Pittsburg dispatch. [volume] (Pittsburg [Pa.]) 1880-1923, 1889-09-29
CHAPTER III.
THE TRAGEDY ON THE ROCK.

THE TRAGEDY ON THE ROCK.
Twelve strokes on the bell in Mrs Skel
Tvs clock announced that the minute han,
had again overtaken the hour hand. TIL
| Skellys lived in q hut at the base of tn
rock on Elmwood Hill; and in their eve
the Beggs and the O'Rourkes, on their so
cial and their physical altitude, were al
way objects OF prying interest.
midnight, an Lord rest me tired eyes,
said Mrs Skelly, as she stopped peepin,
out through her keyhole with her right ey,
and began with her left; ''it's me beIaf
| that Oi'll be squinter the rest av me loife
afther this nights watchin'."
"Then come to bed, ye ould boshuk, ,
cried Mr.. Skelly, San rest both yer eyel
an tongue"
"Whist, now, We buckaum," she said il
whisper; "Dolf Begg is goin' up th,
stairs, an that's what olive been waitin
for"
He opened the door of the Begg residence
with defiant wrench at the knob, and en-.
tered. Mrs. Skelly's door came simultan.
eously ajar, and her head was thrust out
Her eyes were both wide open, and her ears
would have been dilated. too, if she could
have had her way. By going up to the tor
of the stairway and listening cautiously she
could hear the mingled voices of Dolf and
Mrs. Begg, but could not understand their
words. except when Dolf said: It'll have
have it now, or I'll have your life." This
was followed by gasps and means from Mrs.
Begg, and those by a minute or two OF
silence. Then Mrs. Skelly heard Dolf's
hand on the knob; but be did not turn ii
quickly, as on entering, and she had time to
retreat down the stairs, to retire to her hut,
to reduce the opening of her own door to a
mere crack, through which she saw him
come down. The color of his face had
change from red to white, bravado
had given place to terror, and
the heavy soles of his boots had
become velvet. He thrust bunch of bank
notes into his breast pocket and glanced this
way and that in trepidation. He instinc-
lively turned from the gaslight of street
lamp, as he passed close by Mrs. Skelly's
door, and In doing so looked into a window
pane, which, having darkness on the other
side, reflected him like a mirror. Perhaps
the uneven glass distorted his features; per-
haps a true image was so different from his
usual self that in his dismay he did not
recognize it; certainly he recoiled from it
and glided out of Mrs Skelly's sight like a
frightful apparition, properly disappearing
downward.
Mrs. Skelly did not stir until her husband
called to her again to come to bed. Then
she tremblingly shut the door and sat down
speechless in a chair. 1t was a full minute
before she found voice % say:
''I do believe there's bloody murther in
Begg's- Lastewise, Dolfs gone wild the
money. Get up and go for the police"
Skelly would not move. He commanded
her with much distinctness and repetition
to lock the door and mind her own business
of going to sleep. She resolutely put on
her bonnet and shawl and started for the
nearest police station, where she did her
errand so wildly that five minutes of ques-
tioning was done before any sort of under
standing could be obtained of what she had
seen and heard.
Having at length ascertained that rob-
berv had probably been committed, the
police captain obtained from Mrs. Skelly
the name of Dolf Begg. No description of
him was necessary, tor several of the officers
in reserve knew him as one of the precincts
foremost rowdies, and they were sent out to
catch him. The Captain and detective
went to the house with Mrs. Skelly and
raped at the Beggs' door. There was no
response, and the officials opened it. Mrs.
Begg was dead. Her body lay on the bed,
her neck were the marks that Dolls hand
had made in choking her.
''It's murder" said the Captain to the
detective. "Hurry to the station and end
out an alarm. Be quIckp'
News of the murder spread through the
neighborhood like cry of fire, and the half
dressed occupants crowded to the room; but
the Captain would not let them in for fear
that evidences of the crime might be oblit-
Grated in the confusion. He carefully ex-
amined every part of the apartment, found
nothing in disorder save the bed, and had
satisfied himself that the woman had been
strangled.
Micky Begg returned at this juncture.
He encountered the announcement of his
wife's death before he reached the rock. He
was dumbfounded when they said that she
had been murdered, and when they added
that Dolph was the murderer, he cried:
mo, no; Dolf couldn't have done itP'
But moment later, while he was kissing
her lifeless face, two officers led Dolf in.
Ee had been caught within ten blocks. A
more abject wretch never heard himself &C.
cused of a crime.
''Did you find the money!" the Captain
asked Of the officers.
"He had it in his pocket" was the reply.
The prisoner was taken away, and the
police remained in possession of the prem
ises.
1t was not until morning that Nora, re-
turning home from an overnight visit to
girl friend, knew what had happened in the
humble household. Donnell had no success
in his efforts to comfort her, but she clung
to him in her grief, and their declaration of
mutual love were quite naturally part of
his tenders ofssympatby and of her out
breaks of emotion.