The Somerset herald. [volume] (Somerset, Pa.) 1870-1936, 1886-03-03

has. been committed. They fell out
there's no doubt of that, and ther
was scuffie; but perhaps her 90
ing over was an accident; | couldn'
swear that, when he thrust out hi
two hands. be had given her a pusi
that had sent her over
"Well, sir, the burden of my Sc
cret lay heavy on my mind. and as
walked up and down on my lonely
beat, it began to eat into me. Say:
/ to myself, Matthew Duncan. you
knog Of murder, and you've never
told of it., and it ended in my get
ting fever, and was as near dead
AZ a man could be. When | came a
bit to myself had the parson seat
for and told him that | had great
load on nv mind, and wanted u
ease it by telling it to him. and
told him the whole story from begin
ming to end, and our captain-I had
him in, too.
=" But the gentleman only smiled
at what said Poor fellow, says
one, the fever's on him still. - Ay,
saws the other, you see It's the same
thing he's been raving on all
alung.
well, | was very weak, and
couldn't talk much, and | aas wea-
nv with my earnestneSs IN trying TO
make them believe what | said, so |
/ Just laid back with my eyes closed,
and they thought | was asleep. But
| | heard them talking, and the cap
tain SAID, ''Tis pity, too, for he's
one of the best and sharpest-eyed
men on the force, and I'm afraid
he'll never be fit for anything again.
Oh, twill work off, said the minis
ter; you may be sure that when he
strengthens up he will forget all his
fever fancies. You mustn't think of
his leaving the service. He must
get sick-leave for awhile. I've seen
many cases as strange as this, and
thev came around all right at last.
Well, | made two or three more
attempts. and | tried the doctor, but
he says, III send you some strength
ening medicine, Duncan, and youth
be all right and he tapped his fore
head and said, Fever makes sad
work with our brains
saw il was no use trying TO
persuade any OF the gentlemen |
did my best, and there, now, | must
leave it.
But [ warnt quite easy in my
mind. Looking at it now at this
distance of time, | think it was my
duty to have reported it, and taken
the consequences, whatever they
might have been, but this | did; |
says to myself, There's no knowing
what may turn up by-and-by, if this
is murder-murder will out. as the
saying is, but | may not remember
all that ought to be remembered by
the only man that saw the deed done;
so | Just took and wrote down on a
paper what | had seen, and hid it
carefully away lest it should come to
any hand. And if | died-well, |
took care that the account, whatever
it might be worth, should not be
lost, for | marked 1t outside, When
| am dead this paper is to be given
10 the minister ofthis parish, and no
one is to break one OF the seals upon
it but himself. And to make the
matter as sure as / could, | put six
seals upon it-every one of them
ditierent-I borrowed them far and
near, wherever | could | put down
the day, the hour, and the color of
the young lady's dress, the shape of
ker hat, and the cut of the young
mans beard and whiskers, and the
red handkerchief around his neck
of that | made especial note. for sea-
faring men don't wear that color
often. Now, said |, l We done all |
can. Time will tell But it's an
awful thing for that man, that there
has been an eye upon him that he
knew and knows nothing about.
ready to give evidence against him if
the question of murder ever turns
up. Folks often think they're not
seen, and there'll be no witness
against them but | often think.
All. there's one Eye at any rate
that's been upon you; and there's
one Eyewitness against you; go
where you will, and do what you
will, the testimony of an Eye-wit
ness is there. "Of course, Sir" said
the coastguard. reveTen.ly, " mean
the great Eye above"
a used to think myself particu-
lar before" said the old coastguards-
man, but since this happened I've
been ever so much more particular,
for | says to myself. There's Some
one looking, ay, and here's Someone
listeningl You don't see Him, but
He's there and in a way it's made a
different man Of me ever siaee,
Five years passed. said the old
man, and the doctor, and the par
son and the captain forgot all about
this matter; they didn't trouble
much about the rawlings
OF man in a fever, a. they thought,
and twas midsummer morning again
and 1t was my turn to be on guarp.
| don't know what it was that kedt
me looking continually at the clifl,
and at that part of the ruins where
you see the cress painted on the
stone. But every moment felt the
glass a'most turning of itself to where
| had seen the poor young thing go
over the cliff. Twas as though
most expected to see something; and
they say if one expects to see some
thing, they'll do i'll suppose they
think the fancy brings the thing.
" ell, sir, l did see something. Twas
the very hour and the very day
when that young woman was thrown
from the cliff-for now we know all
about it-and there coming out OF
the ruins / saw the very man ! bad
seen five years before. ! knew him
in moment--he bad the same beard
and the same dress, but this time be
was BY Aimself. was watching
him closely, for l was determined
that there should be no mistake: and
| kept the glass on him. as rifle.
man would keep his rifle aimir & at
a bulls eye l could see him as