The Columbia herald. [volume] (Columbia, Tenn.) 1850-1873, 1869-10-15

had another name rubbed out on 'em; and
one day there came man here, and asked
for Miss Goodwin, and, when he was told
that no sich person lived here, he insisted,
and said he'd seed her come in here.
Then, when this was talked Of at tea-table,
before Miss Selby, she got dreadful excited
about it, though nobody said word about
her being the one that Just come in before
the man asked for Miss Goodwin" -
The old lady was making some revela-
tions here that stirred my curiosity but
could not see how they could help Char
ley's case, except that, if there was any
thing mysterious between the dead woman
and the doctor, 1 might sift it out, and use
it to soften his evidence against Charley,
OF, perhaps, force his interest to help the
poor boy. "Alps fair i9 love and war;"
and so 1 took hold Of the slender clew to
trace out who Miss Selby, or Goodwin,
might be. The last, ], thought, was the
true name, and, although it tseemed absurd
to enter upon the search, in such way,
concluded to write to every postmaster in
New Hampshire I framed letter, say
ing that there was something of great inn
portance pending to family by thename
of Goodwin, somewhere in that State, and
requested each postmaster, if the name
existed in his locality, to please to send
me list of members of the family, present
and absent, especially the latter, and that,
if the necessary information proved to be
elected through him. he should be well
rewarded. ra3 -ra
This letter brought eleven responses,
one of which was from a member of the
Goodwin family, into whose hands the
postmaster of the town of N had
put my letter. had no sooner read this
letter of Mrs. Sarah, Goodwin, than l
cried "Eurekal" The very tone of it
showed a mother seeking for her lost child,
from the expression she put upon my ask
ing for the names of the absent. She
sought daughter who had left her year
before, and the description, which / read
to Mrs Bramble, was recognized in a mo-
ment Of course, Mrs. Goodwin must be
sent for. Her daughters effects were still
in the locke1 up room, and they troubled
poor Mrs Bramble almost as badly as ii
they had been ghost / therefore wrote
to Mrs. Goodwin that, if she would come
| to Boston, could give her intelligence OF
her lost daughter. II was sad pilgrim
age to bring the mother ON, but it was
better than to have her child lost, without
track, forever. In few days Mrs. Good
VIII dTTlfcu, duu, III NY IOOm tOu HCl
the sad fate of her child, and pleaded with
her to tell me all she knew Of Brewster.
She did not know Brewster, had never
heard the name but, after urgent plead
| ing, confessed that her daughter had left
home with man named Selby, that she
had written to her declaring that she was
married to Selby, and this was the last she
had heard of her. / described the appear
ance of Selby, and the mother recognized
| it instantly. It was that Of Brewster.
Light seemed breaking on this affair in
| a new way. What if this Brewster, who
was legitimately married man, had found
himself hampered with Miss Goodwin,
perhaps, illegally, married to her, and
consequently had taken advantage OF
| Charlcy's mistake-for it was clear that he
had discovered it in time to save her if he
had tried, or at least that was the conclu-
sion Sanford and had come tot This,
indeed, was the defence we had designed
to offer on the, trial, bringing in medical
evidence to support it. What if this were
So and we could bring it against Brewster
on the trial, or, better still, get him to
abscond for fear Of the revelation I" Ais
| fair, etc." as said before. q ~.
Mrs Goodwin went to the room of the
poor, dead girl, which was opened for the
| first time since her death. There was no
mistake. Everything was recognized; and
| the poor, broken hearted mother was in
agony. had sent for Sanford, and he
had arrived, and was shown directly to
the room. Mrs. Bramble took the
mother away to comfort her, and the law.
yer and discussed the situation. In the
centre of the room was Q table, one Of
those old fashioned, wax-polished, mahog
any tables, seen only once in while. On
the farther side of this sat Sanford, be
tween myself and the window. While ]
was talking glanced at the table and
presently my eye rested upon some
scratches. Why I noticed them, indis
tinct as they were, I cannot tell but my
ewes would not leave them until at last
bent down close, and saw that they wert
| the marks made by the sharp point of q
hard pencil, through thin paper, and the
very marks made by Brcwster's prescrip
ton ON the night of Miss Goodwin's death
The wax-rubbed table had taken the i'm
preston plainly; and there read, while
Sanford looked at me wonderingly, mo-
only the prescription, now in the hands o.
the law, but the impression of another
almost identical, only substituting tht
word atropia for assafGtida. l was thun
derstruck, and called Sanford round to my
side of the table. He read it, and w
looked in each others faces. The Who'll,
A. u A.