Pittsburg dispatch. [volume] (Pittsburg [Pa.]) 1880-1923, 1889-03-09


gett gave Jorkins sly poke as he re-
marked: "Ifyou have no objections, Mr.. SUI
perintendent. we will begin with this chest,
which was nearest the wall and the bottom
one of all !"
Three men were busy with screwdrivers,
amid a breathless silence on the part Of Mr..
Cameron and Mr.. Vellum. They had not
quite completed their task when the cover
began to give, and the terrible odor that
drove all five mem from the room told its
fatal story-that the mystery at Clump Cot
tage was solved at last.
Let the curtain fall over that terrible
sight disclosed to view, when later in the
day the light of the setting sun fell on the
CHASTITY and mutilated remains of Mr..
Fraser.
The following letter, received II months
afterward, addressed to Fred Cameron, and
bearing the Liverpool post-mark, though
bearing internal date six months earlier,
tells all that need to be told of this terrible
tragedy.
"We write this. mot knowing when we cap
entrust it to safe hands who will convey it
across the seas to an English port. We
take this means of sending the letter, in
order that the secret of our hiding from
Justice may not be discovered. Our motive
in writing is to prevent any innocent person
hereafter being accused of our crime. We
murdered Mr.. Fraser. When John For
bury returned from Rissborough without
| our master, he brought word that Mr..
Fraser had made new will that morning.
We knew that new will must be in your
favor, Mr.. Fred, All the. hope we had of
enrichiug ourselves by the old will, which
had left everything to us, was cut away at
stroke. We consulted together what to do.
John Forbury said that he had seen Mr..
Fraser, as he was coming out of Mr.. Vel
lum's Office, put what looked like will in
his pocket. This decided us. he would
doubtless bring the will with him when he
returned home. We meant to destroy the
new will and prove the old one, which will
be found in the escritoire.
"He was strangled after dinner, while
sleeping in his chair. It was soon over. We
searched in his pockets, but could not find
any will. Then we knew that we had done
what we had without any good. There were
| Is chests upstairs containing books, only 1
of which had been unpacked. The chests
| were lined with lead-verv thick, and were
air-tight. Mr.. Fraser would have it so; he
was very particular about DUST and said
| where air could not travel dust could not
| go. We knew the risk we ran, but the
chest seemed Just as if made for our pur-
pose.
''The same night John Forbury put the
harness on the horse and got out the cart,
and we took the chest to his cottage. When
the police came there were only IA chests.
We intended to bury it in John Forbury's
garden, but the police made such a thorough
search of the house, unscrewing all those
boxes, that John Forbury thought it would
be safest to take the chest back again among
the rest, for the police would never look
| there again, but they might take a fancy to
| dig about his garden.
"That is all. 1t will be useless for you
to try and seek us ont. You will never find
u.s. We have escaped the Justice of man.
We wish we could say that we had escaped
the Justice of heaven! If Mr.. Fraser had
not raised in us hopes of being rich by
quarreling with you, the deed had never
been done. This is no excuse, or he
would not haunt us as he does. We see
him nights! God forgive us
DEBORAH BINT.
JOHN FoRBURY,"
"Mary Shadwell is with US. She is my
natural daughter. Her father, who married
me, had another wife living. When 1
knew it, I left him. I was good once.
Mary knew nothing of it until it was done.
and she had to help to move the chests
when we brought him back. The worst of
all is, that my own daughter says she will
never forgive me-never! MY punishment
is greater than I can bear
DEBORAH BINT or SHADWELL.'
So perished Kenneth Fraser victim to
his servants greed. .----.-.
What part Deborah Bint took in the foul
deed which hurried her master to horrible
death, whilst sleeping unsuspiciousIy, can
only be imagined from her confession. 1t is
difficult to believe that after having eaten
his bread for nearly so years she could have
lent herself very easily to so cruel murder.
But it is noteworthy that the confession
makes both persons equal actors in the dark
tragedy, and that there is no attempt on
the part of one to find excuIpation at the
expense of the other.
Fred Cameron was made rich man BY
his succession to the lifelong savings of his
uncle, but riches have not enervated him.
nor slackened the enthusiasm with which
he follows his calling. OF him it may
truly be said he loves Art for its own sake
Tt is not often that he or his wife refers to
the sad end of Mr.. Fraser. When he speaks
of it he always remarks to his wife, 'If that
idiot Jorkins had only possessed your wit he
would have paid visit to the station-master,
as you did before any of us were up that
morning, and ascertained how many chests
were on his &ay-bill, when. uncle moved to
Clump Cottage"
eyes, and then you would have been
spared that terrible indignity."
$50 1 should, but then should never
have known what brave little wife had,
and clever one to boot. knew you were
good, dear, but never suspected your pow
ers as a detective"
Doggett's summing up of the whole mat
ter was very characteristic.
"Ah! the mystery at Clump Cottage, to
be surel The honors were divided between
me and the lady. A good detective was
lost when Mrs. Cameron took to hanging
over her husband while he paints Studies
in green and yaller.'"
The END.
NEXT SATURDAY,