The Caledonian. [volume] (St. Johnsbury, Vt.) 1837-1867, 1865-02-10
a Detectire's !StOry.---The Left
Handed assassin.


my profession. l reached the inn wher
Of 1 met fellow detective, who had expend
% ed both time and patience in attemptin!
to ferret out mysterious murder. Blu
u it appeared to be one of those singula,
e cases that defy human detection, ant
e which are generally abandoned by thos.
appointed to discover the culprit, and lef
10 divine vengeance.
l met MIR. Croft, who formerly resigned
in my favor, and after taking a glass O
rum-punch with him, returned to the city
while prepared for my journey.
l will now state how the matters stood
Some three and half miles from Ips
wlch stood stone mansion, the property
OF Charles Simonds, a retired barrister
He resigned his profession, owing to hav.
ing bequeathed to him a handsome legacy
by an only brother, who, after amassing a
fortune in Australia, took it into his heaG
to die Charles was his sole heir. Mr.
Slmonds had practiced law in Ipswich,
but his health had never been robust, and
soon after entering into this legacy, he
purchased the mansion alluded to and re-
tired from business, seeking the quiet and
rest one in his station so greatly needed.
He married when young, but he made
a great mistake in selecting partner for
life His wife was pretty, the snare that
caught him), but wholly devoid of princi-
piles; llliterate and low in her tastes, she
became the bane of his life.
She had brother who occasionally Wis
tied the house, and who ingratiated him
self in MIR. Simonds' favor by his amlable
manners, genteel address, and the frequent
brotherly lectures he read to Mrs. Clara
SimOnds, his sister
Morris Obdyke was always we'll dressed
when he came to the house, and his con-
duct was unexceptionable, quite in con-
trast to that of his sister.
What his profession was could not be
ascertained by MIR. Simonds When he
asked his wife, she replied she did not
know, and he forebore questioning Mr..
Obdyke himself, for the reason that the
gentleman never spoke of having any bus
mess
All that could be learned was that he
resided in London, made periodical visits
to Ipswich, and remained there two or
three days, then left again, whittier, no
one could tell, or those who could would
not.
When Mr. Simonds retired from busi
ness and took possession of the mansion,
Obdyke came more frequently, and his
visits were more prolonged
In spite of the lectures. he and his sis
ter seemed to agree amazingly well, and
to MIR. Simonds' great satisfaction, she
grew more refined, or, more properly
speaking, less vulgar every day. Refined
she would probably never be; it was not
in her nature to be so; but she managed,
by some means, to render herself Obnox-
ious to her husband, and he conducted
himself towards her accordingly.
Matters stood thus five years, when
Mrs. Clara Simonds contracted malig-
nant fever and died in five days after the
symptoms manifested themselves. This
occurred during the absence of her brother.
and she was uttered before he even knew
that she was sick.
When he heard of the sad event, his
rage was terrible to behold He accused
Charles Simonds of being the cause of
her death, and threatened to have the af-
fair thoroughly investigated.
But ascertaining that his sister died
from natural causes, he suddenly disap-
peared from the neighborhood, and came
to visit Charles Simonds no more
There were no children born to Mr.
Simonds; hence, in the event of his death
the estate would fall into the hands of dis
tant relations, who had gone to America
years before.
One day, some time after the death of
his wife, Charles Simonds examined her
personal effects, and was surprised to find
among her papers will, with her sigma
ture attached to it. Rather amused at
this discovery he sat down to read it, and
found that she had, in case of her death,
bequeathed all her real and personal prop
crty to her brother Morris Obdyke.
Her property, when she had none to
bequeath She was as poor as a church
mouse, Ito use a homely but quite forcible
lphraSe), when Charles SimOnds married
her. Where, then, was this legacy from
/ her to her brother to come from
Thus reasoned the widower when he
read the curious document but presently
the truth flashed upon his brain. The
letter had been made in the expectation
that she would survive him, then she and
her brother would revcl in his wealth, and
after her death all would be his.
"Was this conspiracy against me }? -
was his mental question; chad they cal
culated confidently on my demise? If So
is ii not probable that they meditated us.
ing means to accomplish the desired OBJ
Ject? Horrible thought.
e lie turned to the will to see the date
! 1t had been written six months previous to
} her death; the witnesses names were not
familiar to him.
tie communicated this discovery to hi
| legal adviser, and mentioned the suspicion
] that had entered his breast. The attor.
5 ney said it looked remarkably suspicious
E yet still they might have meant no harm
The attorney added:
eff such plot did exist it does SO nc
longer, at least it cannot affect you; for
4 what would Morris Obdyke gain by your