Ellsworth American. [volume] (Ellsworth, Me.) 1855-current, 1866-08-10
M istellaMru
The Dead Letter.
CHAPTER VI.

AIlcT SUCH vi tllc lTIcHus ITOIl Ulc VII
lagc as had come down to attend the funer-
al, had started for home in the afternoon
ears, went to my room to have another
interview with the detective. In the mean
time, had heard some of the particulars
of Mr.. Burton's history, which had greatly
increased the interest already felt in him.
He had chosen his present occupation out
of consciousness of his fitness for it. He
was in independent circumstances. and ac-
ceptcd no salary for what was with him a
labor of love; seldom taking any of the
liberal sums pressed upon him by grateful
parties who had benefited by his skill. ex-
cept to cover expenses to which long jour
ncys. or other necessities of the case might
have subjected linn. He had been in the
profession" but few years. Formerly
he had been a forwarding merchant, uni
versalIy for rintegrity. and carrying about
him that personal influence which men of
strong will and unusual discrimination ex-
ercise over those with whom they come in
contact. But that he had any extraordi
nary powers, Of the kind which had since
been developed. he was as ignorant as 9TH
crs. An incident. which revealed these to
him, shaped the future course of his life
One wild and windy night the fire bells of
New York rung fierce alarm; the flames
of large conilagration lighted the sky !;
the iirclnen toiled manfully, as was their
wont. but the air was bitter aud the pave
nents slecty and the wintry wind "playcd
such fantastic tricks before high heaven. -
as made the angel of mercy almost despair.
Before the fire could be subducd, four large
warehouses had been burned to the ground
and in one of them large quantity of I'M
insured merchandise for which Mr. Burton
was responsible.
The loss to him. was serious. lie bare
ly escaped failure by drawing in his bust
ness to the smallest compass, and by the
exercise of great prudence. he managed to
save remnant of his fortune. with which.
as soon as he could turn it to advantage,
he Withdrew from his mercantile career
His mind was bent on new business which
unfitted him for any other.
The fire was supposed to be purely acci
dental; the insurance companies. usually
cautious enough, had over their Varying
amounts CT insurance to those fortunate
losers. who were not, like Mr.. Burton. un
prepared. These losers were men of wealth,
and the highest position as business firms,
high and mighty potcntates, against whom
to breathe Il breath of SANDER, was to over
whelm the audacions individual in the ru
ns of his own presumption. Mr.. Burton
had an inward conviction that these men
were guilty of ar.on lie knew it. His
mind perceived their guilt. But he could
make no allegation agaiust them upon'such
unsubstantial basis rs this. He went to
work quietly and siugly. to gather up the
threads in the cable Of his proGf; and when
he had made it strong enough to hang them
twice ovrr-ior two lives, that of a porter
and clerk. had been lost in the burned
buildingr-hc threatened them with cX-
posurc, unless they made good to him the
loss which he had sustained through their
vllainy. They laughed at him from their
stronghold of responsibility. He brought
the case into court. Alas for the pure,
white statue ofJuatice which beautitics the
desccraicd chambers of the law. Banded
together. with inexhaustiblc means of cor
ruption at their command, the guilty were
triumphant.
During this experience, Mr.. Burton got
an inside view of life, in the marts, on ex-
change, in the halls of justice, and in the
high aud low places where men do congre
gate 1t was as if, with the thread III kis
hand, which he had picked ont. he unrav-
eed the whole web of human iniquity.-
Burning with sense of his individual
wrongs, he could not look calmly on and
see others similarly exposed he grew ias-
cnated with his labor Of dragging the dan
gerous secrets of community to the light.
The more he called into play the peculiar
faculties of his mind, which made him SO
.f,l bpu tar th., tIs nf tl,a ,rtt,l
tv. the more marvellous became their de-
velopment. He was like an Indian on the
trail of his cncmy-the bent grass, the
broken twig. the evanesccnt dcw-wlich,
to the uninitatcd. We're "triiles ght as
air." to him were ''proofs strong as Holy
Writ
In this work he was actuated by no per-
ncisus motives. Upright and humane,
with generous heart which pited the i'll
noccnt injured. his conscience would allow
him no rest if he permitted crime, which
he could see walking where others could
not, to flourish unmolcstcd in the sunshine
made for better uses. lie attached him
self to the secret detective police; only
working up such cases as demanded the
benefit of his rare powers.
Thus much of Mr.. Burton had the chief
of the police revealed to me. during IL brie
interview in the morning; and this intor-
nation. it may be supposed, had not les
sencd the fascinations which he had fol
me. The first things he said after the
greetings of the day, when he came to my
room. was:
II have asccrtained that our sewing -gir
has one visitor, who is a constant ONE
There is a middle aged woman, nurse
lwho brings a child, now about year old
every Sunday to spend half the day with
her, when she does not go up TO Blankyille
On such occasions it is brought in the eve.
ming, some time during the week. 1t pas
ses, so says the lalldlady, for the child of 4
cousin of Miss Sullivan's, who was married
to IA worthless young fellow. who deserted
her within three months, and went off to
the West; the mother died at its birth
leaving it entirely unprovided for, and Miss
Sullivan, to keep it out of the charity-hos
pital, hired this woman to nurse it witt
her own baby. for which she pays hel
twelve shillngs week. She was, accord
ing to her story to the landlady. very mucl
attached to her poor cousin. and could no,
cast of the little one for her sake"
All of which may be true
.Or false--as the case may turn
1T certainly will not be difficult to ascer
tain if such cousin really married and died
as represented. The girl has not returned
to her work yet, suppose ,
..She has not Her absence gives th'
thing bad look. Some connection sh'
undoubtedly has with the case as for how