Perrysburg journal. (Perrysburg, Wood Co., O. [Ohio]) 186?-1965, 1869-10-08

She did not know Brewster, had never
heard the nanies buf, after urgent plead
| ing, confessed that her daughter had left
houe with man named Selby, that she
had written to her declaring that she was
married to Sclby, and this was the last She
had heard of her described the appear.
ance of Selby, and the mother recognized
il instantly II was that of Brewster.
I Light seemed breaking ON this affair in
a new way What if this Brewster, who
was legitimatcly married man, had found
himself hempered with Miss Goodwin,
perhaps, Illegally, married to her, and
consequently haG taken Advantage OF
hOhmldys mistake-forit ii was cloar that he
had discovered it in time 10 save her if he
had tried, or at least that was The conclu.
sion Sanford and had come to! This
! indeed, was the defence we had designed
TO offer on the trial, bringing in medical
evidence TO supportit. What if this were
SO, and we could bring it against Brewster
on the trial. or, better still, get him TO
abseond for fear of the revelation "Alrs
fair, etc. as | said before.
Mrs. Goodwin went to the room of the
4 poor, dead girl, which was opened for the
first time since her DEATH There was no
mistake Everything was recognized; and
the poor, brokcn-h hearted mother was in
i l.
! had arrived, and was shown directly TO
the room. Mrs. Bramblc took the
mother away to comfort her, and the law.
yer and discussed the situation. In the
centre of the room was table, one of
those old-faShioncd, waX-polished, mahog-
\ any tables, seen only opceina while. On
the farther side Of this sat Sanford, be-
tween myself and the window. While
was talking | glanced a. the table and
! presently my eye rested upon some
scratches Why l noticed them, indis-
| tinct as they were,r | cannot tell; but my
eyes would not leave them until at last |
bent down close, and saw that they were
} the marks made by the sharp point of a
hard pencil, through thin paper, and the
very marks made by Brewster's prescrip-
ton on the night of Miss Goodwin's death.
4 The wax-rubbed table had taken the inn
| preston plainly; and there l read, while
Sanford looked at me wonderingly, not
only the prescription, now in the hands of
the law, but the impression of another,
almost identical, only substituting the
word atrOpia for assafGtida. l was thun-
! derstruck, and called Sanford round to my
side of the table. He read it, and we
looked in each others faces. The whole
thing was as clear to me as day.
called up Mrs. Bramble and Mrs, Good
win, and both read the marks. Quick
work should now be made of the whole
thing. The room was closed, but not until
l had made most accurate copies Of both
prescriptions SANFORD Went TO- police
headquarters, and brought one of their
! principal men, while Mrs. Bramble, in her
own name, sent off for Brewster to como
directly to her on matter of Importance.
Hes arrived Just before Sanford's return
with the minister of the law, and seemed
very much taken aback by meeting me,
whom he remembered, at the inquest, as a
friend of Charley's. l said to him. "Doc-
! tor, there are some matters connected with
the death of that lady upstairs, which /
want cleared up, and induced Mrs Bram-
bic to send for you, satisfied that you could
enlighten me-"
Enlighten you'll" he sneered. "What
have you to do with it at ally"
"Oh!" l said, carelessly, 81 have taken
an interest in Miss Goodwin's death, as
have in Mr.. brakes life" ~ry
The name of Goodwin staggered him,
and he turned livid.
Goodwin" he muttered, "I don't
know any Miss Goodwin"
"Perhaps you would not know her
mother" said, as that lady entered the
room with Mrs. Bramble. Brewster stag
gcred toward the window; jumped be-
tween him and it, for thought he int end
ed to throw himself out.
"Perhaps, doctor, you don't recognize
these two prescriptions" l continued,
showing the copies had made "Here is
the one calling for atropia, which you ex-
changed for the other, when you called at
the drugstore of Marcclin, and asked
Drake to show you the original. The
very same, doctor"
"That's lie !" he hissed; az destroyed
that"
ooh did you? Well, you see it has
come to life again. However, I'm glad
you've confessed that you tried to destroy
it. And now, doctor, my advice to you is
to make a clean breast of this thing, and
throw yourself on my mercy"
He caught at this like cowardly wretch,
and, as Sanford came in, he knew him, but
did not know the man with him. He told
the whole story. He had beguiled Miss
Goodwin with marriage, which, of course,
was bigamy, and was in daily dread of de-
lection. He had plotted her death, and
this plan had occurred to him the very
evening of its execution. He knew the
working of Marcelin's store, and that, by
changing the prescription, Charley could
be made the victim, and himself exoner-
ated. And then, as he finished, he said:
"And now, gentlemen, | have done !;
what do you intend to do with me ?" q
"HaYe you hanged" | said calmly.
Is that your mercy | threw myself
ong" --s
"That's too much mercy for a villain
like you. There's your man, officer
Well go with you till we see him safe un-
der lock. We don't want to take any
chances on that fellow"
And that was my first case, and my
first arrest. The next morning | was sent
for by the authorities, and coolly informed
that Brewster hand hanged himself the
night before in his cell, so you see l only
erred by pronouncing who should hang
him. AS to Charley, the district attorney
arranged his business in few hours, and
he was free man. Marcelin was very
anxious to have him back but obtained
for him a better place, in larger store,
with less work, more sleep, and larger
pay.
AS to myself, few days afterward was
sent for by the President of the B.
Bank, who, having apologized for his
strange proposal, told me that he had
heard from Sanford the whole story of my
amateur detective business, and he felt
satisfied that if would take in hand the
matter of the robbery of their bank-it
had lost eighty thousand dollars some
weeks before--which the regular detect
ives could do nothing with, hewas satisfied
/ could make something out Of it. At all
events, on his recommendation, the board
of directors had told him to offer me five
hundred dollars to try, whether succeed
ed or not, and fifteen per cent. on all the
money l recovered, if l succeeded.
laughed at the idea, and listened. FIVE
hundred dollars was great deal of money
TO begin on. 1t would be a long time be-
fore would get such a sum as a medical
fee. was interested in the story of the
robbery, and took the job professionally
Two months later / closed it up, having
recovered seYepty-tYO thousand dollars Ol
the money, and received my fiheen per
cent, ten thousand eight hundred dollars,
less the five hundred dollars already. paid.
Out Of this money l set Charley Drake
up, elegantly, in business, and married him
to Nellie; and put Sanford in the way OF
getting up, sending him since large prac-