Buchanan County bulletin. [volume] (Independence, Iowa) 1869-1891, 1875-07-09
INDEPENDENCE IOWA, FRIDAY, JULY 9, 1875.

Next morning she rose later than
usual and on reaching the breakfast
table found great excitement. The
parson and the village druggist were
there, so was the ancient Miss Need
Teton, the scandal purveyor of the
place.
"Pierced through the brain from
ear to carp cried the splnster
"Well, not exactly said the drug
gist, "thc ball seems to have entered
the highest portion of the forehead
rather to the left of the medal line,
and proceeded downward through
and to the base of the skull"
"That seems very extraordinary,
doesn't it?" put in the parson. 81
should fancied the ball travelled the
contrary direction-up upward-a n d
that the poor fellow was shot from
behind"
"But there is the ,pall lodged as
described" said DIR. Goodrich.
"What has happened pa," cried El-
Ia, unable longer to bear the cruel
suspense.
"Doctor Farjeon has been murder
ed!' cried the parson, the druggist,
and the sLinster in chorus, "murder-
ed at ten o'clock last night by all as
sassin, who escaped from the surgery
window"
"Oh! she's taintingw cried the
mother, rushing to her; "poor darling,
how the horrid news has shocked
her."
When she recovered she was in
her room with her parents. Once
alone, she thought long and earnest
ly of the tragedy; the mysterious re-
lations between her lover and the
murdered man, the sudden departure
last night of the former, and his
strange fits of gloom since he first
met the doctor. But Oh! it couldn't
be. 1t was monstrous--it was cruel
it was objectionable to mix Wal
ter, even III imagination, with such Il
crime. No, no; it wasn't Walter
That was certain. She would at
once write to him, and tell him what
very terrible crime had been com
mitted. OF course he would want to
hear about it from Kirkland before
he read it in the newspaper. So she
wrote a long letter to Walter; and
while she was engaged on that pleas
ant task the police and idle villagers
were securing the country for the as
sassin. More than one had seen him
enter the doctors house the preced-
ing evening and could generally de-
scribe his appearance.
1t was twilight when Ella started
with her letter to the post-ofiice, halt
mile distant, and it was almost dark
when she reached the outer grounds
of the Kirkland homestead. AS she
approached the gate, hidden among a
clEmp of naples, a mans form, with
outstretched arms, darted before her
and said in a hollow voice:
"My darling Ella!"
She looked an eager, wild look:
her heart gave one sickening heave
and, with sensation of choking, she
gasped:
go, my God, Walter! Say it wasn't
you-say it wasn't you."
He put his arm around her, and led
her INCREASINGLY into the heart of the
shrubbery. Then, with tremulous ear
nestness, but with despair in every
tone, he said:
$50 help me Heavenly Father
Ella! | am not guilty of-murder'
She was stricken dumb. Every
sense of her being was concentrated
in hearing; and she gazed fiXedly at
his pallid face when the moon came
out. Ella held his right hand in
both of hers, while he whispered his
strange, sad, terrible story. Briefly
it was this:
When fatherless lad he was
placed in Liverpool clearinghouse,
where he was favorite. Gradually
he mingled in "fast" society and fire.
quented the gambling table; and
once, in Il terrible strait, he forged
his patrons name. Stricken down
with sickness Immediately after, and
fever and delerium supervening, he
raved necessarily about his crime
Dr. Farjeon, then graduate, attend
ed him, and possessed himself Of the
crime, and when he recovered
brought the patron to the penitent's
bedside. He was pardoned on prom
isc of amendment, on condition tina,
he would leave England forever. DR.
Farjeon was mortified at this display
of magnanimity, and when he parted
from Walter, said:
"Be careful in America, or | may
have to play the detective i'll another
role"
"You know" continued the fugi
tive, as the sobbing girl hung on
his neck-"you know how we met
but you do not know that when we
were alone the same night he threat
cned to expose what he termed my
"antecedents," unless I would pay
him $1,000 hush money. He said
that he passionately loved you, Ella:
that you had laughed at him and de
spised him, insomuch that he literally
raved and cursed at the prospect OF
our happiness.
Well, last evening, as we left
church, a lad put note in my hand
and, when alone, I opened it and
found it an imperative command to
meet HIM at his house between nine
and ten. That is why l met you
"Well?" she eagerly cried.
81 went. He insolently told me l
must come down with $4,000 with.
in week, or he would brand me be
fore the world. was greatly excit-
ed. Icould not raise so much money,
and l called him opprobrious names.
He seemed to think I meant him
personal harm, and, being naturally a
coward, he drew his pistol. seized
it, and in the struggle it was dis
charged when both our hands were
above our heads. You know the re-
suit. Jumped from the window and
fled, l knew not whether.
"Then, it was only a dreadful accl-
dent" she burst out. "You have
committed no crime. II was not
your fruit.
"Ah! Ella. dearest. who but vOur-