.
 The little one was stabbed to the heart with { steel ornamental paper knife The sisters hac been robbed at Liverpool, or on board the yes sel from Ceylon, of a trunk in which that pape knife might have been. But one fact was ad mitted-the knife belonged to Anna, and sht bought it at Columbo. This was the case. Or her recovery from swoon, which lasted many hours, Rachel made the following statement: | Soon after the conversation we have recorded with her sister, she had gone to sleep with he child on her arm. but finding him restless ant starting occasionally, she had gently withdraw her arm from him, and had been persuaded tha he slept soundly. How long she remained il that state she knew not, but what awakened be was faint kind of sob, which she felt certain was the last sound uttered by little Ernest il l life. It aroused her in moment, and she thel sprang out of bed on finding that the child wa not with her, and mechanically ran to the doc of the room which she flung open.
 And here comes remarkable statement iron Rachael. give it in her own wordsi
 On opening the door, saw that from som light below, (that was the light in the passage, there ,me up strange reflection on the wal or the corridor, which was to the right hand and through that reflection, passing along it, a if stepping to avoid it, saw the shadow of man, large, and not very we'll defined, owing t its exaggerated dimensions; but still there was, and it passed away into the gloom at tn further end of the corridor and disappeared.
 Overcome by the terror of, she knew not wha Rachel fell into that swoon in. which she wa found by the people of the inn.
 Such was the statement of the half distracte mother, on examination before the Northampto magistrate, of her sister Anna, whose innocenc of the murder of her child she declared herse as thoroughly satisfied of, as of the existence heaven. sS'.safs
 Sir Ralph Heritage was sent for, and tf i, shock so completely unnamed him that,
 though filling that year the office of high sherl of the county, he was compelled to go hom
 where he took to his bed. from which it did n' . !. seem probable he would ever rise again. i. Several of the seniors of the bar shrunk fro < undertaking the defence of Anna Heritage, ar the case was brought to me. Itook it and fro
 the moment.I did so, felt conviction th Ethprp was somn faarf.,I y,x,sto,r, sx ,,hs.h ',