Pittsburg dispatch. [volume] (Pittsburg [Pa.]) 1880-1923, 1889-03-23

avocations, one IN the extreme South OF
France and the other in the greatest COM
mercial city of the New World, all uncon-
scious that at moment that might now be
fixed with precision discovery and arrest
would come upon them both with the
startling suddenness Of bolt out OF the blue.
At last word came from Doggett. The
arrest had been effected, and though some
formalities remained to be gone through he
expected to leave with his prisoner five days
later. In anticipation of news from Doggett,
Detective Sims had been sent down to Dover
in readiness for the signal. The signal was
given in one word: "Act."
Sims took the next boat for Calais, ar
rested his prisoner on thequay at atMarseilies,
and returned to Paris in time to catch the
night mail, arriving with Mark Westlake
in good time on the morning following the
night which had seen Doggett arrive in
London from Liverpool with Pierce
Wharton.
The prisoners were brought up at the
Mansion House, and after brief outline of
the case had been given by counsel, a re-
mand was granted.
Sir Charles Lowndes read an account of
the proceedings before the magistrate with
undisguised horror, and after paying visit to
Newgate, where he was received with abund-
ant expressions of grief by Wharton and
cynical mockery by Westlake, he visited
Mr.. Weber at the Universal. The gallant
soldier, scarcely able to keep back his tears,
told Mr.. Webber the story Of the youthful
friendship at Harrow, and how on the night
before they parted and went their several
ways in the world, they had each vowed to
help the other at his need, and that in full
fllment of that VOW, he had come to in
duce the Office to take merciful view of
the case, offering not only to make good the
losses endured by the companies, but any
sum, even to half his fortune, if the ofense
could be condoned.
Mr.. Webber could not help being touched
at the brave soldiers devotion to his friends,
and the noble offer he had made to avert
from the companions of his boyhood the
consequences Of their crime. But 1t was
not to be as he wished. As delicately as he
could, Mr.. Webber tried to bring Sir
Charles to look at the matter from the stand
point OF, inexorable public duty; but Sir
Charles went away sorrowful, and brave
man though he was and is, he murmured
aloud that in his case, at least, the claims
of an old friendship, refused to take a sec
ond place to any other consideration. And
nobly did he redeem his word.
The prisoners were committed for trial in
due course, and the matter came on for hear
ing before one of Her Majesty's judges at
the Central Criminal Court, where iormi-
dable bill of indictment was preferred
against both prisoners. But that against
DR.. Westlake was the more formidable of
the two. That both prisoners were guilty of
daring fraud was beyond all question. But
their respective shares in the crime were
different.
The inception of the crime was due to
the more powerful and fertile brain of
Westlake, and this was assumed, though it
could not be proved by the Crown. Whar-
toms share in the proceeds of the fraud was
larger than that of Westlake's, and his
need in the first instance had led to the in
vention of the plan. But neither of these
facts were known to the Crown. Both men
held their mouths closed to the last. Whar
toms share was limited to the more passive
act of flight and sharing of the proceeds.
Westlake provided the dead body which
was substituted for the living body of
Wharton. He signed the false certificate
that Pierce Wharton had died from cerebral
apoplexy. He gave perjured testimony at
the inquest held later. He misled Mrs.
Wharton, and made her the unconscious
instrument of efecting great YillainY. He
used her as the mechanical recipient of the
money paid over by the insurance offices.
He was the master spirit and the active
agent of the plot, and on him the stern
hand of the law fell heaviest.
The case for the Crown against Wharton
was weaker than it deserved to be. He was
found guilty of conspiracy only, and was
sentenced to seven years penal servitude.
The jury contented themselves with re-
turning a verdict on three counts of the
indictment against Westlake, who was SEN
fenced to three several terms of five, seven
and eight years penal servitude. The SEN
tences were cumulative
Sir Charles Lowndes interested himself
after the trial, but in vain, to secure an
abatement of punishment. Having failed
in his attempt he frequently visited both
convicts in the penal settlements to which
they were sent.
Wharton's health broke down at Dart
moor, and when it became clear that his life
was to be measured by days rather than
weeks, the order came for his release, and
he was removed to Bournemouth by his
constant friend, and nurseG by him with
more than the fidelity of soldier and the
tenderness of woman, through the last
stages of consumption. Into Sir Charles
Lowndes' ear Wharton poured forth tine
whole story of his temptation and fall.
When the hero of the Mut1uy learned that it
was to make good wrong done to himself
that Wharton and Westlake had sinned to-
gether his anguish was inexpressible.
"Could you not have trusted me to for
give?" the brave warrior cried, Will the
tears coursed down his cheeks. "What were
my paltry earnings compared with the ruin
of your life?''
you. 1 was fool to have doubted it, was
he hrot txy hot frnu horf 'u
dying lips. And with this avowal of the
stuff of which his friendship was made, the
soldier had to be content
Soon after this Wharton died. He lies
buried in the cemetery at Bournemouth,
where the breath of the pine woods is
waited along with the salt air of the summer
sea.
Westlake, torn away from the pursuits he
had followed with too little scruple, was
unable to endure the strain of the monot-
ony of prison life. His mind gave way,
and he was removed to Broadmoor There
h e was pronounced incurable; and then Sir
Charles's intercessions for Westlake's re-
lease prevailed with the Government, and
the once brilliant scientist was taken care
of by his old Harrow friend. Various re-
treats were tried for him, but his restless
ness and violence increased until the exper-
1m6uL WAS LuhU6 Vi us EcuONdl W
ton, where the famous specialist in mental
disease wore his life away, hopeless i'm
beetle, in more or less restful calm within
the walls where he wrung many a secret
from nature by means it would be too curl
GUS to speculate upon, and upon the scene
where the great fraud was planned, and, in
part, executed.
Mason did not recover from the attack, as
stated by Howgate. His death from cere-
bral apoplexy at the critical moment,
though wholly unexpected by the conspira-
tors, materially advanced the success with
which they executed their plot. The sue
cess of the scheme was largely contributed
to by the indifference of Mason's friends to
to his fate. 1t is needless to say that How
gate was in the secret, for without his con-
nivance the continued presence of Whar-
ton at the Retreat until the time came for
him to escape in diguise to Liverpool would
have been almost impossible.
And what of Mrs. Wharton and Marcia?
By what means Mrs. Wharton was induced
to overlook the cruel deception that had