The Vinton record. [volume] (M'arthur, Vinton County, Ohio) 1866-1891, 1866-05-31
"Next morning, however, a ia.

and all three eventually recovered;
but so firm was the hold taken on
my mind by the hopes thus sud-
denly engendered, that l regarded
the event that dissipated them not
only with feelings of the keenest
disappointment, but as an unto
ward accident which had deprived
me of something to which / was
rightfully entitled. You must un-
derstand that these were thoughts,
feelings, fancies. Had l stood by
the bedside of the boys when the
flame of life was trembling in the
socket, | would not have extin-
guished it. l was no murderer
then!
"You know something of the riv-
ers here, and of the passion for
boating which prevails among the
inhabitants. The three boys often
INDUCED in this exercise and it
sometimes happened that | accom-
panied them. One day we had
rowed several miles down the riv-
er, and it was nearly sunset when
we thought of returning. The sky
was suddenly overcast, and it be-
gaE"to rain heavily. In the scram-
BILE for cloaks and umbrellas which
ensued, the boat was nearly over
turned; but it righted Immediate
ly, and the circumstance merely
served the boys as food for merri-
ment. In me the effect produced
was very different. More than a
year had elapsed since the epidem-
ic gave rise to feelings which |
have already confessed, and which
had been nearly, but not quite for
gotten. At that moment they re-
Cured with tenfold force. "If it
had upsetp' | said within myself
"if it had upset"-and then the
prospect of wealth again opened
before me. The boys were shout
ing and laughing, while sat mood
lily apart, indulging in my re-awak-
ened reflections.
GAS we continued to row, dark
ness set in. The boys were in the
height of their glee, and | was alb
sorbed by fancies l was now pow
erless to struggle against, when we
! passed some object floating in the
: water-I know not what. Half in
[ boyish curiosity, half in sport, the
three brothers sprang to the side
: with arms and oars extended to
intercept it, and in an instant the
boat was capsized"
: st. Glare pronounced the last
words rapidly, and apparently un-
der great excitement, though he
had yet said nothing tending to
criminate himself, and the occur
renee related appeared, as had
always understood it to be, purely
accidental.
"Well," said, "the boys were
unhappily drowned; but it was in
consequence of their own impru-
dence, and through no fault of
yours" ...
"Stay," he continued, "you are to
hear a confession, and / am here to
make it. Two of the boys-the
two youngest-as Heaven is my
judge, never saw. | believe, had
seen the youngest, | would have
done my utmost to save him. The
eldest rose close to me. We were
within twenty yards of the bank
| could have saved him-I believe
would have done so, had he call
ed for help. l saw him but for a
moment; and l think, as l struck
out to swim, I kicked him beneath
the water, but it was undesigned-
ly9 But | did not turn to help
him; l made for the bank, and
: reached it, and it was then too late.
| saw the ripple on the water, and
the boat floating away, but nothing
else. | am his murderer"
st. Clare paused, overcome by
the violence of his emotion, when
ventured to hint that the peculi-
ar circumstances which had atten-
ded the event might have so
wrought on his imagination as to
confuse his memory of the facts.
"No, mol" he exclaimed, 81 am no
fancier. But if you still entertain
doubts, let them be dispelled by
what l have yet to relate. My
father-in-law succeeded to the for
tune, and my wife became pros
pectively an heiress. Brighter
prospects led to increased expend-
itures and embarrassments thick
ened around me. In my difficult
ties l appealed to my father in law.
"Not penny till l die" was the