Middletown transcript., 1871-01-14

operators having al gone home. Pre-
sently | heard /" NJ called in . very rapid
aud excited manner. aud ran to the key
II wns Avopvills. and / answered il st
once. Without y word Of warning or CT.
planation, he sent me the following dis
patch, which has hccoms indslibly 6xed
in my mind. aud will give il As 81
1t WIS tho signal for Avonville of6oo-
gave II to me;
AvoxviLLS, 2lst.
To Albert Wilmors, N;
Mr. Howard was assassiusted here last
night by some unknown person. Break
the sud intelligence to his wife. Soc you
Tomorrow morning with remains.
| CmARLxs A. DuxnRipos.
26w. D. II. For Operator.
don't know how much suffered, nor
how long I should have remand there in
tears. but for the waschmnu who came and
told me it was vcty late. folded the
message in my pocket, and went down
stairs The thousand kind acts Of Mr.
Howard passed through my mind in rapid
review felt that in losing him. l had
NJ ambition left to strive in the world, and
4 1 u
will ever know. Death had never come
no near INC before. | knew that | was
utterly incapable TO break il 10 his wife.
but il had to be done. and went to the
house at once. l think tried to be eau
tious. and careful. but some how or other
| did not succeed. for she fell forward in
my arms ssnselcss. a stream Of blood drip
ping from her lips. Wo were unable to
restore her TO ennaciousness. and when the
physician came she seemed to be dead,
Tor any motion Of lite there was left But
he was better rewarded. and | left her
about mn hour afterwnrd very quiet. and
went 10 the depot TO meet Durbridge.
had but short time to wait. as the train
was then duo.
Durbrid-c came of among the first, and
| was struck by his peculiar appearance.
When he saw me- he turned n shade palcr,
which made him look even more haggari
Durhrdge." said |. = this is very sad
aud sudden. Can we do nothing abou, it,"
- Tis.' said he poor Howard. !
shall miss him now. | don't know, we
mu, work -
-" You can realize now wha, friend he
was 10 Us =
- Yes; God forgive me for any hard
wnra | may hive uttered. lie was, in-
deed true friend
This vas The Grst time had ever seen
Dur5ridgc In tears. did not look NJ the
remains, rs pnrhrdgc had ,old me that
he had been terribly mangled and lacerat.
I'd lie was buried that evening. his wife
accompanying US to the funeral,
II was now several months since Mr.
becnme reeoneiled Mrs. Howard had
persuaded me To resign aud accompany
her and my sister to a country seat. which
shc wished to place in my hands Il was
about the middle of the month. and in-
tended resigning at the end For some
cause or other was detained very late
that night at the oifiee-eycry Que else
had left II was in November. aud very
windy. stormy night. renewed the eonl
in The CRATE. and sat there looking into the
emhtr. aud revolving in my mind the
various events which had so rapidly ami
laicl, transpircd. We had failed to obtain
any trace Of the murderer. or mnrarrers.
aud was beginning to fear that they
would never he brought to justice. There
was. IN fact. n mystery to me about the
whole ailar, aud il was becoming p,ore
aud mnrc iurxplieah,a,
While thus buried in thought. ! vas
suddenly interrupted by the clicking of m
instrument II was something UNUSUAL
n, TINT linr Of the night. and as We have
hui lutte lightning in November, | knew
sum- oie WAS trying TO work. listened
cle.cl, the seeond time. aud presently |
hcnrd the same click agnin II was the
Aynnsille instrument went over tn the
table and placed my hand upon the ins,ru-
lncn,. turned the adjusting screw up
gradually. und ut l.si iAel i. SO ! could
hear the sound plainly | saw ut once
that the writing came reversed. and tried
10 remedy i, by changing the pole. Of my
battery. but could no, hear il at all then
AvoSsiLLg, 2lst.
To Albert Wilmore. n.
Mr. Howard was assussinatcd near hcrt
last night, b. sotIe unkgovn person
Break the sad intelligence to his wife Sc.
you tomorrow morning with remains.
cuAs. A DuRBRiboE,
20 D. II For Operator.
Here followed some twenty or thirt,
dots. Then be began again. writing yer,
firmly, "Oh, God forgive me. Howard.
would not hive done it, but"
Then. as ifspeaking to me. he continued
William. | murdered him. IL you d
not believe me. drag the pond
A terrible suspicion passed through m,
mind Had Durbridge murdered How
nrd7 lfso. Ehy was he writing on th
line don't believe am supers,i,ious
bu, did think. what medium for spirits
il they chose to use il. | wnited a Will
to see IL he would write any more,
, heard nothing.
My nervers. must admit. were shaken
but resolved TO work ,pt the mystery