The morning news. [volume] (Savannah, Ga.) 1887-1900, 1889-11-17

LAID on the grass urder the shade OF a tree.
toward evening, the surgeon having
hnished his pressing work, came to them.
de felt George Forrester's pulse.
he is sinking fast" he said, in reply to
Honald's anxious look. Il will ses what l
can do"
he poured some brandy between George
Forrester's lips and held bottle of ammo
MIA TO his nose. Presently there was d sep
sigh, and then Forester opened his eyes.
For minute be looked round vaguely, aud
his eve fell upon Ronald
80 you got me out of the hands of the
Kaffirs, Capt. Mervyn," he said in faint
voice. II caught sight of you among them
as went down, know they have done for
me, but l would rather be buried whole
than hacked into pieces
Il did my best for you, Forester" Mer-
vyn said. Il am sorry was not up a min
ute sooner. Now, Forester, you see l have
been hit pretty hard, too; will you do one
thing for mes | want you 70 confess about
what was speaking to you; it will make all
the difference to other people"
II may as we'll tell the truth as not.n
Forester said; Though | don't see how it
makes much difference"
doctor" Ronald said, "could you kindly
send and ask Capt. Twentyman and Lieut..
Daniels to come here at once! l want them
to hearn
George FOrrester's eyes were closed, and
he was breathing family when the two Off
GERS, who had ridden up a few minutes
before with their corps, came up TO the
spot
The surgeon again gave the wounded man
some strong cordial.
Twill you write down what he says"
Ronald said to Capt. Twentyman.
The latter took out a note book and pen
Gil
II make this confession" Forester said
family, AT the request of Capt Mervyn,
who risked his life IN getting me out from
among the Kafirs. My real name is George
Forester, and at home live near Carnes-
ford, in Devonshire. | was one night
poaching in Mr.. Carne's woods, with some
men from Dareport, when we came upon
the keepers. There was a fight. One of
the keepers knocked my gun out of my
hand, and as he raised his gun to knock me
on the head, l whipped out my knife,
opened it, and stuck it into him. I didn't
mean to kill him, it was Just done in a mo-
ment; but he died from it. We ran away.
Afterward | found that | had lost my
knife, l supposed dropped it. That's all
| have to saw"
mot all, Forester. not all, said Ronald,
who had listened with impatience to the
slowely-uttered words of the wounded man
der of Miss Carne want you to TELL"
THE murder of Miss Carne,n George
Forester repeated, slowely. 81 know
nothing about that She made Ruth
break it off with me, and / nearly killed
Ruth, and 1 would have killed her if | had
had the chance, but l never had. I was
glad when heard she was killed, but l
don't know who did it."
But your knife was found by her body"
/. i =
Forester"
Murdered Miss Carmel the man said.
half raising himself on his elbow in sur
prise. "Never. swear had nothing to
do with it.
rush of blood poured from his mouth,
for one OF the assegais had pierced his lung,
and moment later George Forester fell
back dead. The disappointment and revul-
sion OF feeling were too great for Ronald
Mervyn, and h3 tainted. When he recov-
cred, the surgeon was leaning over him.
"You mustn'0 talk, lad; you must keep
yourself quite quiet, or we shall have fever
setting in and all sorts of trouble"
Ronald closed his eyes, and lay back
quietly. How could this bes He Thought
of Mary Armstrong; letter, of the chain
of proofs that had accumulated against
George Forester; they seemed absolutely
convincing, and yet there was no doubling
the ring of truth in the last words of the
dying man. His surprise at the accusation
was genuine; his assertion of his innocence
absolutely convincing; he had no motive
tor lying, he was dying and he knew it.
Besides, the thing had come so suddenly
upon him that there would be no tune for
him to frame lie even if he had heen in a
mental condition to do so. Whoever killed
Margaret Carne, Ronald Mervyn was at
once convinced that it was not George
Forester. There he lay, thinking for hours
over the disappointment that the news
would be TO Mary Armstrong, and how it
seemed more unlikely than ever that the
mystery would ever be cleared I'D now.
Gradually, his thoughts became more
more vague, until at last he fell asleep.
Upon the following day the wounded
were sent down under an escort to King
Williams5own, and there for a month
Ronald Mervyn lay IN hospital He had
written a few lines to Mary Armstrong.
saying that he had been wounded
but not dangerously, aud that she need not
be anxious about him any more, for the
Kaffirs were now almost driven from their
last stronghold and that the fighting would
almost certainly be over before he was fit
to mount his horse again. George For
roster is dead" he said. HE was mortally
wounded when fighting bravely against the
Ksffirs. | fear, dear, that your ideas about
him were mistaken, and that he, like my
self, has been the victim of circumstantiaI
evidence: but l will tell you more about
this when | write to you next"
While lying there, Ronald thought over
and over again about the evide ice that had
been collected against George Forester.
and whether it should be published. as
Mary had proposed. 1t would, doubtless
be accepted by the world as oof of For
restsr's guilt and of his own innocence; and
even the fact that the man; when dying,
had denied it, would weigh for very little
with the public for men proved
indisputably to be guilty often
go to the scaffold asserting their
innocence to the last. But would it be
right to throw this crime upon the dead
man when he was sure that he was inno-
cent? For Ronald did not doubt for mo-
ment the truth Of the denial. Had he a
right, even for the sake Of Mary's happi-
ness and his own, to charge the memory of
the dead man with the burden of this foul
crimes Ronald felt that it could not be.
The temptation was strong, but he fought
long against it. And at last his mind was
made up.
"No," he said at last, 81 will not do it.
George Forester was no doubt bad man,
but he was not 50 bad as this IL would be
worse to charge his memory with it than to
accuse him if he were alive. Ia the one
case he might clear him self in the other he
cannot. | cannot clear my name by fouling
that of the dead man."
And so Ronald at last sat down to write
a long letter to Mary Armstrong, telling her
the whole circumstances. the iOv with