Frostburg mining journal. [volume] (Frostburg, Md.) 1871-1913, 1874-06-13

TSDOH ltu IDlStl N'tl'''NA i-'44' NUS y VA
neck until he is dead. Yes. 5haH see it,
sir. / staY see ii: and maybe your father,
the man that robbed me of love Years
ago. will look down and ENJOY the sight
with me-
Fairly beside himself with rage at this
horrible abuse. young Ellis (Still telling the
story himself had drawn his revolver,
started forward. and fired. The ball had
srazed the old mans temple. making a
slight flesh wound only. Ellis had cooked
the weapon again. when Suddenly better
mpulsc seized him. and he laid it on the
table ''For Gods sake, Mr.. Howe, he
said, "takt- this yourself or | shall he a muir
dercr.' and then had hurried out, still fear
rul Of his self-control After this he re-
membcred walking up and down the pave
ment for long willie; and finally, at what
hour he knew not, going home to his board
ing house.
So much for the young mans evidence,
given voluntarily after he bad heard Of the
murder. and with an air that a guilty nun
could hardly have assumed When asked
why he persisted in giving an account so
damaging to himself. he said that he could
not speak aught bat the truth. even if it
brought him to the gaIiows.
The old man had been missed early the
next morning B.ood-staiuS were found all
about the library. and Il peculiar smell filled
the room, though the servant found the
window wide open. The fire in the crate
haI gone out, bat there We're traces about it
Of burned clothing recognized as that for
merly worn by the deceased. Also ring
of his. only partially melted, WAS toand in
the ashes. Still more thorough search re-
ycalcl the cIarred remnants Of human
skeleton at tie bottom Of a well a short dis
tancc lrom the library window.
In Short Michael Howe Ial evidently
been murdered. and a terrible chain Of cir
cum-tautial evidence connected Frederic
Ellis with the decd. 1t was not then a day
of long trials and cyasions OF the law. The
accused was tried ~ once. convicted almost
without plea in his own dclcnsc-lol he
could urge nothing but his previous good
charactcr-and sentenced to be hung in ono
month time.
Now comes my connection with the story
| first saw the prisoner in court OR tire day
Of his conviction, and was strangely drawn
to him by his fearless bearing under such
fearful circumstances, and the ~orrowlu yet
untliuching manncr in which he received his
sentence. When asked if he had anything to
say why he should not die, hc repeated:
"On'y this, that am but one more Of
the many victims of clrcumstantial c,i-
dcncc.
WAS young then, and be};ayrd in human
nature. said to myself Il, | left the conrt-
room, no one can convince me that that
man is a murderer "
That night got together all tic printed
accounts OF the triad, and went carefully over
every atom Of the testimony. 1t was all re-
liable, and seemed to absolutely prove Eli,
guilty, Yet felt positively certain that hc
was Innocent | could have wagcred my
life that he was the soul Of truth and honor
Yet if he was that, his own testimony was
true, and that was the most damaging of all.
One sentence Of the murdered man struck
me a peculiar. "-H"1h 'ay rordS, yo"hg
man, iSh0H srr HoH hGHg'd.' Strange pro-
phecy, Could the old man have had some
prcScntlmcnt that Frederic Ellis would 50
>oon he sentenced 10 the :,J.Iow~? Bat he
had said. too, :" stall sec Il wiM these cy>S.
And Michael Howe was Il man Of his word
after all. Did he mean he would look down
with his evil eyes and view the transaction
from the other world? \ new thought
struck me. Might there not be some hidden
meaning in his words? Iialftruc they
were certainly likely to be. MIGHT they
not prove wholly 50? Was it positively
certain that murder had been committed g.
Was MIR. Howe beyond all doubt passed
from the land Of the living? did nat be-
Hcre IT,
The next day | called upon Miss Howe
Sac was in deep black and quite broken
down with grief. | explained as well a.
could, my suspicious and theory as to the
murdcr. and she blessed nle for the hope |
brought her. She was rich, but her lover
must be saved if it took all. No expense
must be spared; all was in my hands. |