Wheeling Sunday register. [volume] (Wheeling, W. Va.) 1882-1934, 1886-09-26

summer sun SnOne Ou0 aSoAhi w
birds sangin my heart, and the very heavens
seemed to be opened above me.
at don't wonder at your being upset,
gentlemen. 1 feel a bit queer myself; but
YOU must really compose yourself ana
listen 10 what l have to tell you. l had
never such story to tell before. Lor bless
me, III never believe men again. Every
one of them is alike. They play their
anne 30 beautifully that you think there
can be no catching 'em; and then, 10 and
behold! you find that all the time they
have been playing your game, too, M IN
the way that you least of all expected"
Having delivered himself of this exor-
dunn. Bielski took for his pocket a small
parcel, from which he duly extracted the
little memorandum book i had found at
Great Lorton Hall.
''This book, gentlemen, Is neither more
nor less the diary of Francis Branksome.
Esquire, NJ. D., for nearly the whole oithe
present year. And in 1t DIR. Branksome
has set down, all as plain as a pikeSr II,
the whole history of his own proceedings
during that time, and of the crimes when
he has committed, including the murder OF
Mr.. Mauleverer, and the plan ny which
the suspicion of that murder was TO De
thrown upon Miss Stanclite."
A cry of horror broke from the lips OF
Harding. For my part, l sat s~pellbOund
and silent.
az never saw anything in my life before
to compare with this, gentlemen" con-
tinued the detective, shaking his head EN-
phatically. ~ have seen a many queer
things in my time; but never anything
like this. Here's q clever man, an educated
man, a man who thinks that he can take
in everybody around him, and that we are
all nothing more than chesSmen to be
moved about by him at his pleasure-aye,
and a man who does move people about
lust as he pleases for year after year; n
vet this clever man is such a tool that he
thinks he can put his secrets into writing,
and prevent anybody from discovering 'em,
simply because he mixes up two systems
of short hand, and makes II of his own
out of 'em, in which to keep his diary.
Bielski looked round rs though to ask our
opinion on the subject, ,
81 remember" said Harding, - case OF
a murderer in Paris who was convicted
through u diary in which he left q record
of all his crimes"
'sDo YOU indeed, sir? Well, all l can
say is that it is the first time I've come
across such a case. But now, gentlemen,
| must tell you what the diary says. 1t
took me and my mate all day yesterday
and down to three O'Clock this morning to
translate it; and we shouldn't have got
done with it yet if it hadn't been that
luckily this clever DR.. BranksOme had
chosen for his cipher two systems, both OF
which my friend happened TO know"
Thereupon Bielski produced a large
batch of manuscript, and he began to turn
over the pages, most of which | saw were
covered with his handwriting.
s'My friend deciphered, and | wrote
down as he read it," he explained to us.
~ am not going to trouble you with the
the early part of the story, though there
is plenty that | shall have to deal with
afterwards. I'll keep straight to what
concerns this case. Here is the first eX-
tract after he has seen yOW, Mr. Fenton:
Arrived Scarborough six n. III. Went
ashore at eight, and joined the boss and
Daisy at Grand hotel. The old man very
well; appears to have got over the attack
of bronchitis. Looks us if he might live
twenty years yet. Had the usual business
talk with him, and settled everything
satisfactorily. No suspicion OF FOSdyke's
game .FOsdyke's game" said the detec-
tive, breaking of suddenly, twas to trans
fer an immense number of Mauleyerer'S
bonds into portable and transferable secu-
rites. The rogues were determined,
whether the man lived or died, to dip
their hands into his pOcdets. Found to
disgust that Daisy has made the ac-
uuaintance of Il yOnng man named Fenton.
/ suspected something from her of
Speaking of him. 1t seems that he pro-
tected her from that brute GreGSOn ut York
railway station, and she repays him by
falling in love with him. l made an OPP
p~ortunity of observing them both closely.
There is no doubt that he is tOnd of her,
and | find that he has got an intlence over
her which l must destroy rs speedily as
possible. A commonplace, inOffensiye
young man, but in my way, and therefore
to be got out OF 1T.
The extract affords q fair sample of the
perfect frankneSs with which BrakSOme
had committed his thoughts to parper.
There wal not the faintest attempt in the
diary at self-deceptiOn. Ii he told n lie,
he said 50 straight out; if he committed
any crime, trivial or great, it was described
with cynical plainness of speech. If the
whole of that extraordinary volume were
to be published it would be one OF the
most interesting psychological revelations
ever given to the world.
But it must suffice for my purpose here
to give but Il brief series Of extracts from
the diary. The entry referring to my visit
to the hall was as follows:
SEPTEMBER 20.-This morning / pro-
cured form London my old medicine chest.
Found IA good supply of strychuia, Ascer-
tanned that the boss had got a new box Of
pills from Carrick yesterday. Have been
busy experimenting all the morning, max
ing up powders in imitation of Carrick'S.
FentOn came Oh Il visit Just before dinner
hOur-mOre desperately in love than ever.
After dinner he and Daisy went into the
garden together, and | set Flinter to watch
them. He was the witness of very pretty
love scene-Daisy and her young gentlemen
billing and cooling in the most approved
style. When | got the boss away from his
guest at night told him the whole story
In my own fashion and let him know that
l had ascertained quite enough to prove
that FentOn was a scamp probably in
league with GregsOn. | had a little diff
fculty with him at first. He seemed to
have taken rather a liking to the lad.
But when | told him that he had been
speaking contemporary of him Maui
%everer) to Daisy, and specializing upon the
chance of his dying soon, and leaving them
in possession of his wealth, his temper
changed, and he became furiOuSly angry,
and told me that FentOn must be got out
of the house Immediately after breakfast
tomorrow morning. Flinter, l find, has
grave suspicious that Fcnton knows some
thing. and insists upon his being removed
from the spot ut the moment the grand
coup is struck"
Then came other entries describing my
departure from the hall, and the way in
which BrankSOme succeeded in infaming
the mind Ofthe doomed Mauleverer against
both me and Daisy, Finally cam the
story Of the execution of the vile plot itself.
OCTOBER daisy was sent of to
Little LOrtOn with strict orders to procure