The Wheeling daily intelligencer. [volume] (Wheeling, W. Va.) 1865-1903, 1875-06-22
THE WHEELING DAILY INTELIIGENCER TUESDAY MORNING. JUNE

uAe leEA hesuEe1 ~ All GNehtat bAouBu was
certain / should dream Of all kinds Of I'M
earthly things II the snoring went on all
night, Nothing happened to alarm US,
and next morning, in a subdued and aRx-
ious voice, Miss Burke hoped had not
been disturbed, and that Ellis had kept
me from feeling nervous-this last re-
mark very reprOachtully.
About twelve o'clock, when We were
sitting in the drawing-roOm, Ellis came
up and told me that gentleman wanted
TO see me on business, but would not give
his name. "Probably about some sub
scriptiOn," observed; "perhaps | had bet
ter see what he wants"
Without suspicion Of what awaited me,
| went down stairs, and on entering the
dining room encountered short and
rather red-iaced man, who, bowling pro-
fOundly, asked me II was Mrs. Conyers.
On my replying in the affirmative, he con-
tinued: "May ask what establishment
you have"
must have looked astOnished, Us he
explained: ~ am detective police of
fcer, madam, and my business here will,
| am afraid, be an unpleasant one"
"Indced n' ! calculated; lin what way%
"From information | have received, |
believe you have person under your
roof who is wanted on u very serious
charge. must ask your permission to
summon every one in the house into this
room. have taken precautions to pre-.
vent any one leaving 1t, and II you will
kindly aCcedC to my request, ! shall get
over a painful duty as quickly as posi-
ble.n
II my lips had been capable OF utter
ance, the words they would have framed
would have been miss Burke" but |
said nothing, merely rang the bell,
which Ellis answered 80 promptly, ! felt
certain she must have been behind the
door, ready to protect me in case OF an
Summon the servants, Ellis" said;
"and-ask Miss Burke to come down
stairs" 1t was almost like dream to
me, seeing my four dOmeStics walk in;
and then - suspecting nothing came
Miss Burke.
"Got you at last, sir" cried the detec-
tive, making an agile dart toward my
companion.
"Not without some trouble coolly re-
sponded his prisoner, whose courage was
apparently quite equal to the occasion.
In my widest moments hUd never
dreamed Of 10 desperate denoumcnt,
and the discovery perfectly paral yEed me
with horror, II was too dreadful to real
ize that had harbored wretch Of man
in womans clothes not only in my house,
but in the capacity Of MY companion
In less time than can describe it, the
detective and his prisoner had departed;
ii was quietly and quickly managed; and
though Il detailed account Of ii did appear
in the papers, my name was, happily for
me, not allowed to transpire publicly.
The pseudo Miss Burke turned out to
be notorious young man, or | may say
lad, Of the name Of Browning, who, hay
Ing embez1led large sums, us well US
stolen II quantity Of magnificent jewelry,
had been unable, owing to the precautions
taken to prevent his doing so, to leave
London, Or to dispose Of his stolen prop.
erty. Through the agency Of Il female |
friend, he had adopted his disguise, and
my unlucky advertisement had suggested
to him the idea OF insuring his own
safety, should | be credulOus enough to
take him upon the recommendations,
which | need hardly say, had Cmanated
from his own pen. Not only had he
thought Of his personal security, but that
Of the stolen goods, which, in the shape
Of diamonds and bank notes, were found
securely slowed away in the little black
box, which had thought contained the
worldly possessions Of my poverty strick.
Ell companion. lie was tried, convicted,
and sentenced to penal servitudc for four.
teen years,
Ny husbands return was hAstened by
the illness which the dreadful affair
caused me. Since then, he and | have
never been separated. However, should |
! ever he unavOidably left alone again,
my past experience has decided me on one
pOint-never to advertise, or to trust to
written references, or the result may be
a Curious Companion.