Litchfield enquirer., 1873-03-06

half; that am not, and that never Will l accept the position of your legal adviser. I attended here, as before stated, solely in my character of solicitor to my late friend, MT. Delpratt. Gentlemen, I do not think need trouble you with any further observations. This will is waste paper. It was revoked by Mir. Delpratt'S marriage. He was we'll aware of it's revo- cation. He intended to revoke it. He had grave fault to find with Mir. Ernest Delpratt's conduct, and did not design to 1 bequeath him Lupton Manor and his oth- CT possessions. Subsequently he was dis 1 posed, however, to make some provision l for the young man. But his intentions l in that respect were prevented by his ] death" 1 A servant entered and handed note to MT. Merdock.
 l The company rose, and prepared to quit scene that had become strangely pain- full.
 ''And the property?" one asked. ''Mr. Delpratt dying intsstate, and without legal heirs, his property goes to the Grown"
 cit can't belt shant be, Ernest cried, wildly. "I'll not be swindled in this shameful way. I'll enforce my rights. I'll establish the will. At least the amount of the insurances shall be mine. The | polices are in my possession. Theywer legally assigned to me. l can prove it. It has always been understood that they were intended for my benefit" 'In regard to one of those insurances 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 l steadily in the face.
 "What next? What are you going to charge me with next? Refuse payment? l How dare you? Why-do you think poisoned the man?'
 ''We know you did!' said MT. Merdock, 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 huttered on to the floor. He gave a strange, piteous moan; raised his hands, and pressed them against his head, as though to still some terrible acute pain.
 ''I'm ill" he murmured, faintly. "Let me get some fresh air. shall be better presently-I shall" l"-and he staggered from the room.
 Mir. Merdock found himself left alone with MT. Pixley.
 ''I told you should spring mine up- on that young man, said the lawyer, qui- etly. 'I think I've been as good as my word"
 "What was that note you handed him?'
 "Read it."
 MT. -Pixley took the paper from the floor and read: "E..D ID. bought arsenic of Gibbons, Chemist, Catherine Street, Sal isbury, on the 17th and 29th October, and the 20th November
 ''It's from the very fellow who's been helping me to investigate this matter. I was in hopes I should have heard from him last night. However, the note came in time. Whether did right to show it h1m I'm not sure. Perhaps not. But felt a longing quite uncomfortable to crush the villain. It's wrong to be re- vengeful; it interferes with business ar- the memory of my poor friend. That vil- lain felt the blow How he w1nced!'' "He's certainly 8 villain, if there ever was one" remarked Mir. Pixley.
 "And now I can tell you something more about him. You're fond of dwelling upon the motives that lead to that 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 very cheap price, so to say for very inadequate reasons, There was motive enough in this case, however-more 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 it's re- vocation. But more than that. The man is gambler, and deeply involved. He owes at least five thousand pounds. He is 8 defaulter upon the turf, and he has forged acceptances in the deceased's name. have ascertained that. Bills are falling due at the Branch Bank at Andover, which he must meet, or prepare for exposure, if not arrest So he determines upon the prietor of Lupton Manor, all will go well with him, he thinks. But he was in too great hurry. If he had only waited little, 8 new will, under which he was largely to benefit, would have been exc cuted. Something bis crime would then have brought him. As it is, he gets noth- ing; he simply beggars himself. Murder ing MT. Delpratt, as he did, in fact, the murderer, to speak plainly, cuts his own throat!'
 A strange noise was heard in the hall outside the library door. The servants, greatly excited, entered the room. It was some moments before they could relate in- telligibly the tidings they brought.
 The body of Ernest Delpratt had been discovered lying on the floor of one of tho upper rooms of Lupton Manor House. His one hand clutched razor, with which he had inflicted frightful wounds upon himself. He was quite dead.
 It was the room in which Eustace We're Delpratt had met his death by poison.