Urbana union. [volume] (Urbana, Ohio) 1862-1872, 1869-08-11
THE VICTIM OF A PLOT.
BY 4 DETECTIVE.

NOT many wears ago, Il lady, whom I
} had known long AMI well, fell a victim
/ to selfishuess. Young, beautiful aud ac
/ cOmplshed, she had many friends. She
was married to a gentleman whom she
/ loved devOtedly. Previous to her mar
Tiage, in order to support 4 widowed
MOTHER she connected herself with
millinery establishment, and by her
cultivated taste and exquisite skill, soon
rendered herself indispensable to the es-
tablishment Although retired from So
ciety, there were many in it who still
remembered her a. the young and ac-
cOmplished daughter of a wealthy mer-
chant, hOnOTing her independence of
/ character and applaWding her tilial piety.
/ In time she won the affections of the
gentleman, whom she subsequently
married, and, much to the surprise and
dissatisfaction Of her employer annOUnc-
/ ed her intention Of speedily withdraw
/ ing from her establishment. Every mo-
/ tive was offered her to change her resO-
/ luton. 1t was frankly admitted that
/ her place could not be supplied; the Ia
/ dy said that custom would desert her,
and ruin would follow on the heels Of
/ their separation. These considerations
/ induced her to remain until her place
could be supplied; but it did not inter
/ fere with the maTTiage-that took place
as annOuced. Finding that the lady
was determined to go, the prOprietTesS
| conceived the most bitter dislike for her,
while yet maintaining an appearance Of
/ friendship. The innate selfshness of
her nature was aroused, and she thought
/ bitterly Of the lady who peTfeTTed her
own happiness to the interest of her en-
/ plOyeT. She imgined herself greatly in
juTed, and she bToOded long and ardent
lily over some plan of revenge. She
cared not if it wrecked the character of
her victim and destroyed in their bloom
all the flowers Of her life. TreacheTOUs,
vindictive and passionate, her evil mind
planned a cruel wrong and carried it out
unrelentingly.
The pTopTietress had in her possession
some costly laces, which she priced
above all things in her house. They
were very beautiful, and many a fair
vOtary of fashion had offered fabulous
prices for them. One morning these
Iaces were reported to have been stolen,
and incredible as it appeared to her
friends, the young wife was accused of
the larceny. I shall never forget the
look of indignant surprise, the immeas-
Urable scOrn with which she received
accusation. The stood before the Oflic-
ers like some young PythOness, her
great eyes flashing, and the tall slender
form drawn to its fullest hight. I had
seen criminals in many disguises, the
young, the beautiful, the rich; but none
ever so cOmteTfeited virtue, or masked
themselves in innocence so effectually
I would have staked my life upon the
lady's perfect innocence. But our con-
victiOns could not aid her in this strait,
orr tn thnCn who OlvDOIyv
iudiced the convictions in which we
were already certain.
Her trunks were searched, and the
laces found in them. Until then she
had treated the charge with scOrn but
now her feelings underwent a change
The indignant blood that had stained
neck and face receded, and the DOOR
creature, with cry like despair, sank,
sObbing on the floor. To the careless
and mthinking the proof seemed so
clear there was no room for doubt. Her
husband stood by uncertain how to act.
I hated him for that moment for his va
cilIation and uncertainty. He should
have seen as I had seen that she was in
nOcent. Still, he procured her bail, and
tried manfully to prove her acqUittal.
worked day and night upon the case,
and on the very day of trial, obtained
clue which led to her acquittaE
From the first l believe that the pro-
prietTess was the guilty party. There
was an uneasy glitter in her eye, a rest
less uncertain blanch which showed the
meditated wrong. On the morning of
the trial when every other man had fail
ed, I determined to search her premises, !
in the hope of finding something. 1t
was a happy thought, for in her escritOir !
I discovered duplicate keys of the Iady's !
trunk, and a wax impression of the lock. !
With these I soon asceTtained the work. !
men who had made them, and by whose |
order they had been prepared With |
these evidences the prOpTietTess was con- |
frOnted when she testified on the trial. |
Never shall forget her expression of
bat1ied rage and hate when l produced !
my evidence. She looked more like a |
demon than a woman, and in look and |
gesture displayed the intensity of her |
malice. On the lady the scene had an |
effect as sad as unexpected. Her reason !
that had borne such shocks Of grief, gave |
way beneath the joy of her acqUittaI.-I
She rose to her feet, looked with BEAM |
ing face at her husband, and then be- |
fore an arm could be OUtstTetched to |
save her, fell fainting to the floor. From |
that moment she was helplessly insane. |
Months went by, and her reason cloud |
ed her body faded away. Not long the
restless spirit fretted in the poor frame, |
and one night she died-died of a brol1-
Ell heart, a victim of a wOman's plot.