The morning news. [volume] (Savannah, Ga.) 1887-1900, 1889-09-01
THE MORNING NEWS: SUNDAY, SEPTEMBER, 1885,

Brighton or Hastings-where this story
will he soon forr,otten and no one will asso-
ciate your names with this terrible bust
ness"
About that time stranger arrived at
CarneSford. He announced that he was
carpenter from the north, aud that he sur
fered from weak lungs, and had been rec
commended to live down south. After
staying for week at the Carne's Arms he
stated that he liked the village 50 much
that he should settle there If he saw a
chance Of making livelihood, and "a it
happened that there was no carpenter in
the village, the idea was received with
favor, and week later he was established
In a cottage that happened TO be vacant.
As he was a man who seemed to have
Travelled about England good deal AID
was well spoken and informed, he soon
took good position in the place, and was
even admitted to form one Of the party in
the snuggery, where he would talk we'll
upon occasions, but was specially popular
as an excellent listener.
When spring came there was fresh
sensation. The gardener at the Hold, IN
digging UP some ground at the edge Of the
shrubbery, to plant some rhododendrons,
there turned I'D the missing watch and
jewelry of Margaret Carne. 1t was all
buried together few inches below the soil,
without any wrapper or covering Of any
kind. Capt. Hendricks arrived at Carnes-
ford as soon as the news OF the discovery
reached him. Reginald Carne was him
self away. having been absent ever since
the trial took place. Most Of the servants
had left at once, the old cook and niece
of hers alone remaining in charge, and two
stablemen from the garden also staying in
the house.
Nothing came of the discovery, but it of
course renewed the interest in the mystery
of Magaret Carnes death, and the general
opinion was that it was fortunate indeed
for Ronald Mervyn that the discovery had
not been made before his trial, for it COM
pletelY demolished the theory that the muir
der was the work of a burglar. Il was pos
sible, of course, that such a man, knowing
the active hue and cry that would be set
on foot, and that 1t would be dangerous t.
offer the jewellery for sale, and still more
dangerous to keep it about him, had at onca
buried it, intending to go back some day to
recover it, for as Reginald stated at tho
trial the missing jewels were worth 81 800
But had they been so hidden they would
| assuredly have been put in box or some
| sort of cover that would protect them from
| the damp. and not have been merely thrust
| into the ground. Altogether the discovery
| greatly heightened, instead of diminishing,
| the impression that the murder was an act
| of revenge an6 not the outcome of robbery
and the cloud over r )nald Mervyn became
heavier rather than lighter in conse-
| quence.
Ruth Powlett had gained health and
| strength RAPIDLY after the verdict of "Not
| guilty. had been returned against Ronald
| Mervyn. She was still grave and quiet
| and as she went aoout her work at home
| Hesba would sometimes tell her that she
| looked more like a woman of 50 than q
girl of 10; but her mind had been lightened
from the burden of her terrible secret, and
| she felt comparatively happy. She spent
| mucn of her time over at the Forest9rs'
| for the old man and his wife were both ling,
| and they knew that there was little chance
| of their ever seeing their son again, for the
| gamekeeper who had been injured in the
poaching atfray had since died, and as the
| evidence given at the inquest all pointed to
the fact that 1t was George Forester who had
struck the blow that had eventually proved
| fatal, a verdict of "Willful murder" had
| been returned against him.
| Ruth's conscience was not altogether free
as to her conduct in the matter, and at the
time of Mrs. Mervyn's death she suffered
much. As for Ronald Mervyl himself, she
had little compassion for him. She would
not have permitted him to be hanged but the
! disgrace that had fallen upon him, and the
fact that he had been Obliged to leave the
| country, affected her a little. She had
been greatly attached to her mistress, who
had treated her rather as a friend than as {
| servant; and that he should have insulte.
and threatened Margaret was in her eye
| an offense so serious that she considered i
richly deserved the punishment that haC
betallen him.
Until she heard of Mrs Mervyn's death
she had scarcely considered that the inao
cent must suffer with the guilty, and afte
that she felt far more than she had don
| before, That she had acted wrongly in keep
ing tn secret, the more 50 since the verde
returned against George Forester in tn
other Sc had rendered the concaalment &
some extent futile. But indeed Forester
| and his wife did not suffer anything like
| the pain and shame from this verdict tina
| they would have done had their son beer
proven to have been the murderer of Mis-
| Carne. Public opinion, indeed
ran against poachlng as agains
! drunkenness or enlisting in the army, Of
| other wild )nduct; but it was not consid
cred as an absolute crime, nor was til,
result of fight, in which a keeper NIGH
be killed by blow struck in self-defense
| regarded as a murder, in whatever poin
| of view the law might taxi
| it. Still, Ruth suffered, and at times TOLD
| herself bitterly, that although she meant tC
| act for the best, she had done wrongly anc
wickedly in keeping George Forester
| secret.
Three months later, to the regret of al
| Carnesford, the carpenter, who although
not a f1rst-rate hand, had been able to dc
the work of the village and neighborhood
suddenly left. He hal, he said, received a
letter telling him he had come into a little
property up in the north, and must return
| to see after it. So two days later the cot
tage again stood vacant, and Carnesford
when it wanted carpenters job done, was
1 l. -. i Nt..v,
q man to do it.