Yorkville enquirer. [volume] (Yorkville, S.C.) 1855-2006, 1879-02-06

had carefully closed the door, to guard against
intrusion, 81 have hunted you up, in order to
CLEAN from you the particulars Of an affair in
which you were concerned, some time ago,
and in which feel vital interest I hope
you will assist me to the best of your ability,
in my efforts to discover the truth"
Rexford's face assumed very serious and
troubled expression. He put the tips Of his
fingers together, and planting his elbows on
bis knees, leaned forward and looked stead
fastly at the speaker. ".
"Go on, sir" he said, gravely." .,
"Perhaps," continued Frank, "you may
have some idea of what am alluding to.
You remember the fact of having been en-
ployed to drive gentleman one evening to a
certain house in this city, where young lady
lived, and of this young lady being put into
a carriage and driven of, without the knowl.
edge or consent of her family, and never
being heard of since" -. ,.
"Never heard of since she entered his house,
you mean, sir" corrected the man. "She got
out of my carriage all right, as hope you
know-that is, not all right, for she had faint
ed away; but nothing else was wrong about
her then. Whatever happened, happened
after my responsibility was removed"
"That is what meant see you recollect
the occurrence perfectly" said Frank.
"Recollsct! should think SO" was the
rejoinder. "I've thought of it many times
SINCE and I'd give my eyes if could ferret
out the truth of the matter. It would weigh
very heavy on me. sir, to believe that had
been innocently made party to bad, wicked
deed. never thought Of any harm when l
undertook the job, beyond its being runa-
way match, and didn't see as it was my busi-
ness to have any scruples about such COM
mon affair as that, specially as the gentleman
spoke very fair, and paid me handsome. I
thought, maybe, I was doing the young lady a
good turn, if she was treated unkind at home.
But from what I've heard since, I most think
I'd better have let it alone" . u
"Some one else would have been employed
instead" said Frank. "But what have you
heard? Pray keep back nothing from mt" J."
care you relation of the young lady, sir,
may ask first p rejoined Rexford.
"Not relation, but warm friend-one
who feels the deepest interest in her fate. l
am endeavoring, if possible, to discover what
has become of her, since all the efforts of
employed detectives seem to have been fruit
less." .r ... .. ..,..,,..... .,... ...
"I'm afraid, sir, your efforts won't be any
more successful than theirs. 1t is very gen.
orally believed now, that that unfortunate
young lady came to her end by some foul
means" ...-. .......
"But is there proof of this ?" asked Frank.
"No, sir; no positive proof But they do
say" said the coachman lowering his voice,
''that in the house where she was concealed,
there was found stain of blood which
wouldn't come out; and that queer noises
used to be heard there before it was burnt
down."
"But if this was known or rumored," ex.
claimed Frank, excitedly, twas it not easy to
follow the track of the wretch who lured her
off, and force him to confess his crime? Is it
not known who he wasp ....
"softly, sir. What I'm telling you has
just lately come to light; and you must re-
member that had to &c abroad Immediately
after the affair happened-or perhaps you
didn't know that had-and in that way l
never thought about it again, until 80 long
after that my evidence could be of no use.
The former owner of the house she was taken
to is dead, and his wife removed to some other
place, nobody knows where; not soul in
the neighborhood was acquainted with the
parties who rented it, or even knew their
names; indeed, it was very lonely neighbor.
hood, with not another dwelling-house on
that block but that one, and it was tene-
ment, and both sides hired by him."
"Hired by whom? ?" ....,..... ....-
"The gentleman, sir, who carried the lady
of: Queer, wasn't it, that he should rent the
two?" . .., ....., .... .
"But does no one know his name?"
"I've never found anybody that does," was
the reply. "He must have kept very dark.
1 suppose his landlord knew it; but, as said,
he was dead before came home. The house,
as said before, too, is burnt down. That
happened just after the owners death"
"How about the rumor you spoke Of awhile
agoS Who started it?"
"What rumor?
"About the-the blood" said Frank, shud-
dering.
"Oh!-well, that may be only tale least
ways, if the stains were there, nobody knows
how they came But about the noises. A
fellow who used to pass there going home O
nights, said once or twice he heard groans,
and cry as if somebody was hurt. But he
didn't attach any Importance to it at the
time. Only later, when parts of the story be-
gan to leak out, he spoke up and told what
he wanted to tell"
II cannot conceive" said Frank, chow 80
deep mystery can have hung over an event
of this sort. Nobody seems to know any,
thing that can be of the slightest use. be.
lieve, if this had happened in London, the
matter would have been sifted to the bottom
long ago."
$50 1 think too, sir; and yet the detective
force here is very sharp. You see my going
away was the main trouble. Ofcourse, if I'd
stayed on the spot, my evidence would have
been everything to them and I'd have given