Wood County reporter. [volume] (Grand Rapids [i.e. Wisconsin Rapids], Wis.) 1857-1923, 1886-01-28

Mrs. Westerfeld laid the incOns3rehensi-
bic Slip of paper aside, and, in search of an
explanation, returned to the letter. Here
again she found herself in state of per
plexity. Directed to Mrs. R0derick WeSter-
field, " the letter began abruptly, without the
customary form OF address. Did it mean
that her husband was angry with her when
he wrote? 1t meant that he doubted her.
In these terms he expressed himself:
Il write to you before my trial takes place.
If the verdict goes in my favor [ shall de-
stroy what | have written. If l am found
guilty l must leave it to you to do what I
should otherwise have done for myself.
1.-THE undeserved misfortune that has over
taken me began with the arrival of my ship
in the port of Rio Our second mate (his
duty for the day being done) asked leave to
go on shore-and never returned. What mo-
tive determined him on deserving am not
able to say. 1t was my own wish to supply
his place by promoting the best seaman on
board. My owners agents Overruled me,
and appointed a man of their own choosing.
What nation he belonged to, / don't
know. The name he gave was BeljameS
and he was reported to be a broken-down
gentleman. Whoever he might be, MS man.
ner and his talk were captivating. Every
body liked him.
After the two calamitieS of the loss of the
ship and the disappearance of the diamonds
these latter being valued at 95, 000--I re-
turned to England by the first opportunity
that offered, having Beljames for a cOmpan-
ion.
Shortly after getting back to my house in
London was privately warned by "a good
friend that my owners had decided to pros
ecute me for willfully casting away the. ship,
and (crueller stilD for having stolen the miss
ing diamonds. The second mate, who had
been in command Of the vessel when she
struck the rock, was similarly charged along
with me. Knowing myself to be innocent
determined, of course, to stand my trial. My
wonder was what Beljames would do.
Would he follow my example, or, if he got
chance, would he try to make his escape?
Il might have thought it only friendly to
give this person word of warning, if / had
known where to find him. We had separated
when the ship reached the port of Falmouth,
in Cornwall, and had not met since. [ gave
him my address in London, but he gave me
no address in return.
"On the voyage home Beljames told me
that legacy had been left to him, being
small freehold house and garden in st Johns
Wood, London. His agent, writing to him
on the subject, had reported the place to be
sadly out of repair and had advised him to
fnG somebody who would take it off his
hands on reasonable terms. This seemed to
point to likelihood of his being still in Lon
don, trying to sell his house.
''While my mind was running on these
recOllectiOns / was told that a decent elderly
woman wanted to see me. She proved to be
the landlady Of the house in which Beljames
lodged; and she brought an alarming mes
sage. The man was dying, and desired to
see me. | went to him Immediately.
''Few words are best, when one has to
write about ones own troubles.
"BeljameS had heard of the intended prose-
cution. How he had been made aware of
it, death left him no time to tell me The
miserable wretch had poisoned himself
whether in terror of standing his trial, or in
remorse of conscience, it is not any business
of mine to decide. Most unluckily for me,
he first ordered the doctor and the Iandlady
out Of the room-and then, when we two
were alone, owned that he had purposely
altered the course of the ship, and had stolen
the diamonds.
''To do him justice, he was eager to save
me from suffering for his fault.
Having eased his mind by confession, he
gave me the slip of paper (Written in cipher
which you will find inclOsed in this. There
is my note of the place where the diamonds
are hidden,' he said. Among the many
ignorant people who know nothing of ciphers,
/ am one-and [ told him so. That's how [
keep my secret he said; write from my die
tation, and you shall know what it means.
Lift me up first AS did it. he rolled his
head to and fro, evidently in pain. But he
managed to point to pen, ink and paper on
a table hard by, on which his doctor had been
writing. [ left him for moment to pull the
table nearer to the bed-and, in that moment,
he groaned and cried out for help. l ran to
the room downstairs where the doctor was
waiting. When we got back to him he was
in commissions. 1t was all over with Bel
james.
The lawyers who are to defend me have
tried to get experts as they call them, to in
terpret the cipher. The experts have all fail
ed. They will declare, if they are called as
witnesses, that the signs on the paper are
not according to any known rules and are
marks made at random meaning nothing.
''As for any statement, on my part, of the
confession made to me, the law refuses to
hear it except from the mouth of a witness.
might prove that the ships course was
changed, contrary to my directions after I
had gone below to rest, if l could find the
man who was steering at the time. God only
knows where that man is.
ION the other hand, the errors of my past
life and my being in debt are circumstances
dead against me. The lawyers seem to trust
almost entirely in famous counsel, whom
they have engaged to defend me. For my
own part l go to my trial with little or no
hope.
IF you are now my widow, and if you
may have any love left for my memory, new
er rest until you have found somebody who
can interpret these cursed signs. Do for me,
I say, what cannot do for myself. Recov-
Ell the diamonds; and, when you restore
them, show my owners this letter.
kiss the children for me. I wish them,
when they are old enough, to read this de-
Tense of myself and to know that their faith
er, who loved them dearly, died an innocent
man. My good brother will take care OF you
for my sake. have done.
Frederick WEsTERFIELD."
Mrs. Westerfeld took up the cipher once
more. She looked at it as if it was living
thing that defed her.