The sun. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1833-1916, 1876-01-02

allow ANYTHING TO descend but nothing TO
come up-a horizontal rat-trap, in fact.
Smashing and wrenohng away at the
woodwork, tho water becomes visible rs
we bend over with tho lantern.
There wertn't above eight feet OF IT,,
says Mike. "when IT was Nvercd up. Let
1 fetch the ladder ard rake"
After n little delay they IRE brought,
and the lad Tor reaches to the bottom,
some twelve or fifteen feet below.
Jack - the first to- descnnd, bat present
" tho two are down. with the intern, ANA
sirug slins with "A heavy weight. slowly
and with din Guilty they bring 1t ~ to the
edge of the well. aud the pllc-ycllow light
falls upon the lfclc>s body Of VII
Mukerncn, drowned like rat in u hole by
his own deyilish contrivauoe, and without
being able to utter crvl
Here was the secret OF tho stair, indeed;
and II was not very difficult to divine who
was to have been let into II.
N ight had come before the oonstabulary
of Nuncester were on the spot, and very
few more details will complete my story.
At the inquest the old housekeeper bore
out our conclusions. as indeed did all the
witnesses. Sho had been told, with the
boy Mike that Mr.. Dargle would have to
leave very early IN the morning and that
his horse was to be left ready saddled In
the stall. Breakfast would only be re-
Qured for one, and she was not to come
round to the house or disturb Mr.. Make
race till ten o'clock. lie had been in the
been alone In the house for moro than a
week. She had often seen him saving
plnkS at bench the carpenters had left.
lie told her he was putting up shelves in
the cupboard under the stars. She had
also noticed that one of the ornaments Oh
the blnstcr mad been removed, and was
afterward put back. Latterly the deceased
had looked little queer like" she
thought.
A farm laborer deposed TO seeing rider
less horse trOtting up IlOuey-grOve Hill rs
he was gong TO his work on the morning
In question, aud coming upon the animals
footprints IA he reached the road, he
tracked them back-they lying III his way
to llOney-gro bottom. There, against
one of the buttresses OF the bridge which
crosses tho little river Glebe, he saw lying
half on the leo and half IN the wa
ter n slllors pea jacket. On scram-
hing down 10 IL he came upon u
can producrd with the Jacket, and
identified as Mr.. Darglr'sl. IIo secured
them, and observed that the Toe was much
broken near the middle OF the stream. rs
II something had fallen through IT. There
was mans io)tstcps In addition to those
of the horse all about the spot: but while
he was examining Tn ase marks IL came on
to snow heavily, and they were soon all
hidden.
The owner OF the livery stables at wor-
crstcr stated that on the norning succpcd-
IN. the day on which Mr.. Darg,e had hired
the horse the creature returned TO the
yard by il elf; but ne did not know the
rights OF tho case until summoned to the
inquest.
The chief OF the county constabuary
stated that he had made "a minute in-pec-
ton of the pace whore the deceased met
his death, and that he found ;he turning
OF the newell acted upon bolt under the
trap ON the stnr-ianding. When turned
In ono direction, the planking was sup
ported by 1t; but when In the other, the
support beng Withdrawn, the plauking
would open al the 81 ghtest pressure.
The foreman of the works stated that
any such apparatus was quite unknown TO
HIM, ana that no springs or shafts OF wood
work, connecting the landing with the
well. had been made under his eyes; the
well had been left planked over merely,
according to Mr.. Makerac IS orders.
The jury inspected the mechanism OF the
stairs before retiring 10 consider their ver-
diet.
When they returned the foreman said
"They found that the deceased had come
To his death by falling into 4 well through
/ a trap door, which had been unfastened
! accidentally by Mr.. Crouch, while that
/ witness was examining the ornament by
/ which the bolt was turned; but by whom
and for what purpose such coutrivance
had been constructed there was no evil
dcnce To show.
NO evidence to show" very likely but
we may draw our own CONCLUSIONS W ithoul
! being all of US lawyers. ANY way, John
DarGle drew his, aud very soon sold the
Cnllestone property. His impressionablt
which, by the way. IRON laying
! him open to n presentiment OF danger
! III obaDiy saved ms iife-made him shr nj
from adopting the house rs his home. U
| course he thought no more Of eating IN
| Christmas dinner there; he aud his mother
shared mat meal with me.
over our wine. and while discussing thu
tOpic upperinOst IN our minds | asked hin
vine her lie thought Makerace had sup
posed his plan hau been successful.
Certainly" said Jack. HE con
cluded that US | came down the stair
TO open the door to the supposed house
keeper fell through, which l SHOULD
have done, without making more nOis
than he did. II II had not been for my owl
wiriness and wakefulness; and when n
Thought II was all over with me, he doubt
less entered tIC mouse by the back way, IA
he had gone out. lie imagined | was SAT
III the depths Of the well. Whether he IN
tended TO leave my body there foreVe
Will never be known. No; had iallel
intO hi, trap, II would have gone forth tina
mad committed suicide. The scrimmag
in the SNOW aud ICE AT the bridge, spoke
To by the labOrer. and The finding of tn
cap and coat, would nave been sort q
proof; bar, OF course my unlucky remain
would never have beeA found. 5ucn di;
appearances have happened before now.