New Orleans Republican., 1875-11-21

sacred that he would be revenged to the full
for all the wronRs Mark Voss had done to
him and to her. Then the m ad fit took him
At least, to my thinking, he must have been
mad"
"Well-and then9'
"You know what happened. One morn.
ing Mark VOss WAS found in his bed, dread.
fully wounded. 1t seemed impossible that
he could recover. He was insensible-
speeohlees. The crime had been committed
with a sharp hunting knife. Suspicion fell
upon the squire. 1t seemed scarcely DOS
sible that any other but he could have been
guilty of the cruel act. His quarrel with
fore. He had been heard TO threaten him
to swear that he would have his life. Who
could doubt his guilt after thatg'
HE was tried for the attempted muir
derl"
mo, there you're wrong. He was never
put upon his trial. Not because he was mad,
stark mad-althOugh that would have been
there was no evidence against him"
why notl Mark recovered"
but he declined to say word upon the
subject. He could not be forced to speak,
and he would bring no charge against the
young squire, Without Marks evidence no
conviction was possible. From that time
they were friends again, or seemed to be so,
although there were plenty to say that the
two kept together because the squire was
mad, and Mark VOss was his keeper. ANY
how, Mark fastened upon him-was pro
vided for for life. While the squire pos
sessed penny piece Mark was sure of halt
OF 1t, although, it was freely said that they
hated each other that not a scrap of the
old liking now remained between them. So
things went on again. very bad and shame.
fui; indeed, up at the Court, when the fire
came. 1t broke out in Marks Yoom. 1t was
with the greatest difficulty that he could be
saved. Tor his door was found to be fastened
on the outside. However, he saved himself
by jumping from the window at the risk of
his neck. The fire was the work of an in.
cendiary, so all agreed. 1t was the squire
himself they suspected, though few cared to
say as much. After that there seemed to
be an end both of the squire and Mark
voss.. They left this country for good, and
can't say that there was soul left TO be
sorry over their going away"
us it known what became of them?'
well, the squire was ruined over and
over again. The property here was seized
by ms creditors, who put it into chancery,
as believe, and there it has remained ever
since. The squire, it was said, went abroad;
OF course with Mark Voss. can tell YOU
nothing more about him for certain. l
don't believe he's ever set foot since in the
park here, though there's people to tell you
they'v seen his ghost walking about along
side the river, with Mark Voss following
him closely, pointing to the wound in his
throat; and I've heard, too, say that he's
been met in the town yonder. strangely al
tered from what he was, yet still the same
Squire Helston. l know the Helstons did
own an old house or two up in the town
yonder, but whether he's really there or not
Is mere than can say. Only one thing is
very certain. If Squire Helston's living
there, Mark VOss isn't far of He ALWAYS
stuck to the squire like horse leech; and if
they're both living, Mark Voss is sticking
close to him still, I'll 90 bail. That's all /
can can tel tel you, sir, about Meryyn Court and
much obliged. Good morning, sir"
CHAPTER VII.
On my return TO the town packed up all
my possessions and Quilted the Red House
forthwith. entertained great reluctance
to remaining there another night. paid
Mark Voss the five shilings rent had rem
dered myself liable for. 'The masteru I
did not see. He was at work, presumably,
at the law statiOners'. Mark expressed, no
surprise at the suddenness of my departure.
lie was civil enough, if he had been more
some few miles distant, and easily accessi.
bic by the railway But my stay in that
part OF the country was not destined to be
OF long duration. l was tempted to Uuit
England lby the offer of very well paid
appointment upon an Italian line then in
course OF construction. l was absent some
five years altogether.
never again set eyes upon the Red
House, upon Mark Voss or upon "the mas.
ter" Yet something heard of them
had been away six months or so, when
studying by chance London newspaper,
then some ten days old, l found nyself
reading paragraph with the conventional
heading of Awful Tragedy-Suspected
Murder" From the description it soon be-
came clear to me that the scene of crime
for crime it was, beyond all question-was
the Red House, and the victim Mark Voss,
dead body had been discovered in an
empty red brick building in the immediate
neigh borhood of the assize town of which
have written. The house was in ruinous,
dismantled state; it had long been an eye
sore and source of annoyance and re-
proach to the authorities, who bad, how
ever, been without power to interfere,
the house being private property.
The body exhibited signs Of yery
violent treatment-was indeed. cruelty
Injured. The peculiar circumstances of
the case precluded the notion of sui
eide. Inc house had been deserted for
some time before the police, upon the invi- |
tation Of the neighbors, had been induced |
to force an entry, when they encountered
the dreadful spectacle of the dead body, |
Two men, it was said, had resided in the |
house, but little was known of them. They |
had for some time been viewed with suspi.
cion by the police, who entertained an idea
that they had been engaged in coming.
One Of the men, however, was stated to be |
Of superior education, and to have from |
time to time earned small sums by working |
for the well known law stationers in the
vicinity of the market place. The muir
dered man rarely quilted the house. It was |
supposed that his name was Mark, but no |
one seemed to be sure of the fact. The
other man had disappeared altogether The
police had been busily engaged in making
Inquiries concerning him, and were under,
stood to be upon his traces; for obvious rea- |
SONS, however, they had withheld from pub. |
lication such discoveries as they had made. |
read subsequently that an INQUEST had |
been held upon the body of Mark Voss, and |
9 verdict had been returned of 'willful muir |
der" by some person or persons unknown.
After that the matter seemed gradually to |
drop ont of the newspapers, and to fade |
from public attention. The murder of Mark |
Voss was added to the long list of unpun- |
lshed crimes. The arrest Of "the master.n |
the last of the Helstons, was never accom-
plished to my knowledge. Certainly no
furtner tidings of him ever reached NV |
ears.-AHMe Year Round.
Fast Mails South.
Now that the Postofice Department has