The Cambria freeman. [volume] (Ebensburg, Pa.) 1867-1938, 1885-10-23

of saying that il was quite imDOsSibIe
Tor had been on the Chain Pier last
night, and had seen nothing of the
kind. Some impulse restrained me.
Il would not go so far as to say it was
/ murder, interrupted a sturdy b0atunan.
/ Il have been about here a great MANY
years, and l have seen some 0ueer
things. J should hardly call this muir
1T was life taken away. whether
| you call 1t murder or not, - said the old
. man.
May be-but am not sure. l have
seen many mad with misery, but muir
: der is rare thing"
what is it?" l asked.
"A child sir only a little child, :"
SAID the sturdy bOatman. The body Of
little child found drowned off the pier
here"
Now. why should start. and trem-
/ bic, and grow sick at heart? What had
/ 1t TO do with me? l knew nothing of
/ any murdered child, yet great drops
/ trembled.
/ "A little child found drowned" :" l re-
. peated; but how do you know it was
murdered? 1t may have fallen into the
water"
TT was not old enough for that, sir.n
said the elder bOatman, sit is but a fair
little mlte-a baby girl; not more than
three weeks DID,
All, why did the beautiful. desperate
face | had seen the night before flash
before my eyes then? The boatman
went on
1T is plain to my eyes that it is
murder; although the child is but a
tender babe; all the greater murder for
that, bigger child might have helped
1 itself. this one could not" "
Tel me about it?' | said.
All. if my heart would but stop beat
ing, or If the beautiful, desperate face
would but fade from my memory.
1T was James Clayton who found il. -
continued the old man. He was at
work in the jetty this morning when he
caught sight of something moving up
and down with the waves: at first he
thought 1t looked like an old rag, and
lie took no notice OF 1t. then something
about it attracted his attention more
and more. He went nearer and found
that II was grey and black shawl, that
had caught on some large hooks which
had been driven into the wooden pillars
for some purpose or Other-a wOman's
shawl. sure as could be; some lady. he
thought had dropped it over the pier
and Il had caught on these hooks below
the water. Jim was pleased; he thought
II worth anything, he nj Eht get a tTifle
of reward for it; If not, lie might take
( ii home TO his old mother.
lie took his boat to the spot. but.
not only shawl. but a bundle. he
thought he had found treasure. and
FASTENED to get 1t quickly of the hooks.
It had been caught M1Uc tightly by ac-
cident than it could have been placed
there by human hands. 1t was tight on
the hooks, and he had 10 tear the shawl
, to get it of. He lost no time opening
It, and there was a little fair child,
drowned and dead
1t was not pleasant sight. sir, on a
bright morning, when the sunshine was
dancing over the waves. Jim said his
heart turned quite tain when he saw
the little white DOdy-5Hch a fair little
mite, sir IT was enough to make the
very angels weep. Some woman. sir
Heaven forbid that il was the mother
-SGEne woman had dressed it in pretty
white clothes. II had whIte gown.
with lace, and a soft white wOOllen cap
on the little golden head. 4 sorry
sight. sir-a sorry sight. Jim said that
when he thought of that little tender
body swinging TO and fro with the waves
ali night, he could not keep the tears
from his eyes.
1t was meant TO sink. YOU see. sir. -
continued the man, with rough energy
1T was never meant to be caught.
But the great God. He is above all, and
He knows the little one was not to sink
TO the bottom like lead. 1t is true, sir,
ana murder Will out"
But is nothing known" I asked
surely such a thing could never be
done without someone seeing or know
ing something about it,
1 am afraid. sir, no one knows but
the one who did 1t. Some woman. SIT,
had dressed the little thing-a man
would never have thought of the soft
WOOllen cap. And | can tell YOU GuOth-
er thing, SIr-a man would never have
killed child like that; not that l am
uphOldIng mem some of them are
bTutes enOugh-but do not think any
man would throw a little babe into the
water. When woman is bad, she is
bad. and there is nothing Vile enough
for her"
l thought of the beautiful and des-
perate face. Heaven grant that she
might have nothing To do with this.
And yet-the black and grey shawl?
w hereaboUtS was it," | asked.
lie pointed with his hand to the very
spot where she had stood.
just there" he said. 1t WAS there
the litJ.c bundle was thrown. and there.
just below the line OF the ietJy, it was
caught 10y the hooks.
The Identical SPOT where she had
stood. On. be@Ulilsl. uesp3,rnT face.
what was hiCuen Under your mask of
stone?
'Gou should GO oa tHo pier, sir, and
see for Yourself. said jGe Old man.
lt.- E..t'.'l litt ttlialtll tt lllt ttl-4t-f' IL
there now. bUJ jUry VIII never ina out
who did that, Women are deep when
they are wicked. and tie one who did
this was wicked enough"
There was a slight suggestion on the
part of the little group as to the morn
ing being a dry one. We parted on very
satisfactory terms.
/ went on the pier, and under the
wooden shelter where ! had sat last
night. / saw a grOup-the Superlntend-
ent of the police with one of the officers.
the manager of the pier, the keepers of
the different stalls, few strangers, and
Jim, the bOatman, who had found the
little bundle dripping wet. Oh, Heay-
en-! the pathos of it. On the wooden
seat lay the little bundle. so white, so
fair, like a small. pale rosebud, and by
it, in a wet heap, lay the black and
grey shawl. | knew il in one moment;
there was not another word to be said;
that was the same shawl l had seen in
the woman's hands when she dropped
the little bundle into the seattle self
same. l had seen it plainly by the
bright, fitful CLEAN of the moon. The
superintendent said something to me,
and | went forward TO look at the little
child-SO small. 50 fair, SO ten,- how
could any woman. with a WOman'S
heart, drop that warm, soft little nurS-
ling. into the cold, deep sea. 1t was
woman who killed JOel-a woman who
slew Holofernes-but the woman who
drowned this little, tiny child, was
more cruel by far than they.
What a sweet little face.' said the
superintendent-'-it looks just as if it
were made of wax"
| bent forward All! if had doubted
before. l could doubt no longer. The
little face, even in its waXen pallor- was