Grant County herald. [volume] (Lancaster, Wis.) 1850-1968, 1870-08-09

they were, L cannot tell; but my
eyes would not leave them, until a
last | bent down close, and saw thai
they were the marks made by tn,
sharp point of hard pencil, through
thin paper, and the marks made by
Brewster's prescription on the night
eft Miss Goodwin's death. The wax
rubbed table had taken the impress
sion plainly; and there / read while
Sanford looked at me wonderingly
not only the prescription now in
the hands of the law, but the i'm
preston of another, only substitut.
ing the word atropia for asafetda
was thandrstruck, and called San
ford round to my side of the table.
He read it, and we looked in each
others faces. The whole thing was
clear to me as day.
Y called up Mrs. Bramble and Mrs
Goodwin, 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 come
directly to her on a matter of impor-
lance. He arrived just before San
ford's return with the minister of the
law, and seemed very much taken
aback by meeting me, whom he
remembered at the inquest,a as friend
of Charley's. | said to him Doctor,
there are some matters connected
with the death of that lady upstairs,
which L want cleared up, and | in
duced Mrs. Bramble to send for you,
satisfied that you could enlighten me.
Enlighten you | he answered, what
have you to do with it at all I?
oh said, carelessly, have taken
an interest in Miss Goodwin's death,
as | have in Mr.. brakes life.
The name of Goodwin staggered
him, and he turned livid.
Perhaps you would know her
mother, | said, as that lady entered
the room with Mrs. Bramble. Brew
ster staggered toward the window ;
L jumped between him and it, for /
thought he intended to throw himself
out.
Perhaps, doctor, you don't recog-
nize these two prescriptions, | con-
tinued, showing the copies | had
made. Here is the one calling for
atropia, which you exchanged for the
other when you called at the drug
store of Marcelin, and asked Drake
to show you the original. The very
same, doctor.
That's lie he Kissed destroy
ed that.
Oh ] did you? Well, you see it
has come to life again. However,
Pm glad you've confessed you tried
to destroy it. And now, doctor, my
advice to you is to make a clean
breast of this thing, and throw your
self on my mercy.
He caught at this, 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 big
amy, and was daily in dread of de-
lection. lie had plotted her death,
and this plan had occurred to him on
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 exonerated.
And then, as he finished, he said:
And now, gentlemen, | have done !;
what do you intend to do with me i?
Have you hanged, said calmly.
Is that your mercy | threw myself
on?
That's too much mercy for vii
lain like you. There's your man,
officer. Wen go with you till we
see him safe under lock. We don't
want to take any chances on that
chap.
And that was my first case, and
first arrest. The next morning /
was sent for and coolly informed
that Brewster had hanged himself
the night before in his cell, so you
see | only erred in pronouncing who
should hang him. AS to Charley,
the district attorney arranged his
business in few hours and he was
a free man. Marcelin was very
anxious to have him back but l OBJ
tanned for him better place, in a
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 apollo
gized for Lis strange proposal, told
me that he had heard from Sanford
the whole story of my amateur de-
tective business, and he felt satisfied
that if | would take in hand the
matter of the robbery of their bank
1t had lost eighty thousand dollars
some weeks before, which the regular
detectives could do nothing with, he
was satisfied | could make something
out of it. AT all events, on his re-
commentator, the board of directors
had told him to offer me five hundred
dollars to try, whether l succeeded
or not, and Is per cent. on all the
money | recovered, if l succeeded.
[ laughed at the idea and listened
Five hundred dollars was grea4
deal of money to begin on. Itwould
be long time before | would get
such sum as a medical fee. / was
interested in the story of the robbery
and took the job professionally. Two
months later 1 closed it up, having
recovered seventy-two thousand dol
lars of the money, and received my
fifteen per cent, ten thousand eight
hundred dollars less FIVE hundred
already paid. Out of this money l
set Charley Drake up, elegantly, in
the business, and married him to
Nellie; and put Sanford in the way
of getting up. sending him since a
la~oo al