The workingman's advocate. [volume] (Chicago [Ill.]) 1864-1877, 1873-06-21


took up the second manuscript, Mr.. Ma
pleton did not change his position.
The second paper, said the cores
pOndent, lis, as have already told you, q
manuscript picked up by young Tom Gray
few days before coming to London.
Strongly believer in coincidence, | can
not but trust the work of fate in the wri-
ting and single discovery Of these two state
ments. This last one is indited in a
grabbed, almost illegible hand, and bears
the marks Of recent additions to the origi-
hal writing, although all in the same hand.
] shall term this the
UNKNowN's STORY,
&s.l.pFOceed t., read il for our mutual ben
eft or entertainment, whichever it may
prove.
This is the story Of a man no better, no
worse than the majority Of mankind, the
career Of man in whose nature is 50 art
fully blended the evil with the apparent
good, that he has gone scot free from crime
and its commission for years. When the
unmasklng comes, as it must, shall come,
|, his chronicler and his enemy, will sub
stantiatc the statements ! here make
My name is Markham This story is
the story or Clarence Donaldson, otherwise
known hY many names, self lf-assumed. My
acquaintance uf him dates back to twelve
years since, when he, young man Of
eighteen, began to display that remarka-
BILE versatility which has well caused talent
and good ability to be accorded to him
Who he was, or whence he came to the lit
tie village of Gordon, | know not. Suffice
Al SaN hat m n tan
dates back to one summers morning
twelve years since, when he made his ad
vent at the village inn, at Gordon, a fine
looking, bright youth Of eighteen.
|, farmer on "a small scale, reasonably
blest with wealth and health, WAS, at that
time, III the fullest enjoyment Of life and
Of its manifold benefits My income was
fair, my ayocation self-lnposed, and not
rendered labOrluus or mOnOtOnOus by too
close application thereto. | was happy in
those days, too, for ! was soon to become
the welded husband of pretty, winsome
Marcia Nansant, the belle uf that region,
and the light hearted, only child Of old
Gabriel Nansant, whose fine estate juined
my own small patrlmuny on the west
ii was an evil day when first met the
tall, handsome stranger who called him
self Donaldson, but | deemed it not 50
then. In the natural exhuberance Of my
spirits, | Joined HIM, by his request, IN a
gallup to the next town of SaNtOn, return
ing late that night, for the first time in my
life, the worse for liquor The next morn
ing found me again with him, irrtslstibly
attached by his intellect, his apparent can
dor and genuine friendship lie professed
for me. In my own natural simplicity Of
mind | never suspected his true identity
to be other than that Of young gentle
man Of means spending a few weeks in
our pleasant little village of Gordon; nor,
when he persuaded me to indulge in
game at cards for money, ala / for 4 mo
ment realize the fact that he was base
EAS<HA1fef whose friendship was a sham,
sMn whose real design was to fleece me Of
my money.
The fast v eek Of our acquaintance | in
troduced nm to my betrothed, Marcia
Nansant, and it was not until nearly
month had passed away that | noticed a
marked change IN her demeanor toward
me. Attributing this solely to my newly
acquired habits Of dissipation, resolved
to abandon any further companionship
with my new acquaintance, when the sud
den sickness Of a relative few counties
away, called me from home. Pending
my departure, III the morning, | spent
the night in wild revelry with young Don
aldsOn. There were several of us, and
cards were INDUCED. ! had a faint re-
membrance, the following morning, Of
having signed my name to some paper or
other, but, once away from Gordon, for
got all about it.
but, slowly, 50 that several weeks
elapsed ere my return. had left home
rgretful that my recklessness had formed
breech between Marcia Nansan: and my
self, yet, still confident in my estate IN the
hands Of stranger, to find old Gabriel
Nansant dead and his daughter, no lore,
Marcia Nansant, fled with Clarence Don
aldson
They told me afterwards that, for nearly
a week, | was mad, raving stark mad Be
that As it may, | emerged from the light
hearted, simple country gentleman, INTO
a mOrose, indifferent old man, careless.
obicctless They told me that, while III
toxicated, had signed away my estate to
Donaldson. having staked heavily Oh cards
Old Gabriel Nansant had died Of grief
at his daughters flight the insidious vii
liam, Donaldson, having hred her from
her home
For one year I led a life of quiet, but
constant dissipation drowning all my sor-
row in the fiery liquor which kills the
body and seals the soul Then I heard
that Marcia Nansant had returned. and |
went TO see her
And what a change | found woman,
d-looking, wretched, attenuated wo-
man in whose eyes hurried the smoulderipg
fire of revenge, and in whose features
cleaned a deadly purpose.
She told me all-hOw he had fascinated,
deceived her how mock marriage had
led her off, and gone she new not whittier
Then | swore revenge-not wildly reck-
lessly, all recklessness was gone But,
slowly, surely, | vowed to bring his sin
back to his door.
Eleven years have gone hy, and Yet
have not attained that vengeance. An
hundred times have | had it my power to
kill, bu, death would be too sweet fOT
him, and ! crave vengeance retrihutiVe.
Slowly, surely, have tracked him, ferret
ing out his every crime, placing the evi
dence for every misdeneAnur, aud soon,
All . soon, will he suffer for his crimes.
traced him to Portsmouth, passing un-
der an assumed name. met him face to
face, choosing his room for the recounter
and feigning the cringing, sycophAntit
drunkard the surer to attain my ends Al
first he was startled, and drew a weapon
without which, from that day, he hai
never been, alluded to the past as ordi
nary recklessness, and practically blinded
him, but he never fully trusted me | hat
a role to play, and | enacted my assumed
part we'll
| asked him to give me employment, bu
this he would not do, promising, however
70 engage me as his valet when he wen
abroad, Ia few weeks. But discerneC
that he was anxious to get rid of my pres
ence, and learned that he was preparing t.