Fort Worth daily gazette. (Fort Worth, Tex.) 1882-1891, 1890-09-14
TAIL RIGHTS REsERvED.l
CHAPTER xLvI-"GREATER THAN I CAN
gEARl''

RwOke for the bTst time suspicion III
the mothers mind that a dark and
haunting shadow had fallen on her
daughters heart. That Nancy's mar
ried life bad been an unhappy one, and
that her husband had forsaken her, Mrs.
LOTUS already knew. But as she list
ened to Nancy's feeble murmurings, she
began to understand that some tragic
undercurrent must also be depressing her
mind, and her extraordinary agitation at
the news of her brother-in-law g death
naturally turned Mrs. LOTUS thoughts
In that direction.
But she said nothing and asked no
questions, but nursed poor Nancy with
the greatest tenderness and care. And
Nancy was i'll many days after this; i'll
when the cOroner's inquest was held on
the body of the unfortunate young man
who had been lured TO his doom. Al
this inquest Maj. Erne was called upon
TO give evidence, and the unhappy young
widow also had 20 tell the same sad story
that we already know; how Gerard,
Lord Gilmore, had left the Rookery on
the 18th of April, with the avOwed in-
teutiou of starting for town by the 9
o'clock train, and how she meyer saw
him again in life.
Then the station master gave his evil
dence aud positively swore that he saw
and spoke to Lord Gilmore at FIVE or
seven minutes TO II o'clock on the same
night, stating that be could not be mis-
taken Oh account OF the peculiarly of
Lord Gilmore's figure; and also added
that he appeared to have been drinking
heavily, and spoke very indistinctly.
John Summers identified the body as
that OF his son-in-law, who had formerly
horne the name of Gerard Brewster; and
Mai. Erne also identified the hapless
Young man who had died so drear q
death. The policemen gave evidence as
10 the finding of the body buried close TO
the wall OF the rivers side villa, last in
hlbited by her at the time of the disap-
uearauce Of Lord Gilmore; and Mr.. Glib
son. the builder, stated the facts regard
Ing the letting of the house, and the
return of the KEYS TO the hOuse-agent
after q brief tenancy on the part OF that
lsdv. But the medical evidence was the
most important; the two doctors who
had made the post-mortem examination
proving Gerard, Lord Gilmore, had come
to his death by poisoning, no wound
whatever or injury being found on his
person.
The only reasonable conclusion TO be
drawn from the evidence, therefore, was
provided that the station master was
correct III his statement-that the unfor-
tuuate young lord had while in q drunk
al condition on the train, been induced
TO leave il nj the next station, and that
be had been lured back 10 the villa and
theirs poisoned, and that Madame de
Costa must have been cognisant of these
facts, if not the actual perpetTator of the
crime, and u warrant was issued for her
apprehension.
She had stated in letter TO the house
agent that she was leaving the villa on
nee cunt OF the illness of relative in the
south of France, and this WIS about the
only clue she had left behind her. But
a verdict OF "willful MURDER was re-
turned by the jury against her, aud also
against her two Spanish servants, names
unknown.
Erne remained to hear the verdict and
then returned to town; and later in the
day the encomned form of the murdered
man was carried back to the house he
young wife he had ceased to love walled
and wept by it in bitterest grief.
And other tears were shed-bitter,
bitter tears-over the young lord $
tragic fate Mrs. Brewster, VI no had re-
NAMED at WrOthsley after her return
there, had from the first news of his dis
appearance felt the deepest anxiety re-
Earding him, and had eagerly sought tor
Of inf rDufiOn
him. And then the terrible
tidings reached Wrothsley that his
dead body had been discovered in the
garden OF the riverside villa, Mrs. Brew
ster gave way to the most passionate
grief. She had truly loved the adopted
son, whom she had tended and reared as
her own, and, to do Gerard justice, he
had always been most kind and cOusid-
crate to her, aud even after he had as
Eumed the title continued to treat her
with affection, and used TO write to her
occasionally and send her presents; and
Mrs Brewster was never weary of prais-
ing him. The news of his death was
therefore a terrible blow to her, and she
completely broke down under it, crying
cut that they had killed her boy by TAX
ing him away from her; that had he
been with her he would have been living.
Father Hayward had given positive
orders to every servant in the castle that
no newspaper was to be allowed to fall
into Lady Gilmore's hands that con-
tanned any illusions TO her eldest sons
but when the actual ac-
count of the murder appeared the good
man scarcely knew how to act. He tele-
gru pied to Nancy to come TO Wrothsley,
but received a reply from Mrs. LOTUS in
forming him that her daughter, Mrs.
Clifford, was too i'll TO leave her bed and
quite incapable of travelling. Then he
bethought him of Miss Clifford, but the
grim old lady at Manor house positively
refused TO 90 near Wrothsley under the
"It's all her own doing, not m1ne,'
she said tartly. 'She united this poor
lad for his station, aud then to punish
Hugh Clifford for marrying a girl that is
Il deal too good for him she told the
trnth about her own sin and folly aud
this is the end of II! The lad g head was
turned naturally enough, and he was
vain as peacock, and some artful jade
of foreign woman has got hold OF him
no doubt, and fiattered aIm up and made
q fool of him, and then murdered him
for the sake of his money, and his dia-
moud rings and his studs that he was so
fond of Displaying.
had hoped - said Father Hayward sor-