Wilmington journal. [volume] (Wilmington, N.C.) 1844-1895, 1873-02-14
THE sAcHEM's SECRET


gar, and never dare to show Your face
doors. and Doctor Skinner rose, as If
to put his threat into execution.
The boy whom he eaddressed retreated
before the great, burly man, though
his black eyes flashed vindictive fire
his little hands were clenched, his dark
face flushed, and his whole manner
told plainly that he wanted the strength,
and not the will to, retaliate And
once out of the house of the physician
he threw himself down beneath the
first sheltering tree and broodcd over
his wrongs.
The Doctor returned with an angry
face indoors. flung himself saVaaeiE in
his arm-chuir and gave passionate and
audible utteranae 10 MS thoughts !:
The ypung scamp, TO keep coming
here day after day. Something must
be done to quiet his tongue, OF :. last
It may raise Il wasp's neSb over nv
ears, and ! shall not escape without Il
sting, lie knows too much. aud lucky
for .0a -het he is only Child. Yes,
something must be done. and the
sooner the better. Let me SEQ He
has no relatives to be iaquiring into
the matter. and If he should iuii to
turn up some ,inr. there will be no hue
and cry. Let me see. If his body
was found IN the river 10 one could say
that he had not heel, accidentally
drowned, even ii they took suificicnt
interest for that, which is doubtful.
Then the law aud Il. officers are vcry
lax on thn frontier, an;l-na. good
heaven l am thinking u; murder -
and he started al shc sound of the
word. although IL was uttered by his
own lips. But nerving himself from
4 bottle that stood near, ho continued {:
II his father did dia, nothing can be
said about it, suaa things happen in
the prsatjao at every ono of my pre-
fes,,on, and if no chose 10 leave me
his heir, that was his own business.
the fact if, the brat WAS always a. curse
to him, and he will be ia sn~. unless !
can get iim out q tna way. Let me
SEQ"
While i,~ was pooCierinS thus the hoy
W., thinking Of the same subject but
in a vorv different strain Young as
he was ne became satisfied at the death
OF his father thnt he had not been fairly
dealt with, bu. could prove nuthir E
Doctor Monroe Skinner was the nnIv
physician Of any note in that part oi
the country. His word was law iii al
questions of medicine, and i would
have been a bold mar indeed, who
would have dared to accuse him of NAL
practice. Dat, had such Il charge been
mala, aow could 1t have been proven
Ther,. wa no chemist to anolyso the
contents of the stomach OF the dead
man-no ono sntliolently skilled in
poison to ay31y the proper tests, an!
the stsntfing of the doctor would nave
outweiGhed score of witnesses before
. the uncducatcd iuries common upon
/ the frontier at that time
But the poor orphan boy had his ovn
! opinion of the matter He remem-
| berel the last and fatal sickness OF his
| fathcr-his last kind wor,i<-tis, ren-
derness with which !,e ha,: always beeu
treated ap,i ~ qpGJd not understand
wl.s he should have been left heggar
| Perhaps others thought tho same
| but they were wise IA aot expressing
it, and making an enemy of tho nabol
of tho frontier village, They knew
little Of the final sickness OF John Man
ming. He had died suddenly, with no
one save his only son ;ui,l the physi
oian, and the account the latter had
given of it could not we'll be questioned
| But he was rich nlan-that is, he Wa:
the owner of many acres of wild land
that would rapidly increase ia price
and when it was found that he lat
willed it all to Monrse Skinner, the,
shook their heads doubtfully. How
ever, there We're none to look after tn,
interests of or take the part of the boy
and he drifted from place to place
though often visiting the doctor ant
endeavoring TO obtain what he tirml,
believed was his right.
But again and again he had been re
pulsed, even though the physician
made great show of tendernesss I,
him i'll public, talking loudly of wha
he intended to do, and never doing it
protesting to pity and at the same tim
cursing--p playing the saint and ivin;
the sinner-vaunting his hberaity AM
keeping his pockets closed, and at Las
resolving to remove the boy from hi
path, though shudde1iag at oven th
csme murder like one who had alread,
tasted of the bloody cup.
If he had done SO it could nerer b
! proved upon earth-no, not until hi