Sharp County record., 1885-07-09

y l,sor who had come to such a sad end
JUs the gentleman who had LETT his
iise in my charge, which suspicion
intensified when | was relieved at
he with the article still unclaimed. L
Z hected, however, that its owner may
NJ I'VE been chained to the scene OF the
-Isaster by that morbid curiosity which
Iduces people to linger about the spot
there any calamity of the kind has re-
Emily occurred, and then, finding that
ne was pressed for time, and knowing
shat his property would be perfectly
'Y afe, had gone direct to the city.
I handed over the bag to the sentry
who relieved me without mention
oinp to him anything of the circum-
stances of the case; and when ne
returned from duty at eleven, L eagerly
asked him if the valise had been called
ltor. ,.r ,
NO." he replied; sit is still lying
behind the wall. "
| went on sentry again at one o'clock
and no one had come for it. 1t was the
heicht of the London season and Hyde
Par presented its customary gay ap-
pearance; but the imposing array OF
splendidly-appointed equipages,, dash
inc equestrians and fashionably-dressed
ladies and gentlemen, which at other
times was to me most interesting
spectacle. that afternoon passed by un-
hooded as all nv thoughts were CEN
tered on speculations regarding the 1ate
OF the owner of the bag. Before being
relieved at three | had it conveyed to
nv room in barracks, and after coming
off guard placed it for greater security
in the troop store. That evening, before
s.stables, ." when the orderly corporal
had read out the duties for the succeed
inc day, he said, addressing me- Jones,
YOU have to attend the orderly room to-
morrow.
"Whyp" l inquired.
"You have been reported for neglect
inc to salute Captain Sir Carnaby jerks
as he passed YOU while on sentry this
afternoon" was the corporal's answer,
said nothing by way of excuse. This
heinous charge was in all probability
true. | believe might have omitted to
.present" to Her Majesty the Queen
herself, il she had passed that afternoon
in her state carriage, so distracted was
by the engrossing subject OF this
valise.
After stables, left barracks tor my
customary walk, and purchasing copy
of the Echo from a juvenile news
vender, l read the particulars of the
fatality of the morning. Friends had
identified the body, which was that OF
gentleman named Nixon, who had re-
sided at Bayswater.
"Nixon! That corresponds with the
initial N on the bag" | thought to
myself, now perfectly convinced thai
the deceased was the person had seen
in the morning. also ascertalned
from the newspaper report that man
had been apprehended on suspicion Of
having attempted to rifle the pockets o.
the clothes of the drowned man, and
who had been roughly handled by the
crowd, before policeman could bt
procured to tako him into custody
After moments reflection decided tC
call at the address given in the paper
in order to arrange about the restora'
tion of the bag to the relatives of the
deceased.
Reaching the house | knocked softly
at the door, and stated my business tc
the domestic who appeared, by whom
| was shown into room, and imme'
diately afterward was waited upon by 8
young lady, the daughter of the de.
ceased, who, naturally enough, was
perfectly overcome with grief. l ex-
planned to her in few words the oh.
ject of my visit
Il am uncertain whether poor papa
had valse of that description when he
left this morning." she said; 'but pos.
sibly you may recognize him from the
photograph" submitting one she took
from the table for my inspection.
experienced strange sense of re.
lief-the features in the photo were
those of a person bearing no reSem-
blance whatever to the individual who
had left his bag in my charge.
The young lady thanked me heartily
for the trouble l had taken in the mat
ter; and l left the house of mourning
and returned to the barracks in very
myStified state of mind.
Gould the owner of the bag be the
thief who was caught in the act OF
plundering the dead mans clothes?" |
asked myself, but Immediately dis
missed, the idea from my mind, as being
absurd and improbable.
Next day l attended the orderly
room, and received severe admonition
from the commanding officer. Eortu-
nately for me, as it happened, Sir Car
naby had been in plain clothes, so my
offense in the eye of martial law was of
q comparatively venial character. I'm
mediately afterwards l considered it my