Pittsburg dispatch. [volume] (Pittsburg [Pa.]) 1880-1923, 1889-09-28

must have seen now that she had a lucky es
cape. STILL girl don't like man as she ha
liked being spoken against, so thought that
would say a word to you"
Thank you. That's very friendly of you
Yes you may be sure that won't introduce th,
subject. am very glad you told me, or nigh
have blundered upon it and hurt the girls feel
ingS. She doesn't look very strong, either
She has a nervous look about her, / think"
She used to be very different, but she had
great shock; she was the first YOU know to gc
into Miss Carnes room and find her dead. She
was her maiu before that and she was i'll fol
weeks after: 1t came on the top of an illness
too; she fell down on the hill coming home
from church and they found her lying insens-
ible there and she was very bad, had the doctor
there every day. Then came this other affair,
and ] dareSay this business of George For
rester's helped too. Anyhow she was very bad,
and the doctor thought at one time that she
wouldn't get over il"
Mr.. Armstrong walked home thoughtfully,
We'll, father, what is your newsr' Mary
Armstrong said, as she entered 81 can see
you have heard something more than usual"
well, my dear don't know thatits anything,
but at the same time it certainly is new, and
gives US something TO follow up. 1t seems that
there was fellow named George Forester
living somewhere about here and he was en-
gagged to your friend, Ruth Powlett but her
father and mother disapproved of il highly 1t
seems he bad lot; lie got mixed up with a
gang of poachers. and some little time before
this murder, about three weeks they said. they
had fight with Mr.. Carne's keepers; one of
tie keepers was mOrtally wounded, it was said
DIV THIS George + OrreStcr. Inc man DVeQ 1Or
some time. Out at last died of the wound. and
the jury brought IN verdict of wlllful murder
against George Forester, who had been
missing from the time of the fight"
Yes father, but that seems no great clue"
Perhaps rot, Mary, but it shows at least
that there was one fellow about here who might
be considered to have had = quarrel with the
Carnes. and who was a thoroughly bad charac
ter, and who-and this is of importance-was
engaged, with or without her parents consent,
TO Miss Carne's own maid"
Mary gave little gasp of excitement.
Nov it seems further" her father went on,
'that some time between this poaching affray
and the murder-1 could not inquire closely
into dstes-Ruth FOwlett was found insenslble
on the road going up the hill and was very i'll
for Eome days; she said she had had fall and
of course she might have had, although it is
not often young women fail down SO heavily as
10 stun themselves but 1t may of course have
been something else"
''What else. faJher?"
"Well, it is possible she NAV have met this
lover of hers, and that they may have had a
quarrel Probably she knew he had been en-
gagged in this po2chlng affair, and may. have
told him that she would have nothing more to
do with him, and he may have knocked her
down. OF course. this is all mere supposition
but it is only by Supposition that we can grope
our way along. 1t seems she was well enough
anyhow to go up to her place again at the
Hold, for she was the first to discover the muir
der and the shock was so great that she was i'll
for weeks, in fact in great danger; they sayshe
has been greatly changed ever since. don't
know whether anything can be made of thar,
my dear"
Il don't know 1 don't see what. father"
Mary said after thinking for some time, .'un-
less she is fancying since that it was this man
who did it. Of course, anyhow, it would be
fearful shock for girl TO find her mistress
lying murdered, and perhaps it may be nothing
more than that"
mo doubt it may be nothing more than that
Mary; but it's the other side of the case we
have to look al. We must piece the things to-
gether. Here we have four or five facts all of
which may tell. Here is a bad character in the
village; that is one point. This man had a
poaching atfray with Mr., Carne's keepers; he
killed, or at any rate the corcner's jury found
that he killed, one of the keepers. He is ell
gagged to MISS Carnes own maid This maid is
just after this poachlng business found insen-
sible in the wood, and tells rather an improb-
able story as to how it came about She is the
first to enter her mistress room, and then she
has Il serious Illness. OF course any girl would
be shocked and frightened and upset but il is
not often that serious illness would be the
result And, lastly, she has been changed ever
since. She ha$, as you remarked to me the
other day, an absent, pre-occupied sort of way
about her. Taken altogether, these things GER
talnly do amount to something"
Il think So too. father; I think So too"
May Armstrong said, walking up and down
the little room in her excitement Il do think
there must be something in it. and you see
father. after this poachlug business the man
wanted to get away, and he may have been in
want of money, and so have thought of taking
-Aioo Oal hS "oNSn osAN JS"OAO " Ad1oG uOu61
TO take him abroad"
$50 he might, my dear. That is certainly
feasible explanation, but unfortunately instead
of taking them away you see he buried them"
"Yes, father, but he only just pushed them
into the gro md. the report said, because on
reading through the old files of the newspapers
the other day particularly noticed that"
Perhaps just as he was leaving the house a
dog may have barked or something may have
given him scare, and he just hid them in the
ground, intending to come for them next day:
and then what with the excitement and the
police here, and the search that was being
made, he could get no opportunity of getting
them up again, and being afraid of being ar.
rested himself for his share in the poaching
atfray, he dared not hang about here any Ion.
ger, but probably went down to Plymouth and
got on board ship there"
1T really all does seem probable father
There is only one difficulty that can see
Why should he have killed Miss Carne? be.
cause The doctors say that she was certainly
aslee"."
I'VE cannot tell, dear She may have moved
little, He may have thought that she would
wake and that he had better make sure he
was desperate man, and there is no saying
what desperate man will do. Anyhow, Mary,
this is a clew, and distinct one, and we must
follow it up. 1t may lead us wrong in the end,
but we shall not be losing time following it for
shall keep my ears open. and may find some
other and altogether different track"
How had We better follow it?" Mary asked.
after having sat silent for some minutes "This !
Forester is gone, and we have no idea where.
think the only person likely to be able to help |
us is Ruth Powlett"
Exactly so, my dear"
And she would not be likely to speak, If she |
knows anything she would have said il at the |
time had she not wished to shield this man.
whom she may love IN spite of his wickedness" |
Quite so. my dear, and beside" and he |
smiled, young women in love are not disposed |
TO believe in their lovers guilt" |
"How can you say go, father?" Mary said in |
dignantly; you would not compare"
"No no. Mary; would not eompare the two
men; but think yon will admit that even had |
the evidence against Ronald Mervvn been ten
times as conclusive as It was, you would still |
have maintained his innocence against all the
world"
''Of course should, father
Quite so. my dear; that is what am saving.
however, If our suppositIon is correct in this |
case, the girl does believe him to be guilty. but
she wishes to shield him, either because she |
loves him still or has loved him. 1t is astonish
ing how women will cling TO men even
when they know them to be Villains | think.
dear, that the best way of proceeding will be
for you to endeavor to find out from Ruth Pow
lett what she knows OF course il will be |
gradual matter, and YOU can only do il when |
she has got to know and like you thoroughly
"But, father" Mary said hesitatingiy twill |
1t not be a treacherous thing for me to become |
friends with her for the purpose of gaining her |
secret2" |
1T depends how you gain it, Mary. Ger.
tainly it would be so were you to get it surrep. |
titiously. That is not the way should pro. |
pose. If this girl has really any proof |
or really anything like Strong evidence that |
the murder was committed by this man |
Forester, she is acting wrongly and cruelty to |
another to allow the guilt to fall upon him, In |
time. when you get intimate with her intimate |
enough to introduce the subject, the point |
would be to impress this upon her so strongly |
as to induce her to make an open confession |
OF course yoG could point out to her that this |
could now in no way injure the man who is her |
lover. as he has gone no one knows where and |
will certainly never return to this country, as |
upon his appearance he would at once be ar /
resied and tried ON the charCe of killing he L