The news and herald. (Winnsboro, S.C.) 1877-1900, 1883-02-27

| houIo AC 6u1u.
"Heard what ?"
"Of the murder p
"Bless aud save us, sir I" she said.
jumping up.
"What are you talking about ?"
He looked intontly at her.
Woman" said ho," havo you seen
Miss Pidgeon lately %
well, now that you mention it, I
have not" said Mrs. Hopkins, wonder
ing greatly. :.
''But I'm told she's gone to Lowell,
a visitin'."
He uttered groan.
| 'Look at this p he said-"a piece of
crumpled paper which found beside a
brook, few miles from here.
''EvidentIy portion of tue guilty
correspondence.
'You will perceive that it is not the
caligraphy of o cultured person."
And Mrs. Hopkins read, Oh torn
and stained piece Of note-paper, the
following words
"-poor phebe pidgeon is poysoned.
"Dollie Dutton done did it with Ratt
poyson, don't Tel amy one, she is ber-
RED out under the willow Trea."
All the rest was torn away, but Mrs.
Hopkins had already read more than
enough.
cit amt possible /" said she turning
very pale.
'That letter would be evidence in ally
court of law" said Mr.. Duckett.
II am going for the constable at oncer'
Dolly Dutton. sitting singing at her
work, by the window of the Dutton
farmhouse, was nearly frightened to
death by the clasp OF the constable's
hand, oil OF a sudden, on her shoulder.
"You are my prisoner" said the con-
stable.
| "But don't be skeart 70
"What for ?" cried Dolly, trembling
ali over.
| "For murder |"
els the man crazy p said Dolly.
Whose murder ?"
''hliss Pidgeon's, said the constable;
"and the quieter and quicker you come
along with mo, the better it will he for
you."
''But never dreamed of such q
thing - cried Dolly
'"Thats all TALK" said the constable.
"That's what they all say"
II am innocent" pleaded Dolly, hys.
terically.
"That's for tho Judge and jury to de-
eide" he said.
There was a great crowd that after
noon around ''the old willow Urea, a
we'll known gnarled veteran, on the
edge of a merry little rivulet.
All tho spades and picks in the
neighborhood were in requisition.
"Dolly, the implied murderess, was
aJ Mrs. Hopkins house, under q strong
guard, until they could take her to the
nelghborinP 'ail, and Al,,honso Pay.
sley, at NIr Ouckett's suggestion, had
been ar e,ted as IN accomplice.
"Wl J don't they tell me on what evi.
dence they have dared to arrest me o.
said poor Dolly.
"Thom weren't my ORDERS" answered
the constable, who, in truth and in fact
was rs much in the dark as Dolly her
self.
But the spades md the picks, ate,
much diligent labor, produced no com
mensurate effect
"l'm blessed if bclieve thorc's any.
thing there u said the biggest Of the
excavators and at The Same moment
there was murmur through the little
crowd, and a woman pressed her way
through, and Miss Phebe Pidgeon her
self stood in the front rank.
"What on earth are you all doing p
said she.
''Simons told mo that was murdered
'1f it really is the case, I don't know
it myself yet"
The diggers dropped their nipple
ments the undertaker's wagon began
to back down the road as quietly as
possible 1.-THE crowd stood opcn-mouthed
'Then," said Mr.. Duckett, show dc
you account for this letter ?"
Just thon tiny little hand plucket
at his sleeve.
| "It's my letter." said Squire Aliens
little hired boy.
II wrote it to Billy Bliss.
"lts about my pct pfge on--my
Phebe's dove.
"Dolly Dutton kept it at her house
for me, and it got poisoned with some
OF the stuff she got for rats
"Then," gasped Mr.. Duokett, "why
didn't we find il. then 2"