Shenandoah herald. [volume] (Woodstock, Va.) 1865-1974, 1880-04-07

passed out on 10 inc slalrcdse'
followed as quietly as l could. The
staircase was lighted with gas. AS
trod on the second landing the ghost
heard the noise and looked up. She
was dressed IN an ordinary black cos
tune now, and her face was a natural
color. To my intense surprise she
neither screamed nor attempted to run
away. She stood still, and beckoned
me to her side.
What are you going to do?' she
cried.
TO give you into custody
Are you friend Of his p
answered Yes mechanically.
Then let me go free if you value his
life.'
III let you go am your accom-
plcc,' I murmured; your accOmplice
in some yillainous imposture.
No. If you are my accomplice toS
night you are an accomplicc in the
holiest deed a woman ever wrought
Pass me through. the gates If son doubt
me; watch me, follow me home give
me into custody if you like I don't
care. I've got what [ wanted
took her arm, as though | had been
policeman, and said, Pass through
the gates then, and if you attempt 10
get away from me 1 shall call for help
She nodded to the proposition. The
man at the gate was half asleep. [
rous ed him, and from his box he pulled
the cord and let Us pass through the
wicket door into the Strand.
then listened 70 the strangest story
that ever mortal lips had uttered, and
there was no doubt that every word Of
it was true.
The confession which the trembling
wretch had written at her dictation-as
he believed at .he dictation Of his dead
wife-I had read. 1t was plain state
ment of how he had poisoned the poor
girl whom he had welded in fit of mad
jealousy, and how he had concealed his
crime how at the last moment he had
overheard a whisper that some one
suspected foul play and how, fearing
the body might be exhumed, he had.
with the assistance ofan accomplce.
since dead, stolen the body tha. night
and reburied it in the garden OF Il house
in the lonely part OF the Aruerican town
where this accomplce lived.
This woman his wlfc's sister. and she
had suspected foul play from the first.
She was an actress, and was away on a
provincial tour when Blissett Emerton
wooed and won Drusila and took her
abroad with him. The marriage had
been secret and hurried. and he had
seemed strangely anxious to leave the
country. They were to be back in five
months.
Drusilla-Poor trusting fool lido
lized the man and obeyed him. To her
he was a knight without reproach.
But soon his conduct to her altered
strangely, and she began TO suspect
that al! was not right. lie grew cold
and cruel. and she was miserable and
unhappy.
She wrote secretly to her sister, told
her troubles and how quickly her hu5'
bands conduct had altered. The sister
urged her to leave him and come home.
She was expecting her to do so when
there came the news OF her IL
ness and death, and then Of the mys-
terious disappearance OF the body. From
that moment Drusilla EmcrtOn's sister
made up her mind to fathom the mys-
terry and bring the guilt home to the
murderer. Shc refused to accept the
exclamation OF her sisters death. She
believed Blisett Enerton to be quite
capable Of carrying ont 1 care.aliy
matured plot to get rid Of her. The
disappearance ol the BODY strengthcned
her suspicious. She concluded at once
that he feared the corpse might alter
wards be exhumed, and as It turned out
her suspicious were correct. When
some time afterwards he arrived in
England, she commenced to pat her
plans into execution. She would tcrrIty
his secret from him. L have sail she
was an actress by profession. She vas
also an exact counterpart in height and
feature of her dead sister.
When Emerlon went to live III
chambers, she managed by clever
arhice to get a duplicate SET OF kets'-
The place is open night and day. ana as
there arc only one or two men III resi-
dence it is easy to chooss time to step
up the stairs unnoticed. BY getting
INTO the inclosure before II one would
not even be seen by the gate-porter.
The plan which occurred TO the MUIR
dered woman's sister bad been put into
execution for the first time that night.
Early in the evening she had let HIM
see her face among the trees. L had
been an unsupported witness OF the
success other appearance as one from
the dead.
All this was told at the trial in
America. He was extradited and l
went oyer as a witness. But not even
on the scaHold he tell where reposed
the remains OF his victim. The ayeng-
ing sister is now a member of Mrs
dramatic company, and the story, al
though we'll known in the States, is
now, perhaps, told for the first time in
England.