The Conservative. (M'connelsville, Ohio) 1866-1871, 1870-12-16
VOL v.---No. IA.
I smiled; I could hardly help it.
20 What u the case ef' -

smiled; could hardly help it. =
"What Is the case fn
ga murder-a man. and his wife and
two little children throats cut,
last night, and the house set on fire af-
forwards u
.Great Heavens what a monster !"
We had continued the conversation
throughout IN awhisper, scarcely above
our breath, and now the conductor rose
and left me to study the faces of my fel-
loE passengers with curious dread and
horror. -
Somehow, often Gs I reyolved the mat.
ter in my mind, my fancy would settle
on coarse, gross-looking man oppo-
site, with a bushy beard and q shaggy
coat, with the collar turned up around
his ears. Ifelt convinced that this man
with the heavy hanging jaw was the
Cain and as / looked furtively across
I caught the wide open blue orbs of the
air little girl
Obeying the instantaneous impulse OF
my heart, I arose and went over to her.
e'You heard what we were saying, my
child p" ..-----5.'
'FYes-a murder-oh, how horrible2 q
"Do not be frightened-no one shall
hurt you"
She smiled up in my face with sweet
confding innocence.
Our stay at Exmouth was very brief
but during the delay, could see that
the watchful detective had changed his
seat for one nearer the british man III
the shaggy coat.
"See, I" faltered the young girl, "they
locked the car doors at Exmouth; they
are unlocking them now"
She was right. --.-..
Probably they were fearful that the
criminal would escape" l remarked Ii
an undertone. 1-fe
"Will you-may I trouble you to
bring me a glass of waterl"
I rose and made my way toward the
ice-cooler by the door, but with difficult
ty, for the train was again under rapid
motion. To my disappointment, the
tin goblet was chained to the shelf
ssNo matter, y said she with winning
smile, 81 viii come myself
1 drew the water, and held up the cup;
but instead of taking it as she approach
ed, she brushed suddenly past me, open
ed the door, and rushed out upon the
platform. eTs
ssStop herl stop herl" shouted the
detective, springing to his feet; "she
viii be killed; conductor, brakeman,
hold upl"
There was rush, tumult, a hustle.
I was first upon the platform; but il
was empty and deserted, save by half
frozen looking brakeman, who seemed
horror-stricken.
esShe went past me like shadow,
and jumped off as we crossed Cairn turn
pike road, - he stammered.
Jumped off the express train We'll, y
said the conductor, struggling his
shoulders, "she must have been killed
instantly. What mad follyin
sfIt's five hundred dollars out of my
pocket, /" said the detective ruefully. 81
didn't want arow before we got to Bays
water, but I was q eonfounded fool. A
woman cornered viii do anything, be-
ieve." z
e "What2" I calculated, "you surely
do not mean that child"
at mean, I" said the detective calmly,
'sthat child as you call her, is Attila
Burton, q married woman of twenty-six
years of age, who last night murdered
four persons in cold blood, and was try
ing to escape to Canada. That's what I
mean.n
The train was stopped, and party of
us, headed by the conductor and detect
i've, went back TO search for any trace of
the beautiful young creature, whose
loneliness and apparent innocence had
appealed to my sympathies. Nor was 1t
long before we found her, lying quite
dead by the side of the track frightfully
mangled by the force of the fall, and
mutilated almost beyond recognition.
"WeIl, she's escaped justice in this
world, if not in the next" said the de-
tectire gloomily, as he stood looking
down upon her remains.
"Do you suppose she expected to be
able to spring off the moving train with
out injury" asked.
g Without much injury; women are
creatures. But l never
dreamed of such insane folly or should
have taken prompt measures to prevent
it.
They lifted up the dead fair thing,
and carried it to the nearest place of
refugee lonely farmhouse among the
frozen hills, and We returned to the
train, reaching Bayswater only a few
minutes behind our regular time.
And when In the next mornings pa
pers 1 read an account of the murderess,
I thought of the slender creatures blue
eyes and rosebud mouth, with strange
pitying thrill at my heart.