Litchfield enquirer. [volume] (Litchfield, Conn.) 1829-current, 1880-07-29

ed The chair back, and gave it a violent shake
This time The figure stirred. 1t gave convul-
sive shivering movement-then it uttered
deep shuddering groan--and again all was
still. There was no mistsking that sound. In
the deep silence of that chamber it struck up
on the ear as awful, portentous, appalling.
The Dean, not generally timid man, shrank
tack in horror.
Once more the ftful freight blazed up, and
the blaze lasted full quarter or minute. A
short time, but long enough for him to see
that the face was CHASTITY pale, and that the
hands were clutching the arms of the chair
with convusive grip. For moment the
thought occurred, This may be all sham
What was that on the floor ?-that small dark
line creeping slowly from the chair to the fire?
a fearful idea possessed his brain he drop
ped on his knees-he touched tit was wet
rit was rcd. He, the strong man, staggered
10 his feet, rushed to the door, shrieked for
Help help was just conscious of people run
ring of lights, of noise, and then sank il a
dead faint, overpowered by the slow growing,
Suddenly realized horror of that dreadful
night.
The next day, rs viii be- imagined, all was
cfnsternatiun in Bedford G.,leye and through
cut the University. Tie bolt had fallen, but
whence" Why had a blaHeless lad been
single! out? what was the moi i've of the per-
petrator and why above all, had that par
ticular moment been selected for tie decd 1t
was soon discovered that the blow had been
aimed from behind. Sydney, who was not
dead, but dangerously wounded and lying un-
conscious, had been taken at once to the Pres
ident's house, where he could have the benefits
of female attendance and nursing. In those
days there was no hospital in o., and in
deed it would have been unsafe, if there had
been, to have taken the wounded youth SO far
through the cold air aud fog. He was I'M
dressed and put to bed, when large wound,
produced apparently by some sharp instru
ment, was found just between the shoulders,
at the back of the neck. \ great deal Of blood
had been lost, and the doctors gave faint
hopes of recovery.
The police such as they were at the end of
the last century, were put upon the scent :; but
the wOuld-be murderer had LETT no trace be-
hind him. There was no appearance of
struggle in the apartment; no weapon had
been found nobody had seen any suspicious
person hanging about the college during any
part of that day. The college servants, about
twenty in number, were. without an excep-
ton, old retainers whose honesty was well
known. fact which was soon discovered
was that no money or other property of the
victim had been stolen. His purse, his watch
were in HIS pocket; all his goods and belong
ings were left In his room just as they usually
were No; the motive whatever it might
have heen-wa not plumber. The members
of the College were of course most active in
giving assistance The old President had
made the most valuable suggestion from any
quarter for discovering the author of the
crime. Search the College thoroughly at
once, he said; search every room, every at
81 ~
afforded by the undergraduates, this was
done Before - o'clsck on the night of tile
tragedy every hole and corner which could
possibly conceal murderer had been thor
oughly explored. But with no result.
An unde1nable feeling of uneasiness per-
vaded the whole College. Undergraduates
hurried quickly along dark passages at night,
nervous chances greeted any unnoticed foot
fall, oaks were 'sported' at unusually early
hours, and the majority attempted to Danish
fear by meeting together in large numbers in
each others rooms and talking loudly and
vehemently about other subjects. But con-
versation always seemed to come round to the
same theme: the vision Of their comrade seat
ed in his armchair warming himself at his
own fire, and the stealthy tread of his murder
er Coming on him from behind. These were
the images that nlled their minds and gave
the prevailing tone to all attempts at uncon-
strained talk.
On the third night after the event above de-
scribed, party of some six or eight under
graduates was sitting in large room, occu-
pied by one of the number, on the ground
floor. Wine was on the table, cigars and
pipes were being smoked, coffee was crculat-
Ing in large cups, and conversation and ircr-
rinient-for nothing can make youth melan-
choly for long-Was at its height. While they
were thus engaged another undergraduate
entered who was welcomed by all present
with lively marks Of recognition His name
was Rutherton; y gay, light: hearted youth,
who hailed from across the Border, but who
retained few traces of his Scotch parentage
beyond slight accent. He was universally
popular throughout the college, and was now
greeted as an acquisition and addition to the
enjoyment of the evening.
Enter, my friend enter said the master OF
the chamber. Some excellent coffee very
much at your service. Where have you come
from? Take a chair, and cigar make your
self at home
Rutherton drew a spare chair to the fire.
by Jove it's cold night, though, he said
freezing hard Then he looked round the
room in an absent kind of way, and stopped.
What is it, RIthcrton? said his host.
What's what? replied the new conner. Pm
all right
'Ah, that's Disappointing We were all hop
ing you had some dreadful news to communi-
cate to us. 1t would be so exciting, you know.
Don't you think you could 60 away and get
murdered, aud then come back and tell us?
Murdered? ? No, but I'll tell You what,
said Rutherton, suddenly rousing himself and !
looking round earnestly, i shouldn't wonder
if somebody else had been murdered to-
night
'What do you mean?' said several voices at
once.
We'll, I'll tell you about it. That's what
came for, really. l was sitting in my room,
doing, or trying to do, some reading; it was
about half an hour ago. l daresay l began to
nod over my books. But | was made wakeful
enough before long, l can tell you, by most
fearful and extraordinary noises somewhere
near me. And want some of you fellows to
come and listen, and find out what it is for
upon my soul | rather have somebody with
me than go searching about the college at
night by myself.
All were startled and excited Each looked
at his neighbor, and asked Is there another
mystery? Who could tell? Their sense of
horror, which had been preternaturally awak-
ened the night of the tragedy, but had since
burnt low again, blazed up once more at the
slightest suggestion of new cause for alarm.
They followed Rutherton noselessly through
the smaller quadrangle to the gateway, as
cended the stairs, and found themselves in his
room on the first floor. These rooms were
very lofty, being Immediately over the porch,
which itself was tail one /; so that the gate
way and the chamber, in which they were
now assembled, together reached as high as
the three stories of the rest of the college.
Then above these rooms there was the highest
room in the college in the tower itself, which
rose far above the roofs of the rest of the
building. The Tower rooms-as they were
called-a bedroom and a sitting room, were
then occupied by an undergraduate named
Ferrand. Rutherton's rooms were exactly be-
low. The lamp at which he had been reading
was still burning, and there was a bright fire.
So they all waited in state of anxious ex-
pectancy, and remained quite noiseless. A
few minutes elapsed, which to them appeared
hours, and Rutherton was just beginning in a
low voice, 1t may have been only my fancy