American citizen. [volume] (Canton, Miss.) 1864-1890, 1873-03-15

he had reason at a later date to be much
offended at the conduct of the man his
generosity would have enriched. To the
peculiar circumstances of the case I will
not further allude. Mr.. Ernest Delpratt
left England, and was for nearly ten
years absent in Australia. In the inter
val my late friend and client again turned
his thoughts towards marriage. He re-
solved to find a wife among q class little
likely to be affected by the circumstances
of his origin. Chance threw him in the
way of this Hortense Leroux. She is now
dead; l will bring no charge against her.
therefore. l will only say that she was
IN every way unworthy of her hus
band, and that the marriage was a most
unhappy one. The newly-wedded pair
separated forever within a few weeks of
their union. She was amply provided for,
but survived only few years, meeting
her death under very painful circum-
stances. Her dress accidentally caught
fire, and she was burnt to death upon the
stage of the Lyons Theatre. Mr. Del
prstt's marriage was kept a strict secret.
1t had been solemnized privately, and was
known to very few. He never alluded to
it. 1t was q distressing incident in his
life, which he desired to forget. He
placed the proofs of the marriage in my
hands some years since. OF it's validity
there can be no question whatever"
ITS trumped-up story" cried Ernest,
with . livld face. ''rll go to law. I'll
establish the will. It's monstrous to sup
pose that it could be revoked by such a
marriage"
II viii simply refer you to the Act of
the first Victoria, chapter twenty-six, Sec
ton eighteen" said the lawyer. "But
you will, of course, proceed as you are
advised. Only you will distinctly under
stand that decline to act on your behalf
that l am not, and that l never will &C
cept the position of your legal adviser. I
attended here, as before stated, solely in
Mr.. Delpratt. Gentlemen, l do not think
I need trouble you with any further OBJ
servatiOns. This will is waste paper 1t
was revoked by Mr.. Delpratt's marriage.
He was well aware of its revocation. He
intended to revoke it. He had grave
fault to find with Mr.. Ernest Delpratt's
conduct and did not design to bequeath
him Lupton Manor and his other posses
sions. Subsequently he was disposed,
however, to make some provision for the
young man. But his intentions in that
respect were prevented by his death"
A servant entered and handed a note to
Mr.. Merdock.
The company rose, and prepared to quit
a scene that had become strangely painful.
"And the property?" one asked.
"Mr. Delpratt dying interstate, and with
Crown"
cit can't bet sha'n't be-" Ernest
cried, wildly. ''Ill not be swindled in
this shameful way. I'll enforce my rights
I'll establish the will. At least the
The policies are in my possession. They
were legally assigned to me. can prove
it. 1t has always been understood that
they were intended for my benefit"
''In regard to one of those assurances
am at liberty to state that, acting upon
my advice, the directors of the Albatross
Office will refuse payment of the claim"
The lawyer looked the young man very
steadily in the face.
"What next? What are you going to
charge me with next? Refuse payment?
How dare you? Why-do you think l
poisoned the MANI"
"We know you didr' said Mr.. Mer-
dock, quickly. in a low tone, as he struck
his clenched hand sharply upon the table,
and handed the note he had just received
to Ernest Delpratt.
He clutched it tremblingly; read it with
raging eyes. Then it fell from his shak-
ing fingers and fluttered on to the floor.
He gave strange, piteous moan; raised
his hands and pressed them against his
head, as though to still some terribly
acute pain.
'I'm ill, he murmured, family. "Let
me get some fresh air. 1 shall be better
shalr'-and he staggered
from the room.
Mr. Merdock found himself alone with
Mr. Pixley.
81 told you 1 should spring a mine
upon that young man." said the lawyer,
quietly. II think I've been as good as
"What was that note you handed him?"
"Read it."
Mr.. Pixley took the paper from the
floor and read: ''E. D. bought arsenic
If Gibbons, Chemist, Catherine Street,
Salisbury, on the 18th and 10Th October,
and the Goth November"
Its from a very careful fellow who's
been helping me to investigate this mat
er. was in hopes l should have heard
rom him last night. However, the note
came in time. Whether l did right to
show it him Pm not sure. Perhaps not.
But felt longing quite uncomfortable
70 crush the villain. It's wrong to be re-
rangements. But l owed something to
he memory of my poor friend, That vii
ain felt the blow How he wincedr
"He's certainly villain if there ever
was one," remarked Mr.. Pixley.
"And now l can tell you something
more about him. You're fond of dwell
ing upon the motives that lead to crime,
Pixley. At the same time I may tell you
that you omit from your calculations the
fact that much wickedness in this world
is accomplished at a very cheap price, so
There was motive enough in this case,
than enough. Ernest
Delpratt had of course discovered the
will in his favor, never dreaming that it
had been revoked, or of the manner of its
But more than that. The man
is gambler, and deeply involved. He
owes at least five thousand pounds. He
IS a defaulter upon the turf, and he has
forged acceptances in the deceased's
name. l have ascertained that. Bills
are falling due at the Branch Bank at
Andover, which he must meet, or prepare
Tor exposure, if not arrest. So he de-
upon the murder of his bene-
factor. Once the proprietor of Lupton
Manor, all will go well with him, he
thinks. But he was in too great hurry.
If he had only waited little. new will,
under which he was largely to benefit,
would have been executed. Something
MS crime would then have brought him.
As it is, he gets nothing; he simply beg
CARS himself Numbering Mr.. Delpratt,
as he did, in fact, the murderer, to speak
plainly, cuts his own throatp'
A strange noise was heard in the hall
outside the library door. The servants,
greatly excited, entered the room. 1t
was some moments before they could re-
ate intelligibly the tidiRgs they brought.
The body of Ernest Delpratt had been
discovered lying on the floor of one of
he upper rooms of Lupton Manor House.
His one hand clutched razor, with