Nebraska advertiser., 1876-08-03

maid was the most important wit
ness, and her deposition was as fol-
lows:
Edith had gone to ner bed about ten
O'clock, and saying that she was
sleepy and would not require any
thing more, had dismissed her. At
ter leaving her mistress, the woman,
intending TO remain up until the par
ty should return from the ball, sat
down to needle work in her own
room. 1t so happened that, for some
reason which did not transpire, she
had been shifted from the chamber
close to her mistress, which she usu-
ally occupied, to one in the opposite
wing of the building.
This fact was particularly insisted
upon, as it accounted for the murder
er being able to.comuit the deed with
out her hearing any sounds that
might have aroused her alarm.
lout one o'clock she thought she
would look into Mrs. Blakely's room
to see If she were sleeping. All was
dark. Wondering who could have
= e1tipguished the night-light, she
groped about for the matches. In do
ing so, she stumbled over some soft
substance which was lying upon the
floor; STOPPING down to feel what it
was, she discovered it to be q pillow.
With a feeling that something was
wrong, she struck o light, and lit one
of the wax candles that stood upon
the dressing-table. And then an aw
full sight met her view.
The bed was all In disorder, "a, tho
it had been the scene of a violent
struggle; and lying back upon the
bolster, with her face swollen and dis
colored, was her mistress, quite dead.
Her piercing shriek5 soon brought
other servants to her assistance.
A messenger was dispatched, post
haste, to break the terrible news to
Mr.. Blakely. The horror created by
the intelligence may be imagined.
The ball was broken up. Pale and
trembling, the unhappy husband
rushed from the room, aud, springing
upon the servants horse, rode furi-
ously homeward. The rest of the par
ty, accompanied by several others,
followed in their carriages as quickly
as possible.
When Robert Blakely drew up at
the Hall, he reeled. and would have
fallen from the horses's back, had not
a servant caught him in his arms
and when he reached his wife's apart
ment he would, have swooned had
they not given him brandy. His
grief did not vent ltselfin sobs or cries
b -itseemed paralyze his faculties he
sat covering in a chair, his face white
and rigid, his eyes gazing on vacancy.
giving no sign of life beyond an occa-
asional shiver.
But who had done the deed? The
only article missing was magnifi-
cent gold watch, set with diamonds,
and bearing upon the back the initi-
ais Z. and r., In small rubies and en-
eralds. 1t was a present made by
Robert to bis wife upon his accession
to the estates. Edith always wore
the watch, and used at night to place
IL upon her dressing table. 1t was
nowhere to be found.
But something else was found that
seemed to give a clue to the murderer.
4 caplbric pocket handkerchief, in one
corner Of aOtich a0dS aOritte,s, an mark
ing ink, Ernest IVieJdnd." This
was found upon the floor near the
bed.
Where was Ernest Wieland? ? He
was nowhere to be found.
He had mysteriousIy disappeared
from the bail room soon after eleven
o'clock, without assigning any reason
even to Helen, with whom he was the
last to dance. He had borrowed a
horse from his hosts stable, upon
which he rode back to the Hall. The
servant who admitted him said that
it was little before twelve O'Clock
when he arrived there; and the
groom, 70 whom he threw the bride
OF his horse, remarked that, cold as
the night was, the animal was reek-
ing with perspiration, as though it
had been hard ridden. Wieland had
gone at once to his own room, and
had never been seen since. He could
not have quilted the house by the
front door without being seen, and
the approaches to the side and back
entrances all lay through the ser
wants quarters. How, then, he man.
aged to get away unobseryed was an
other mystery.
Upon searching his apartment, all
his books, trinkets, and clothes-ex-
cept the dress suit he had worn-were
in their usual places. Nothing SEEM
ed to have been disturbed except his
desk, which lay open-empty, every
scrap of writing having been taken
cut OF it.
OF course, everybody at once con-
cluded that he was the guilty party.
A reward was issued for his apprehen-
sion, and rigid inquiries respecting
his past life were set on foot.
AS being a friend of some long
it was naturally supposed
that Mr.. Blakely could furnish the
police with important information.
But when it came to the point, it ap-
peared that that gentleman knew lit
tie or nothing of the man who had
been his guest so many months.
He had been a fellow-lodger with {
him in some shady quarter of London
in his poor days, and they had gradu-
ally formed an acquaintance with t
each other Mr. pIoEoIy haIiauaI | Z