Ashtabula telegraph. (Ashtabula, Ohio) 1874-1880, 1878-02-08
Whole Number 1866.

in my manner, which she had evil
IDENTIFY felt. Ellis came after l was
in bed, and in a short time had or
al evidence that she was slumber-
ing. It made me feel secure at all
events, though 1 was certain that
should dream of all sorts of unearth-
ly things if the snoring went on all
night. Nothing happened to alarm
us, aud next morning, in subdued
and anxious voice, Miss Burke
hoped l had not been disturbed, and
that Ellis had kept me from feeling
nervous-this remark very rcproach-
fully.
About twelve O'clock, when we
were sittlSg in the drawing-room,
Ellis came ,.p and told me that a
gentleman wanted to see me on
business, but would not give his
name. Probably about some sub
scriprion, / observed; perhaps 1 had
better see what he wants.
Without q suspicion of what
awaited me, | went down stairs, and
on entering the dining-room encoun-
tered short and red-faced man,
who, bowing profoundly, asked if |
was Mrs. Conyers. On my replying
in the affirmative, he continued:
May 1 ask what establishment You
have?
must have looked astonished as
he explained:
| am a detective police officer, ma
dam, and my business here will, 1
am afraid, be an unpleasant one.
Indeed l calculated. In what
way?
From information | received | be-
lieve you have a person under your
roof who is wanted on very serious
charge. must ask your permission
to summon every one in the house in
this room. l have taken precautions
to prevent anyone leaving it, and if
you will kindly accsde to my request
l shall get over a painfully duty as
quickly as possible.
If my lips had been capable of ut
teIance, the words they would have
formed would bave been Miss Burke,
hut said nothing. l merely rang
the bell, which Ellis answered so
promptly that I felt certain she must
have been behind the door, ready to
protect me in case of an emergency.
Summon the servants, Ellis, l said /;
d-and-ask Miss Burke to come
down stairs.
1t was almost like a dream to me,
seeing my four domestics walk in;
and then-suspecting nothing-came
Miss Burke.
All! Got you at last, sir, said the
officer.
Not without some trouble, cody
responded the prisoner, whose cour-
aga was apparently quite equal to
the occasion. In my widest mo-
ments l had never dreamed of so
desperate a denOuement, and the
discovery perfectly paralyzed me
with horror. 1t was too dreadful to
realize that l had harbored a wretch
of a man in woman's clothing, not
only in nv house but in the capaci-
ty of my companion In less time
than l can describe it in, the detec-
tive and his prisoner had departed; /;
it was quietly and quickly managed; /;
and though a detailed account of it
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 1
may say lad, of the name of Brown
ing, who having embezzled msgnif-
cent iswelry, had been unable, ow-
ing to the precautions taken to pre-
vent his doing so. to leave London,
or to dispose of the stolen property.
Through the agency of a female
friend he had adopted this disguise,
and my unlucky advertisement had
suggested to him the idea of INCUR
ing his own salty. should / be cred
ulOus enough to take him upon the
recommendations, which, need
hardly say, had smanated 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 l
had thought contained the worldly
possessions of my povsrty-stricksn
companion. He was tried, convicted,
and sentenced to penal ssrvituds for
fourteen years.
NV husbands return was FASTENED
by the illness the dreadful affair had
caused me. Since then he and have
never been separated. However,
should l ever be unavoidably left
alone again, my past experience has
decided me on one point-neVer to
advertise, or to trust to written ref
erences, or the result may be-A Gu
rious Companion.
Chambers Journal