Saint Mary's beacon. [volume] (Leonard Town, Md.) 1867-1983, 1883-01-18

NAtAsNH I'D lose AJGeS3& services
when she slSnew she couldn't eel
another like her ii Sc searcil,.,
the county roand. Now. I'll In,
a wager the lad I'll stop to see nj
old sweetheart; and il yourezor
your way up there, Steve yoli' n
have a chance to make lsis ae
qiIaifltance. He's 4 ine look n,
yDung fellow. spite his slaabb,
cI0tiies.D at s y sena II
Stephen flushed a little. bat
made light Of the subject.
kariv he next norilina thai
tsse IL d ard sAss vsi ssefss IN 1
s'ate of great excitement, Mis-.
Phgbe R0wel had been found dead
IN bed With marks 0f fingers slpor
her throat; and the bureau in
which she had kept her money
had been broken open and its con.
tents distracted.
From far and near people has.
tenedstl the scene of the tragedy
and poor Bessie was well-nigh dis.
iracted with the muItitudinon,
qeustions with which she was piled
She had but little 10 tell. Or
the previous day Miss Phoebe had
permitted her To go to merryIna.
king az her aunt's i'm the village
on condition OF her being back Ia
her work by sunrise tile next morn.
ing:
She had returned punctualIy al
the appointed time, aud found Da.
vid Barnes, the Old man who had
Stephen Greer's place, quietly at
tending to his early morning du-
ties.
20 her surprise she observed her
mistress bedroom window raised
and the blind open, and surmising
something wrong had gone to the
window and looked I'm.
She saw Miss Phoebe lying upon
the bed, as ii asleep, but no an
swer being returned TO her repeat
ed knocks and calls, Bessie had
called David and induced him to
break open the door of the room,
when they discovered the old lady
to be quite dead and cold.
There were tracks of a mans
feet, evidently in his stockings,
outside the window, and> few
threads OF coarse woOlen cloth ap
pearel caught upon nail on one
side Of the sash.
The secretary had not been forced
open, but unlocked with a kew.
winch was left remaining in the
lock, and none of the contents of
the drawer had been disturbed ex-
cept the money and an Old-fash-
loned silver watch that had be-
longed to Robert Steel's father.
Who the guilty party was Bes-
SIC had not the least idea. As TO
David. a simple, pious soul. who
had spent his whole life in this
without a word OF
Ill being said OF him. no one ever
of accusing him.
Among those who's on hearing
the news, hastened to the scene OF
the crime. was che innkeeper, Win
terby, and he at once inf0rmedth the
magistrate, whom he :0und there.
OF the appearance of Robert Steel
at his hostelry and his stral,ge
speech AMI behavior.
Thus seemed ~ once 10 clear up
the mystery Of the ease. and par
ties were instantly dispatched TO
scour ;hs country in search oil the
culprit.
Before noon he was discovered
for the nearest railway
station, and was brought into the
village securely handcuifed and
lodged in jail.
lie firmly and Indignantly pro-
tested his innocence. lie had re-
turned from the West some time
since, he said, and had been work
ing al any chanceiob that hecould
get, until, hearing of good employ
ment 10 be had OH the new railroad.
he had started thither h, route
which necessarily led past his old
home tE
Mindful Of his aunt's parting in
junction, lie had no idea of stoD-
ping to see her; but he confessed
that after leaving tie Farmers
lfest, and coming in sight of the
little red house ON the hill, the
temptation 40 call and speak a
few words with his old sweetheart.
was too strong to resist.
In the early dusk he had passed
through the orchard, but, 10 his
dismay, encountered his aunt in
stead of Bessie.
On hearing his account Of himself
she bad been kinder than he antici-
pated +; had given him a good supper,
and, as it was important that he
should reach his destination in time,
bad gone into her bedroom, whence
she returned with a new five-dolIar
bill, to help him on bis way, and his
fathers silver watch. which she said
might new be Of use TO him. $50
She had not asked him TO remain
all night-probably she feared Lis
with Bessie in the morning.
and, it being a mild moonlight night,
had resumed his journey, sleeping
awhile in the shed OF a wayside black
smiths forge
This was the account he gave of
himself, in explanation Of his posses
son OF the watch, which latter Bessie
reluctantly identified.
Only one person believed him, and
that was Bessie herself. The rest Of
the stolen money. people said. he