The workingman's advocate. [volume] (Chicago [Ill.]) 1864-1877, 1871-12-30
/" TUE KTSEERY OF EDWIN
I. rDRoDD."
Fsusn the New York NAH

.
Fron the New York MAN
A recent issue Of De BsvItNsr ZeiaDag con-
talns an Azticle Of 80 startling nature that
the editors append q card from the celebrated
DR.. Siebeft certifying to the veracity OF the
writer. He merely signs the initials J. B."
but is said 70 Be wealthy and eccentric man
articles which have BELONGED To- deceased
eelebFifieal Il is alleged that Of the sale of
Mr. Dickens eFects he purchased amahegany
escritoire In which he found an outline Of the
entire plot of I" The Mystery of Edwin
brood" In the Handwriting Of Mr.. Dickens
In this outline" the events are Of course ar
rsnged ip the order Of their occurrence, and
narrated m the story. give y serbastps and
II will be observed that !" j. R." has inter-
polated the numbers Of the chapters In which
Mr.. Dickens had already written up numer-
Ous sections thereof. 1t reads thus
A Mrs. Bud is accidentally drowned In Eng
dies OF broken heart (9l. His only consoer
has been q friend named brood (9 Bud
leaves daughter Rosa, and brood, who soon
follows him, leaves q son Edwin (9). The
parents direct In their wills that these child
rem shall lntermarry when Edwin attains ma
turity e Il o. Meanwhile, Rosa lives at the
SEMINARY Of Miss TWinkleton, in Cloisterham
lFNOJf Au0 AC4 BAAAuAAu 10 bu OAu nhmC VI uCH
mothers named Grewgious, who has an
| office In London Q1)
Edwin 10 educated as an engineer 49,, and
intends going on an engineering tour directly
after marriage (2). His guardian is his
uncle John Jasper, Of whose disboiical char
acter he Ia ignorant. Jasper is Precentor In
the Cloisterham Cathedral and lives in the
House adjoining C2l.
The wedding day approached, for 1t is now
the close Of the year (2), and the marriage is
| TO take place In the coming May 90. Edwin
has dangerous rival In the person of John
Jasper, who has fallen In love with Rosa while
| acting as her musical instructor. She abhors
him as she would a snake, but he exerts 3
| snakes power over her with his eyes, and
without uttering a threat, looks one 40 une-
| qufvocally that FOR long time she is afraid to
acquaint any one with his persecution of her
| az Therefore, Edwin Ia 90 unconscious of II
that he hangs her portrait in Jasper's room
and exasperates him by frequent allusions to
the pending marriage (2). ...
| Jasper sees that he can only prevent the
marriage by destroying his rival, and resolves
to push him from the Cathedral Tower and
conceal his body in a vault, whenever he can
| divert suspicion from himself He relieves
his mental agony BY smoking opium in a Lon
don den whose proprietress Is known a. the
Princess Putier Il 4 81. In his opium
dreams her tall bed post takes the semblance
1
crime Q), and In them he takes fiendish de-
| light in hurting Edwin from the tower in
fancy (23). He Is fearful Of betraying his se
cret, but on finding the mutterings Of his fel-
low-smokers uninteligible o. he concludes
that his own have been equally so. But he is
mistaken, for the Princess Puffer has wormed
enough out Of him to give Edwin the warning
he subsequently receives Q4).
Jasper learns from Durdles, the Cathedral
| mason, that the walls Of the Sapsea vault are
uncommonly thick (5l and therefore selects
that one for the concealment Of Edwin's
body, rs Durdles Ia continually tapping with
his hammer to ascertain where persons are
buried a. He sees Durdles put the key of
this vault in his bundle a., and watches for
an opportunity to abstract 1t. As the murder
ous deed will be committed at night, he fam
liarizes himself with the tower after dark by
visiting it In company with Durdles, and hy
stupefying the latter with drugged liquor he
also obtains possession Of the key az. On
leaving the Cathedral, he finds they have been
watched by ragamuffin called Deputy, who
receives = reward for stoning Durdles home
whenever he catches him out late at night (5).
Jaeer Is so infuriated at being watched by
Deputy that he assaults him, and thus in
4 ours his enmity (l2).
The opportunity for Jasper to commit the
ryes at last. Mr. Crisparkle, the Minor
Canon, has pupil and boarder named Neville
Landless, whose sister Helena Is at the Semi
nary 90. They are natives Of Ceylon and
have hot blood in their veins -. Edwin and
Neville quarrel and Jasper overhears them.
Pretending TO act Is mediator, he invites them
into he Gate House and by means of drugged
liquors and tantaiizing remarks brings about
a collision, after which Neville rushes bare
headed from the house (S). Jasper takes the
hat to Crisparkle and telling him Of the affray
expresses the fear that Neville will revenge
himself on Edwin (S). He also improves
the opportunity to prejudice the public
aginst Neville.
The lister admits to Crisparkle that his
dislike Of Edwin is based upon an attach
ment to Rosa Q0) but ii Is finally arranged
that he and Edwin are to meet ct Jasper's on
Christmas Eve for the purpose Of reconeisia-
ton. l1O) The day before Christmas, Jasper
goes about purchasing luxurfes and tefffng
every one they are for his dear nephew. ia
He also informs Mayor Sspsea, before whom
the suspected person win be arrsigned, that
the inflammable Neville Ia to dine with his
nephew that evening Q4) Under pretense
OF having cold he wears = large scarf, 14J
90 that II he receives any marks ON the throat
or face In his scufie with Edwin, he can con.
ceal them in that way. Christmas Eve finds
him all prepared for the crime, for II Is not
nutil after cofnmittfne 1t thst he finds il was
rendered unnecessary by q previous dissolution
of the engagement between Edwin and Rosa
QS.) Had they been left to q choice they
would unquesti nably have formed q match,
but IS 1t was, esch had suspicion Of being
forced on the other. (lS) Prior to this un-
derstandinR. Grewgious delivered to Edwin
wedding ring which had belonged to Rosa,s
mother, and which was TO be returned In case
| the engagement was broken. 11)
k0rewRiOus Ia to be at Cloisterfam ON Christ
mas day and Is then to be informed of the
broken engagement and to notify Jasper OF
| II (lS). .' la-
On his way 70 Jesper's on Christmas Eye,
Edwin meets the Princess Puffer, who warns
him that Ned 10 a threatened name ri4l
jasper is the Only one who calls him that IA;
and although he pays no particular attention.
| TO the warning, he is more on hia guard than
he would otherwise have been. There IA q
violent tornado that night GA and about
midnight Edwin and Neville 70 to see its
effects On the river (15). Edwin afterward
leaves Neville ut Crisparkle's and returns TO
the Gate House u5). Jasper invites him to
| take q view from the tower and offers him
] some lieuor ito keep out the cold.r Edwin
takes q mouthhl,, which, be spits out the
moment be gets outside, jasper little knows
| he IL being WEtched by his old enemy Deputy
who Ia on bis nightiy watch Cor Duudles. " n
Owing TO the warning, Edwin n not wholly
| uhprepared when Jasper grapples him ON the
tower, and the struggle n so violent a. to dia-
| place number OF the stones. This y next
dav Attributed To the storm-l4l Edwin n