The Cleveland leader. [volume] (Cleveland [Ohio]) 1865-1865, 1865-06-24

G4ANh EAOOA . o - Ao8E0A bNASOhs 4AhAl
lively the idea came into my mind to hid
for a minute or two behind this screen,anC
take my chance of escape In Q rush dowl
stsirs, while the stout man was engaged
with the Arst surprise of the discovery tina
would greet him On entering the room
where l had been confined.
By the time I had reached the lsnding
the stout mar wss ascending the lowe
stairs and the same instant that l crept
behind the screen, he paused opposite thu
door to feel for his key, AID the next mo.
! ment the door Of my prison was opened
and he wen. in "Hsllol what's this
Why arc You in the darn" 1heaFd hin
exelaim and then l stole from my hiding
place; crossed the landing and turned the
key in the lock; made both him and the
old man prisoners, and th6n rushed down
the first flight Of stars at q btecE-neek
pace Fsce. I paused for a Iecond or two
on the lower landitS, noticing with some
surprise as 1 did so that the ICON where
the two men had been comforting only a
minute befo.e, wal now in darkness. Why
had not the slim man awaited the return
of his friend, as the lister had requested
him TO do? That, ho%egsii was q ques-
ton which did not concern me.
had now the lower flight of stairs to
J descend, and here 1 was obliged to proceed
more cautiously, being un~sequsinted with
the ground. I had t-rned two corners in
safety, snd was On the f;oL Of the last short
flight, when q sudden laundering &c ths
locked door above started me from my
balance, and Istumbled hesdlOng down the
remaining stairs, bursting open a door at
the foot Of them, end landing in a large
kitchen at the other door Ct which
the door leading into the street.
stood the slim ran, with a very pale face,
trying with nervous haste 70 unfssten the
bolts, and go let himself cut. On the drss-
ser close by his side stood the candle
brought from up stairs, and at his feet the
p-ortmantesu shut and partially strapped. L
understood his Httl0 game At a glsnea,eyen
if his CHASTITY ~teil-tsle lace had not pro
claimed it. He had taken advantage Of
his comrades brief absence TO abscond with
both shares Of the stolen property, trusting
in the darkness to get clear away, and Sc
cure the whole of the booty to himself. &
look Of relief shot over his face when he
saw that it was not his terrible comrade
come to aVange his t~reachery. With a
snsrl of rage, he turned from the door,a and
drawing q pistol from his bosom, fired it
point blank at me Just IS I Was rising from
the ground. The wind caused by the bull
let stirred my hair, but there was no fur
Their damage done, aud before no had time
TO fire again, had sprung at his ~throstsnd
we grappled together, Teeled from side to
side Of the room in q wild struggle for mas
terry. He was agile and vir5 as 8 panther,
and quite my equal in sheer strength, for
you must remember that I was little more
than 8 lad at that time; and i. would per-
maps have gone hard with me had l not
brought 20 bear 3 little trick with
the leg which l hsd learned among the
Wes!morlsnd wrestlers, which stole his feet
from under him before he knew what was
the matter, and brought him crashing to
the ground, with me N the top Of him. In
falling, he struck his head with tremendous
force against the edge of the osken dresser,
and next moment his grasp relaxed, his
eyes closed, and q pallor as Of death over
spread his tsee. l thought in truth that he
was killed.
All this time the stout man was thunder
ing at the door above stairs, and making
desperate efforts to get out; and as soon as
I had struggled to my feet, the instinct to
escape, to get swsy from that horrible
house, csme yer me as strongly as before.
l drew the remaining bolts, aud opened the
door, and felt the cool night-sir blow freely
over ma with q feeling Of tbsnhfUlDessthst
no words Of mine could express. turned
for q moment, as 1 crossed the threshold,
for q last look at my opponent lying mo-
as.-I,.- ,.-0ez Tho h1avFh avA 90 IA GO,
my eye fell on the portmsnteau, and acting
on the impulse OF the moment, I seized it,
and djnging it over my shoulder, closed the
door behind me, and hurried sway TO the
silent streets
To the Grst constable whom l met, Igave
myself and the portmsntosu in charge,
and was by him hurried of to the station,
where 1 tod nv strange story in as few
words as possiblej and four c%onstsbles
we're dispatched to the house, which Was
at once recognized from my description, ss
it had long been looked on with suspicion.
-TuCu uuGy EUvuruUU It WE1 II UUh1pEuy
with two out Of the three inmates of the
house; but the stout man had got clear
away before their arrival. The slim man,
who had recovered his wits by this time,
finding the game up, volunteered q con
~fessiOn, the details Of which were after
wards found to be substantially correct,
and tho chief points Of which 1 will nov
give you as briefly as may BE-.
The jsWelry, etc, contained in the port
manteau had been stolen from the estsb-
lishment of B5llinghsm s. Co, the great
jewellers and silversmiths of AIellingshsll.
Mr.. Bellingham's chief sssistan. ead con-
fdenti4I servant WAS one Matthew Ism
plougb-he who has hitherto been desig-
mated IS the slim msn-S person who had
gradually worked himself up from the po.
sition Of shop boy, till he had become
practically the manager Of the whole con-
Germ, for Mr.. Bsllingh4m Was getting Old
and glad TO move some Of the cares Of
business on TO more youthful shoulders.
But Lamplough's ambition at last over
stepped his prudence, as he found to his
cost, when he one day ked the old man
TO give him his dsCght1r's hand in mar
riage-his daughter, who was go Handsome
and so accomplished, and would some dsy
have ESQ, 900 to call her own. The Old
mans reply, as soon as smazsment would
let him speak, was q p~eremptoriiy refusal,
accompanied by some dispsrsging remarks
on the Vileness of Mathews origin-he had
gone to Bellinghsm & Co.'s from the
workhouse-and followed up by the in
Limation that he, Mathew, should retain
his confidential post no longer, but he put
back to the position of an ordinary assist
ant in the establishment. Matthew vowed
to be reYenged, and he kept his word. It
was while he was in this mood that he
made the acquaintance of an individual
going by the name of Captain De Vsux-
the stout man Of my Narratives gay,
dashing fellow Of insinusting manners,
who was staying for a few weeks at the
best hotel IN Mellingshall. De Vsux was
was not long before he wormed himself
into Matthew's confidence, and heard
from his lips the narrative cf his wrongs,
as he deemed them to be; and then
by slow degrees he unfolded a plan by
Ahich Lsmplough might both revenge and
enrich himself at the same time. Mat
thew stared sghsst at the proposal when it
was first unfolded TO him; but the cunning
De Vaux gradually familiarized him with
the idea, till at length he seized it with
aVidity- Tho first thing ta-dn MA tn-nh-
tain duplicate keys Of the strong box in
which the stock of BelIinghsm & Co, was
stored in the cellars below the shop. Wsx
impressions of the genuine keys were easily
obtained by Matthew, from which De Vsux
had raal kavs manufactured Altar fhnza