The Baltimore County union. [volume] (Towsontown, Md.) 1865-1909, 1880-08-14
saw this paper signed by the Epias hand
Of the late Arthur Fairfaxl".

OF the late Arthur Fairfax
The countenance Of the man address
ed visibly altered at these words.
al saw his hand sign it," he said
after moments pause.
'Do you, ddre you assert that you
heard the man, whose name is attached
to this paper, assent to its provisions ?"
There was pause considerably longer
than the first. Then the witness said,
speaking slowly and with some hesita-
ton:
al heard the will read to him. also
heard his nephew ask him il he under
stood it, and saw him bow his head in
assent"
"That will do" said the lawyer. 81
Then turning to the judge, he added:
"Your honor, / can prove, to your
satisfaction, and the satisfaction Of every
one present, that the late Arthur Fair
fax died three hours before the will was
signed"
"1'he clerk will now summon Mrs.
Rachel Barker to the stand"
Mrs. Barker, an elderly, respectable
looking woman, being duly sworn, said
"My name is Barker. was house
keeper 10 the late Arthur Fairfax, hav
ing been in his service nigh on 10 TWEEN
ty-fve years. Was in his service at the
time he died, the twenty ninth day Of
August last. Have often heard him say
that when he died Miss Lucy would have
Woodlawn and all its belongings. But,
when he took to his bed, his nephew,
Gilbert Fairfax, came and took every
thing in his own hands. The doctor
was stranger to us all. He had his
own friends and servants, and none Of
us as had served him so long and faith
fully was allowed to come nigh him.
81 was coming up the stairs the day
master died, when see Gilbert Fairfax
an the doctor comm out of his room
an locking the door on the outside,
walk off together. Thinkin' that this
was mighty queer, an mistrusting that
there was somethin' wrong, determin-
cd to git into the room by means Of 4
door that lead through closet, an
which hadn't been opened for many 4
year. The lock was old and rusty, but
after considerable trouble managed to
turn the key ; findin' Mr.. Fairfax layin'
on the red rs cold an lifeless as he was
when | see him in his coffin the next
day.
81 hadn't morc'n time to make sure
of this when heard footsteps approach
ing the door, havin' jest time to get back
into the closet, when in walked Gilbert
Fairfax, the doctor, and three other
men. The door Of the closet bein' ajar,
| saw the doctor prop up the dead body,
with pillows. l then hcared Gilbert
Fairfax read the will that gave him the
heft of the property. AT the close Of it
he says:
"Uncle Arthur, do you understand
and agree to this -
Then the doctor, who was standin'
beside my dead master, put his hand on
his head and bowed il down.
al then seen Gilbert Fairfax put pen
into the cold, stiff fingers of the dead,
an guide it along on the paper. After
which the other two men put their names
to il.
"Thcn Gilbert Fairfax brought out a
bag Of money, all in gold, which he
divided among the four, promising that
they should each have rs much more
after the will was proved.
GAS was mortal fearful OF bcin' dis
covered, | crept away as still as | could.
Bout half an hour later Gilbert Fairfax
comes to me an says:
Barker, my uncle is dying; you
an the rest Of the servants bad better
come in, if you want to see your old
master alive"
"Whcn we went into the room, we
see the doctor standin' by the pillow
where the old mans head lay, jest a lit.
tie turned one side, as il he was sleepin'.
The doctor had one finger on the wrist.
"'He's jest gone,' he says lookin'
up at us rs we stood round the bed
Who'd a thought he'd have dropped
off so sudden ?
al knew he'd been dead several hours,
but | said nothn' to nobody, until Miss
Lucy got home. said nothin' to her
tuntil after the funeral and see how
things was goin'. Then told her jest
what I've been telling you, gentlemen,
an which isthe gospel truth, every word
ont"
This disclosure created a profound
sensation, spreading terror and dismay
among the guilty conspirators, two Of
whom made full confession, throwing
themselves upon the mercy Of the court.
In the excitement and confusion that
followed, Gilbert Fairfax managed to
effect his escape, nor was he ever seen
in that vicinity again.
The young heiress, now restored to
all her rights, did not regret the escape
of her guilty kinsman well knowing
that he would carry with him, wherever
he went, n sharper punishment than any
law could inflict.-Nea0 York Ledgey.
LONG LiFE.-We are accustomed to
consider three score years and ten the
length Of human life, but the late Prof.
Faraday adopted the theory that the
natural age of man is 100 years. The
duration Of life he believed to be measur-
cd by the time Of growth. In the camel
the union takes place at eight, in the
horse at five, in the lion at four, in the
dog at two, in the RABBIT at one. The
natural termination is five removes from
these several points. Man being twenty
years in growing, lives five times TWEEN
ty years-that is 100 the camel is eight
years in growing, and lives forty years I;
and so with other animals. The person
who does not die Of sickness lives every
where from SO to 100 years. The pro-
fessor divides life into equal halves
growth and decline-and these into in
fancy. youth. virility and age. Infancy