Belmont chronicle. [volume] (St. Clairsville, Ohio) 1855-1973, 1888-09-27
met the same reply: "She has not been

quented by hard characters, and We fear
ed-what we feared we did not dare to
speak aloud.
We searched for hours, but without
any trace or clue, and most of the party
had decided to wait until daylight before
continuing the search. l too, had turn
ed back, when one of those "vOiceS,
now 50 familiar, spoke my name. |
waited. Turn to the left. BY the big
oak you will find Nellie" You may not
believe it. No matter. | had no thought
of hesitating-my faith was sure-and
J., turning my horse, fairly flew over the
snow. 1t was only short way, and
was at the oak. sprang out of the sleigh
and flashed my light here and there, and
then gave one cry, ''Nellie!' and knew
no more.
When came out of my fathers house
again the snow had disappeared, the
trees were puning forth their tiny leaves
and the brave little crocus was in full
. bloom. Winter had retired in favor of
spring. Most of the time was blank
to me. From the moment saw Nellie's
upturned face under the old oak knew
nothing until, weeks after, L found my
self in my room, with mother bending
over me.
When l was able to bear it, they told
me all there was to tell. Nellie had
been found lying in the snow, dead
There were tracks of 4 sleigh, but so far
as they had been able to judge, there
was no struggle of any kind. Where
her head lay, there was large stone,
and mark on her forehead made them
theOrize that perhaps she fell from the
sleigh and came to her death through its
means. But why was she there, and
who was with her, and why did he leave
her? Detectives had failed to find any
clue. The country was in such state
of excitement all the time, that the Oc-
currence was forgotten sooner than it
might have been, except by the heart
broken family and immediate friends.
Yes-One other did not forget it. He
who caused her death could not forget
! it. All the thOries in the world could
not shake my belief that she had been
murdered-but by whom? My life
should be given to find out. l grew
better, but the great shock had taken !
all the ambition and aim of my life out |
of me. Work | could not. Even if |
did busy my hand with this thing or
that, my mind was not with it; it simp- |
ly used up time.
Father and mother, though they had !
their own heavy grief to bear, sorrowed |
still more to see me in such state.
And my God, how | suffered
At length l could stand it no longer.
The President was calling for more
troOps-here was Il chance for relief |
went to my father and told him it was
my only hOpe-I must get away from
myself or die. l can see him now, as ne
sat in his study, his face buried in his
hands, struggling against love and de-
sire. AT length, clasping my hands
in one of his, he placed the other on my
head, and said: "William, it is for the
best-gO, and may God protect you'll"
l will pass over the intervening days,
for though 1 had my desire, and all
thought it was for the best, the parting
was no less hard. Iobtained an officers
commission, and went out with home
regiment In the hardShips and the ex-
citement of army life l grew away from
my old self and grief, and became man.
r =
1t had been a day of heavy fighting,
and many of our brave men lay dead
and dying on the field. My regiment ;
had been in the thickest of it., and after
it was all over | went forth to look after -.
my men and to render such assistance :
as l could or that might be needed l =.
was wandering about in the vicinity >
where we had been fighting, when one of :
those "voices" that still haunted me,
but no longer gave me any uneasiness,
said: "Willie!" 1 waited. "Turn to Z
your left. Remember NellieT' Perhaps
you can imagine how this startled me;
not the sound of the "voice"-that was 4
an old story-but those words, "Remem- g
Der NellieF' Remember her! L never t
forgot her or her sad fate. Sleeping or fl
waking L seemed to see her upturned a
face as it lay there on the snow; but the Il
'voice" said, Remember Nellier l t,
turned and walked on mechanically. l il
knew L was being led for some purpose, Il
and soon the "voice" said, "He is here" O
Who was here? h
l looked down, and there lay young Il
nan in an officers uniform; he had IA Il
niliar look, but my memory refused to
place him. Suddenly, as by a great eff
,ort, it flashed across my brain he was P
me of the students at college, and a
great admirer of Nellie. He was of h
spanish birth, and Nellie often said she
vas fairly afraid of him. "
And there he lay, cold and lifeless. Il
But why had been led here? stoop- al
ID down, and saw that one hand had &c
lrawn a small leather case out of his CT
pocket. l loosened it and opened the ct
ase Inside 1 found his name and 81
ew papers, then picture. l gaSped h;
nd almost fell. 1t was Nellie's, and tc
astened to it was lock of hair! Then al
flashed across my mind, as thoughts pl
will, without any apparent reason, that
ere lay Nellie's murderer. l asked the
ueStiOn, in my mind, and, turning my Ci
ace upward, waited for an answer. 1t
ras only few seconds-it seemed an tr
ge; then a 'voice" close to my ear A
"Yes." =,
They tell me l was picked up insen- ~
ible, and many were the questions pour -
d in upon me by my comrades. What -
xcuse gave or what story told them ~ ~
have forgotten. Had | told the truth :,
hey would have thought as you do now, = =;
hat my brain was disordered; and so | ., %
ave kept the story to myself, telling n.i
My my own family. w
How he came to do it | never knew,
ut in my own mind there was never a Cn
oubt that he did commit the deed. You
ill tell me a court of law would never no
Ike such evidence. They will never -
ave the chance To me the evidence ce
conclusive. | found that he left col re-
,ge the day after Nellie was found and Tn
nlisted. His comrades say he was So riN
er and morose, but brave and daring as ue