The Fairfield herald. [volume] (Winnsboro, S.C.) 1849-1876, 1869-02-17
A DETECTIVES EXPERIENCE.
A woMAN's CONFESSION

A DETECTIVES EXPERIENCE.
woMAN's CONFESSION
tA few days ago. said Mr.. T.,
Intelligence reached us that Milan
banker had abscondcd with an i'm
monsc amount Of money. 1t was be-
loved he had fed to this country and
taken refuge in New Orleans. A
young Italian girl was tho companion
Of his flight. Together with a de-
scription of tho man was q miniature
Of this girl. Sho was very beautiful,
and tho inanimato ivory pictured u
face 80 winsomo in it's youth and inno-
concc, so trustful, so coniiling, that
my heart ached as looked ut it.
Months went by in tho fruitlcsa
soarch for tho criminal. If here, his
r"A"a"tiono zero wnll taken, and his
conccalment cftoetual.
One night report rnached the sta
ton that tho body Of u drowned woman
had been drawn from the rl,cr. Shc
had beon doad buta fow hours, It was
said, and was elegantly clad, was
young and beautiful.
Why, could not divine at tho
time, but folt strange desire to sec
thls girl. | mentioned the fact to
Mr.. =, and We walked together to
tho river. The body was laid out on
the pier, and the lovely, upturncd face
was magnetic in its beauty. a wealth
Of black wet hair fell back from tho
broad, low forehead, exposing face
rounded and full IN It's fresh ,pring
time beauty. Tho long lashes droop-
cd darkly over tho pale underlids, and
tho chiscled lips had not lost their
DELEGATE curve and crimson stain. The
soft, milky skin showed beneath it the
olive tint it had worn in life. The
clinging dress but impcrfcctly osn-
cealcd each rounded li~1 and the
exquisite outline ~r pody.
felt n -srange attraction in looking
NJ .h,s dead woman. She must have
been unsurpassingly lovely when life
was instinct in tho frame now so chill
The warm sun of her native land could
not have been moro lustrious than her
eyes were then. felt that had seen
hor before. Tho conviction grow up
on me as my eyes became rivitcd on
her features. The face haunted me.
For an hour my memory was at fault,
but it oamo at last. Like flash, re.
collection returned.
She was tho original of tho picture
Eagerly bent forward and traced
again and again each outline of face
and figure. There could bo no mis-.
sake--tho lineamcnts were tho same.
On examining the body it was dis
covered that she had boen murdered
y doop penetrating wound in her side
made with small Spanish dagger
which yet filed tho cavity, disclosed
tho means Of hor death. This knit,
bore the initials E. II. They did not
@tand for her namo nor that of hor
betrayer. 1t was costly weapon, fo,
III tho handle was brilliant of value,
took tho knife to Il jeweler, and ask
cd him to examine it once. lie took
it and examined it closely. Then
from his desk he brought o level set
in gold, on which was q lettering pre.
cise!y similar.
Whero did you got this7' asked
From customer of mino a lady.'
sYes.'
Whore is she to be found?'
lio showed me direction. It was
that ota lady of fashions q Cuban, yis-
iting in the city.
| wont to her Mt once. On mention
lalg my namo sho showed evident signs
OF rneaslness, and motioning mo to o.
private room, begged with white Inns
"nd q faltering utterance, the nature
OF my orrand.
! detailed the circumstance briefly
| told her Of the criminal, tho 0;obt
and escape, of the dead body;I show
ed her the knife, and tho ring had
obtained at the jewelers..
'Madame,' | concluded, Il must
arrest you for murdern
.'oh, no no, no. she exclaimed. T
viii confess all not mine tho sin. not
lnino the dcodp ~
She then told who tho man was
where he lived, and the circumstances >
that occasioned tho poor girl's death
ltappeared from her statement thnt
some weeks before the banker had
weAried Of the young girl, and had
/. abandoned her. He had then paid
his court to her, and not knowing HIS
@anteoedents, and judging of him by
the station he held in society, had
consented to marry him. That tho
evening previous, she had been walk
inoS with him on tho pier. STANDING
there in the moonlight. thew Ind booD