The New Bloomfield, Pa. times. (New Bloomfield, Pa.) 1877-188?, 1880-11-02
A FAMILY SECRET.


county of Yorkshire. She was the sole
executor of her husbands property,
which she held in trust for their only
son. The age AZ which 1t should be
handed over to him was not the usual
aged of twenty-one however, but twen-
ty-five.
At this age he was also to receive an
other fortune, bequeathed by an eccen-
trio relative in Scotland, and which,
principal and accumulated Interest,"
amounted to more than million ster-
lings.
The one peculiar condition about this
last bequest was that II the young man
did not take possession precisely at 12
o'clock upon his twenty birthday it
was TO revert to the next heir named in
the will, and between whom and the
late Sir Charles Eastchamp had existed
lifelong dislike, amounting almost to
positive hatred.
The young man, now Sir Henry, had
always had taste, almost amounting
to passion, for travelling, and when he
had reached the age of twenty.three had
accompanied an exploring expedition
into the interior of Africa. Nearly two
years passed without any word from
him reaching home until, within week
of his twenty fifth birthday, he return
ed, and claiming his property according
to the condition of both wills, took up
his residence at the hall.
A month afterward Lady Eastchamp
was taken suddenly i'll, and for several
weeks was confined to her bed with
malignant fever.
During the whole time she was most
tenderly nursed by young girl, her
adopted daughter, and, thanks to her
care, the crisis of the fever was safely
passed, and the lady was on the fair way
to recovery.
For nearly week these favorable
symptoms continued, and she was fast
approaching convalescence, when one
morning the nurse, awaking from her
doze in her chair, found the lady lying
dead and cold in her bed.
The alarm was given at once, and the
physicians, hurriedly summoned, de-
clared that she had died by poison.
Laudanum was the drug that had been
used, and when the fact was learned that
the previous afternoon the lady's adopt
ed daughter had purchased it in the ad
joining village, though not at once
brought into custody, she was placed un-
dor al riot eurvaillapna
This adopted daughter whose name
was Clara Lowell, was very beautiful
girl of not more than eighteen. The
child of one of her former schoolmates,
who had died In giving her birth. Lady
Eastchamp had always treated her as if
she had really been her own daughter,
and now the girl could not have appear
ed more inconsolable had she in reality
lost mother.
Notwithstanding her display of grief,
however, the circumstances appeared so
strong against her that she was arrest
ed.
She admitted having purchased the
laudanum, in compliance with Lady
Eastchamp's request, who had given the
vial to her son. This, however, the
young man positively denied.
When asked why she had not set up
with the sick lady as she had done on
previous nights,she replied she had done
so until 12 O'Clock, when it was at Lady
Eastchamp's own request that she had
retired.
Gas for any further questions you
may ask" she said firmly, 81 will not
answer them. Though may have sus-
picions, 1 do not know anything except
that am innocent"
She adhered firmly to her resolution
of silence, and the strictest examination
could not extort an answer from her,
Her obstinacy, however, had but the eff
feet of confirming the magistrates in
their belief in her guilt, and she was
consigned to prison to await her trial.
Though such was the effect upon the
magistrates, there was one person who
thought differently. This was young
detective who had been sent from Scot
land Yard to work up the case, and his
belief in the girl's innocence was firm.
"She is hiding some family secret,
not her own guilt" he said to himself;
and proceeding to the prison he tried to
engage her in conversation, in the hope
that some chance word would give him
a clew to the solution of the mystery.
In this hope he was doomed to disap-
pointment, however, for the girl still re-