The Wheeling daily register. [volume] (Wheeling, W. Va.) 1864-1878, 1866-11-03

about ones house like q ghost is bad
enough, but when you are waiting for
people to help you circumvent him, and
cannot tell whether they are around you
Or
"Hushm again. A low whistle, so
| low that none but listener could have
caught it, from the wood. II was re-
peated in four different directions, all
within very short distance of the
house. Ny work so far, then, was done,
and need but be spectator if would,
or might go to rest if could rest. l
chose the latter, and soon was in my
bedroom and snugly tucked up. was
not surprised TO find that l could not
sleep. All sorts of fancies would crowd
into my brain-recollections of crimes
which my profession made me familiar
with; of hair-breadth escapes wherein
men scaled walls, climbed chimneys,
forced open heavy guarded doors with
rusty nail, and by their bruised and
bleeding fingers let themselves down
with their blanket and make off, muf-
fling their iangling fetters with its torn
strips. Then | fell TO wondering
whether any Of my blankets would be
torn TO make rope Oft really
seemed possible. There would be no
harm in just taking a peep ont of the
window, at all events. The idea no
sooner crossed me than l thought l
heard the window of Mr.. Layton's room,
Just over mine, You remember, very
gently opened. Then sort of scuffiing
against the front of the house was dis
tinctly heard, and next there glided
slowly down past my window the figure
of man!
"By thunder it's coming now," /
said to myself, as slid out of bed and
began to dress rs fast as | could. Not
fast enough though, for | was too late
to see the end.
The figure glided slowly past my win
dow, and almost instantly there arose
strange mems voices and noises of a vi
olent struggle. "No you don't" / heard
one man say, and then there was the
dull thud of blow. "Nerer, never"
said another voice, hoarse with passion
OF fear. "Never will l be taken alive
"Look out Jones, he has a pistol, !"
shouted another voice, and then added !:
'Fire at him if he lifts his arm" But
he did lift his arm, for the moment
after loud report seemed to shake the
house, and the shrieks of frightened
women echoed from roof to basement.
was down stairs and upon the lawn
before long, you may be sure, and then
| saw at glance how the whole case
stood. There were four men, one OF
whom carried q dark lantern, which he
turned to show something upOl the
ground. A man who was n man no
more; q mere piece of dead flesh and
blood. For Layton's arm had lifted
quickly and steadily toward his own
| life, and there he lay stone dead, with
bullet in his brain.
| really cannot describe what scenes
of agony followed, nor need /. The
case was one of suicide, which disposed
of one horrible duty that had under
taken, and he was peacefully buried in
the cemetery near our house. The wife
was for weeks like an insane woman,
but we took care of her. She begged
me to take all her papers and his and
examine them, aud / did so. All! she
was an injured woman, as innocent as
she had been wronged; for | found
among Layton's baggage box of hers
with letters i'll it and certain valuable
papers, that had belonged to the old
lady at No. 80. They proved that the
ughter-Emily was her name-had
long been secretly engaged to Layton,
and that, the mother being adverse to
any change in the daughters condition
in life, they had agreed to midnight
fight. Emily left the house as de-
scribed at the beginning of this history,
and rs she did SO, hurt her hapd and
tore her sleeve. She was arrested, and
late in keeping her appointment; and
Layton had gone to recOnoitre the
house. Finding the door open and the
old lady at home the temptation arose
to murder and rob her. Then he re-
turned to the meeting place, and she
was there. They fled together-he with
his guilty secret, and she with the
fullest trust in him. She never heard
of the murder, never knew that her
mother was dead, nor, for the two
women lived unhappily together, did
she care to inquire.
Incver told her all ! knew. Peters,
my wife, and /, alone were in the secret.
She settled down into solitary life in
q cottage near our house. We gave her
Bob, and, she never saw any connection
between her husbands fate and the
dogs behavior. She never knew Of her
mothers fate either, beyond that she
was dead years ago, which thought it
best to tell her. And she simply faded
from the earth like n morning mist.
Gentle always, she watched the days
come and go with n strange resignation.
Sometimes she would speak of her dead
husband. He was so good TO her, she
would say TO us; so kind always; so
generous TO others; never harmed
creature, for he had heart as warm as
was his face honest and handsome.
All true. And yet he was n murderer.
The contradictions in human nature
often puzzle one. AS lawyer, / never
trust to appearance, or doubt the posi-
BILE perversion of the brightest eharac-
ter. At all events, the old expression
that sO-and-so is an excellent person,
but has a spice of the devil i'll him, may
contain a theory that when / have
more time will try to find out.
INGoLDsBY NORTH.
----------->os---------