St. Paul daily globe. [volume] (Saint Paul, Minn.) 1884-1896, 1890-01-11
A GUILTLESS MURDER.

with flushed face and tiercely flung the
words at the handsome girl before him.
He did not know that only a few steps
from the path in winch thep stood
Moorelahd was listening.
She turned with scOrn in her eye and
stepped forward pace or two.
sYou are mistaken. / love neither
you nor him. am going tosmeet Went
worth, the man l love, now. Good
bye!'
did not stir from his place. but after she
had gone away, he saw Frank Allison
rage like demon and utter fearful
threats against the man she had gone
to meet.
Late that night a man staggered into
the village tavern. 1t was Allison. He
was covered with scratches and blood
drops. He said he had been walking in
the woods and had thrown himself on
the grass to rest and had fallen asleep:
that he was awakenee by some one who
was rummaging his pockets, and had
instantly sprang upon the fellow: that
he had hard fight, but got the better of
the man, who tried to kill him, and ac-
tually escaped with his booty. Indeed,
Frank was in terrible condition, and
made no attempt to return home, but
slept that night at the tavern. Mean
while, there was great CONSERVATION at
the boarding house. Wentworth Har-
rington, Nettle's fiance, had arrived by
the o'clock train. He felt astonished
to find Nettie absent and little
hurt when he heard she had
gone to walk with Frank Alli-
son but as time passed on,
and neither returned, he did not share
the suspicious of the others, who fancied
that Nettie had eloped with Frank.
very sure. He knew his love too we'll
to doubt her. I'm the moonlight party
went forth to make search. Alas! they
found what they sought too soon. lying
among the crushed grass and blood
stained wild flowers only a little dis
lance from the depot, toward which she
was going to meet Wordsworth Harring
ton. Hidden from the public road only
by few great trees and one of those
large rocks that seem to have dropped
by accident from the skies, lay Nettie
Lynn. foully and cruelty murdered. No
one who saw the heartbroken man kneel
by her side, uttering her name over and
over again, kissing her hands, refusing
to believe her dead, ever forgot the
scene.
Henry Moreland looked upon it with
still greater horror, remembering the
scene he had witnessed.
Where is Frank Allisonw they
asked.
Suspicion already fixed upon him, but
he needed not to be searched for. The
news reached the tavern at the dawn of
day, and he rushed back to the farm
house, hoping to find it in measure
false. He told this: He had proposed
to Miss Flynn; she had refused him,
telling him of her engagement to Rev.
Wentworth Harrington, and she had
left him of her own accord. He felt
bad about it, and aftor roaming about
the woods, lay down to sleep. He had
been awakened by man who was rob-
bling him. They fought hard i'll the
semi-darkness. The marks on his face,
the blood on his garments came from
that contest. He then went to the tav-
ern where he slept.
"Would to Heaven had killed the
wretch!'' he cried, bursting into sobs,
''fOr he murdered that dear girl"
But no one believed him. No one else
had seen the rough man in the white
ceat whom he described. They tried
him for Nettie Lynn's murder and hung
him. Popular feeling was so greatly
against him that men tried to tear him
from the Jail and lynch him, thinking
the shameful legal death too good for
him. Henry Moreland's- testimony had
been given unwillingly, but lit weighed
in the balance against him. He was
obliged to swear that Frank threatened
Nettie'S life as he followed her. Went
worth HarringtOn'S hair had all turned
gray before the last scene of this tragedy
was over, but he did not die. as he had
hoped was Gods will. He lived, but no
one ever did his duty better. He worked
among the poor, and they loved him.
He lived austerely as hermit.
One day, in going his rounds, his at
tention was called to man who had
been found wounded in the hall of
tenement house, and as the poor fellow
was suffering greatly. he used energetic
measures to have him taken at once to
the hospital. The wound was attended
to, but the doctors could not save the
mans life. However, Wentworth Har-
rington labored with him for his soul
increasingly. At first there was no
Softening: at last the heart was touched.
II wish could hope to be saved"
said the dying man at last; "but I've
sinned too much. Pve done black work
in my time. Does God forgive murder?"
For moment Wentworth Harrington
could not speak. The picture of his
uttililIS ~ ltlS QSdu III IlC1 SOtC al OSC OC-
fore him. 1t seemed as though God
could not pardon such murder as that.
But he forced himself to speak.
''lt is written that he who repents,
even at the eleventh hour. may be
saved" he said.
"In the Bibler' asked the man.
eyes; in the Bible"
It's this too late, if | die tonight, as /
reckon will?'
Pray to God; He will hear you," said
Wentworth.
''But | ought to swear-I mean, /
want the pious words for swearing, min
lister. L ought to confess before ! die to
some one OH earth, can't go to heaven
without that"
''lf it will ease your mind tell me your
trouble" said the minister.
YES" gasped the dying wretch, "yes,
I'll feel better: but never felt like
this before that-I'd rObbed-I'd killed
man in fight. But what ! want
to say is-about girl. | met her
in the woods, near Greenburgh. |
was drunk. | left her dead in the
wOods-a pretty girl-a lady-going to
the station to meet her beau. She
wouldn't give me her ring. | tried to
get it off. That night L nearly killed
man; but he got away with his life.
Aliu le--yeS, SII-iiS Was uuliS lOr TIE
girls murder"
God have mercy on you!" gasped
Wentworth Harrington.
He did not shirk his duty. He stood
beside the man, leaving his hand in his
struggling grasp until his soul departed.
But when the nurses came they found
the minister lying in a swoon across the
foot of the dead mans bed.
Those who condemned Frank Allison
to death know to-day that they doomed
an innocent man to the gallows. His
memory is cleared, and Wentworth Har-
rington has placed his body in conse-
Grated ground, with fair. white stone
above it. But, alas. there is no undoing
what has once been done IN this world.
A Little Girls Effective Plea.
New York Times.
This pathetic little appeal came in
MayOr Grants mailbag Yesterday morn