The morning news. [volume] (Savannah, Ga.) 1887-1900, 1889-12-01

NN%N III 01lll HAS GttulESnt1 InnI
he kiilet his sister. | have uO5 t)ld her
singlo word more IL was. of course, Of the
highest Importance that she should not
Know the nature OF his story before telling
you her own. She has expressed her will
lngneSs to tell YOU all she knows. Now,
Miss Fo"lett. will you plelse begin in your
own way
Qlistly and steadily Ruth Powlett tod
her story, beginning with the conversation
that she had had with Margaret Carne
relative TO her breaking OH the engage
ment; then she described her interview
with Georgs Forester, his threats against
Miss Carne and MS attack on herself: and
thea told how she had found his knife by
the bedside on the morning of the murder.
she said that she knew now that sle had
done very wrong to conceal it, but that she
had done 1t for the sake of George Forces
ters father. Lastly, she told how she had
gone to the trial, taking the knife with her.
firmly resolved that in case a verdict of
guilty should be returned against Capt
Mervyn, she would come forward, produce
the knife, and tell all that sac knew
Her three hearers exchanged many looks
of satisfaction as she went on.
When she had finished Mr.. VoIkes said:
"We are very much Obliged to you for
your story, Miss Powlett. Happily it
agrees precisely with that told us by Mr..
and overheard your quarrel with Forester,
and the threats against Miss Carne sug-
gested to him the idea of throwing the
blame upon Forester, and to do this he
placed tho knife that he had found on the
scene of the poaching affray a short tims
before, In his sisters room. After this con-
hrmatlon given by your story, there can be
no doubt at all that Mr.. Carne'S confession
was genuine, and that it will completely
CLEAR Cant Marux-f, Of lao e
having caused his sisters death We shall
be obliged, am afraid. to make your story
public also, in order to confirm his state
ment. This will naturally cause you much
pain and some unpleasantness, and l hope
you will accept that as the inevitable con-
sequence Of the course-which you yourself
see has been very mistaken one-pursued
in this affair"
81 am prepared for that, sir" Ruth said.
quietly; Il had already told Miss Arm
strong about it, aud was ready to come here
to tell you the story even when | thought
that by 50 doing should have to denounce
George Forester as a murderer. [ am so
rejoiced that hs is now proved to be inno-
cent that | can very well bear what may be
said about me-"
But why not have come and told me at
once when you made up your mind to do
500" MIR. Volkes asked. "WhY delay it?"
vas l. was WdltlUR-DuU
-" and she paused, that secret is not my
own; but think. sir, that if you will go to
Mr.. Armstrong he will be able to tell you
something that you will be glad to know"
"Who is Mr.. Armstrong; Mr.. Volkes
asked, in some surprise.
she is gentleman who has been living
in the village for the last four or five
months, sir. l do not think that there is
any harm in my saying that he knows
where Capt. Mervyn Is to be found"
THAT will certainly be useful informa-
ton. All this will be joyful news to him
We must get him back among us as soon as
we can. he has indeed been very hardly
treated in the matter. l think, Mss Pow
lett, we will get you to put your story into
the form of a sworn information. We may
as we'll draw it up at once, and that will
save you the trouble of coming up here
again."
This was accordingly done, and Ruth
Powlett walked back to the village leaving
Mr.. Volkes and the other two gentlemen to
draw up formal report of the confession
made by Reginald Carne.
Ruth Powlett went straight to the cottage
occupied by the Armstrong;.
"What is your news, Ruth" Mary said,
as she entered. ~ can see by your face
that you have something important to tell
u.s.
81 have, indeed" Ruth replied. 81 have
just been up up to Mr.. Volkes, the magis-
trate. and have told him all knew"
"What induced you to do that, Ruth 81
Mary asked, in surprise. 81 thought you
had quite settled to say nothing about it
until we heard from Capt. Mervyn."
"They knew all about it before told
them, and only sent for me to confirm the
story. Mr.. Carne, before he died last night.
made full confession before Mr.. Volkes.
DR.. Arrowsmith and Mr.. Vickery. 1t was
he who in his madness killed his sister, and
who placed George Forrester's knife by the
bedside, aud Capt. Mervyn's glove on the
grass to throw suspicion on them. Capt.
Mervyn and George Forester are both in
nocent"
The news was so sudden and unexpected
that it was some time before Mary Arm
strong could sufficiently recover herself to
ask questions. The news that Ronald was
proved to be innocent was not SO startling
as it would have been had she not previ-
ously believed that they were already in a
position TO clear him; but the knowledge
that his innocence would now be publicly
proclaimed in day or two, filled her with
happiness. She was glad, too, for Ruth's
sake that George Forester had not commit
ted this terrible crime; and yet there was a
slight feeling of disappointment that she
herself had had no hand in clearing her
lover, and that this had come about In an
entirely different way to what she had ex-
pected.
Mr.. Volkes and the clergyman called that
afternoon, and had a long talk with Mr..
Armstrong, and the following day thrill
of excitement was caused throughout the
country by the publication in the papers of
the confession of Reginald Carne. DIR.
Arrowsmith certified that although Reg
inald Carne was unuuestionably insane, and
probably had been so for some years, he
had no hesitation in saying that he was per-
fectly conscious at the time he made the
confession, and that the statement might be
believed as implicitly as if made by a
wholly sane man. In addition to this Ger
tificate and the confession, the three gentle
men signed joint declaration to the effect
that the narrative was absolutely con-
firmed by other facts, especially by the
statement made by Miss Powlett, without
her being il any way aware of the confess
sion of Reginald Carne. This, they pointed
out. fully confirmed his story on all points,
and could leave no shadow of doubt inthe
minds of any one that Reginald Carne had,
under the influence of madness, taken his
sisters life, and had then, with tine cunning
SO commonly present in insanity, thrown
suspicion upon two wholly innocent per-
sons.
The newspapers, commenting on the story,
remarked strongly upon the cruel injustice
that had been inflicted upon Capt. Mervyn,
and expressed the hope that he would soon
return to take his place again in the coun-
tv, uniting in his person the estate of the
Mervyns and the Carnes.