Pittsburg dispatch. [volume] (Pittsburg [Pa.]) 1880-1923, 1889-05-25

| where he spent only one night after his ar
| rival in England, and the services of DIR.
| Bland had been called into requisition on
the night of his arrival in Brighton. "A
| typical lo-Indian-confrmed dyspeptic
and advanced liye< disease, was the great
| physieian's'report of his patient, on whom
he had remained in attendance until his re-
moval from Brighton.
Doggett now turned his steps northward
and arrived at Clansyde two days later, only
to find that his labor was all in vain.
Major Macdonald had breathed his last at
York a fortnight ago, and had been inferred
in that historic city, and as soon as Mrs.
Macdonald's strength would permit of her
resuming her journey she might be expected
to arrive at Clansyde.
Such was the news communicated to him
by the intelligent factor Mr.. McOallum.
VI.
Doggett made no delay in returning to
town, to communicate the result of his
labors to Mr.. Webber, and to ask for fresh
instructions. He broke his journey at York
to discover whether the facts were as stated
by the factor, and satisfied on this head re-
sumed his journey without loss of time.
But Mr.. Webber was already in possession
of all the information that Doggett had
CLEANED before the detectives arrival. This
information had come to him in the form of
claim on the Universal, forwarded with
the necessary certificates and particulars by
a respectable firm of solicitors in York,
acting in behalf Of the newly-made widow.
The meager particulars which Doggett had
succeeded in obtaining from Sir Marcus
Bland, the Brighton physician, were far
from satisfactory, but then they furnished
sufficient data to show that the malady to
which the Major had suceumbed was in
every essential feature similar in character
to the illness which had so nearly reached !
fatal termination in India when Colonel
West jumped to the conclusion that his
friend was being slowly done to death by
slow poison.
Mr.. Webber called into council as many
of the directors of the Universal as could |
be got together on short notice, and after
long and anxious consultation they decided
to refuse to admit the claim and to state !
their reason fairly, viz, that the deceased |
had met his death by unfair means.
1t was originally suggested that the facts |
ii possession of Mr.. Webber should be COM
municated to the Coroner at York, with the
view OF obtaining an inquest on the re-
mains, but the absence of Colonel West |
from England, and the difficulties surround |
ing the case led the directors to take a |
course which would have the effect of either |
relieving them of their liability-an i'm
portant point in the Judgment of the di- |
rectors-or would compel Mrs. Macdonald |
to proceed by protracted litigation to en- |
force her claim, an expedient which would |
allow OF Colonel West being communicated !
with.
An angry letter, written by the solicitors
at York employed by Mrs. Macdonald, fol-
lowed the refusal on the part of the Uniyer-
sal to meet the claim, in which the dis
tressed condition of their client at the shame
full imputation laid against her was skill
fully set forth. But Mr.. Webber refused to
bulge, simply naming the eompany's solic-
itor and stating that he would accept service
of writ on their BEHALF
But if the directors of the Universal i'm
agined that Mrs. Macdonald would be terri
fed by the bold front they had placed on
matters, in refusing admission of her claim
and imputing her husbands death to foul
play, they were mistaken. Mrs. Macdonald
was determined to fight the matter out,>a
circumstance that subsequently told heavily
in her favor when the case went before
jury. The company's solicitor was served
with writ Immediately after the receipt of
Mr.. Webber's letter, and the decks were at
once cleared for action.
The company's solicitor at this time was
Mr.. Kenneth Fraser, the story of whose
.ragic death, which occurred not many
years afterward, has been told in the
mystery at Clump Cottage. Doggett was
1t once dispatched to York to hunt up what
Information he could, while Mr.. Kenneth
Fraser went down to Brighton to interview
Sir Marcus Bland, who had attended the
deceased Major from the time of his arrival
n England down to the period when he set
'ut on his ill-fated journey northward to
lis Scottish home, to die, as it turned out,
IN the road.
But Sir Marcus Bland, between whose
ognomen and his oily, gracious manner
ome subtle link existed, was only able to
ngsged by the other side, and Until I |