Pittsburg dispatch. [volume] (Pittsburg [Pa.]) 1880-1923, 1890-07-20
DR. PHIIIP WOOIF,
Author of "Who is Guiltyq"

| terious to be written by dying woman
| anxious to enlighten Justice, and this Hour
| ish about giving a fortune she did not pos
sess to her daughter Bertha had very sus-
picious air about it. / said as much to the
doctor, who was standing quietly in the room
with his hands clasped behind him.
'The poor lady must have been insane as
well as 'doubly conscious, to give away a
fortune she did not possess.
"She did not possess it, my friend, but
she had the right to give it away. The man
who originally owned the money committed
suicide out OF love for the useless mass of clay
that lies yonder be ore you. He wished mis-
revenge, as she wished hers. She had sworn
that she would be true to the one man who
J was killed in brawl; he tortured her by
writing in the will that she could only in
herit his money and enjoy it in life by mar
rying. He killed himself for her sake, and
| she retaliated. If she did not marry. the
money was to go to a distant relative, me,
whom she detested; yet with the following
proviso, that if she deliberately killed her
self, she might thwart me, the man she de-
tested, by willing the money lying idle to
whom she pleased. Living unmarried she
could not touch it; dying by her own hand
she could only touch it to will it to another.
That is the substance OF the vlndlctive mans
will, robbed OF its bristling legal technicali-
ties. According to the far-seeing detective,
Lecoq Fox, have murdered, or caused TO
be murdered. the very woman whose life
was most precious to me. 1 hoped to share
the fortune by marrying her. kill her,
her and then forge will in her name that
robs me of everything. My friend, 1 con-
gratulate you, and conclude by saying that
l give you this information for the sake of
he xrhn in nd
whom would not see harmed for moment
even that 1 might laugh at you. Had 1
been alone, there would have been differ
ent story"
His manner nettled me, and said:
Granting, for the sake of argument, that
your story is true, it only partially clears
matters. Mrs Glaye committed suicide.
Admitted; but, having gone so far, I shall
hold you aud Miss Grands until the mys
terry surrounding the death of Ella Constant
is cleared up, unless" added, satirically,
''you can also prove that she committed
suicide"
''My friend, it is late, and I am going
home to my house to sleep. Play the spy
yourself, or send some one of your men to
play the spy on me, if yon wish, but 1 will
not remain here parleying with you. When
tomorrow comes, act if you dare. Tonight
I am still master of my own actionsP'
Providing he was kept in sight, it made
little difference whether kept him
prisoner in the hotel or in his own house.
gave him in charge of Policeman Grope,
and took the opportunity of humiliating
him as much as possible.
From the result of nv night-long cogita-
tions, one fact alone was sure-a woman had
been murdered. Il she was not killed by
the doctor or by Mrs. Glaye or by Cyril
Durand, who was interested enough to stain
his or her hands with blood? Bertha Glaye,
Otto Morton, or whom? Admitting, for the
sake of argument that nv first suspicious
were wrong, was completely in a fog, and
morning found me the most puzzled and
disguised man you can imagine. My first
act after performing hasty toilet was to
pay visit to the fatal room in which, as I
learned from my assistant, Bertha had
passed the entire night. I found her
kneeling beside her dead mother, pale,
swollen-eyed, but calm.
She handed me letter, which 1 eagerly
received and more eagerly read:
my DAUGHTER-If I have not been a
very afectionate mother to you, forgive me
now, as L forgive you. 1 loved you in my
heart, but neglected you, seIfsnly bent on
my own happiness. The only justice 1 can
do you and others is to kill myself, and thus
by my death bring about the happiness nv
life could not afford. 1 leave the fortune
that will come to me on my death to you,
and YOU alone. But have another wish
which, even now, l have not courage to
make public in will. 1 loved Cyril
Durand, but he never loved me; he is weak
willed, and my wild jealousy crushed him
into unresistfng obedience, without winning
his heart. His love was always for another,
and ii avarice for a moment conquered his
better nature, he speedily rose to a noble
height. l held him as NV slave, and
alone am responsible for his weaknesses.
What 1 dared not set down in NV will
trust to you TO carry out. Share the fortune
you inherit with him; not by marriage, tor
know your heart is otherwise engaged; but
by surrendering half your wealth to him
without condition. 1t is only Justice,
and that justice may be done to him and
you. kill myself 1 love him, and had he
married me 1 would have lived. He never
loved me. / can never love another, I am
forever desolate, and rather than that you
should be left penniless and the money 90
to a stranger, 1 willingly release myself
from world OF which 1 am weary. 1 was
jealous of woman whom had never seen,
and threatened to kill her. Doubtless
Cyril Durand imagines am murderess,
my soul is free from that crime; and know
that Cyril is equally guiltless. He loved
the woman too much to harm her. II he
was cruel to her it was only to keep her
away from me, who had threatened to kill
her. If he coniesses his guilt, it is only to
shield me, whom, no doubt, he believes
guilty. 1t is consolation to believe that
he thinks of me even to that extent He is
a weak-willed, but good man; this is mine,
let it be your judgment Whoever the
guilty party may be, it is not 1, il is not he. |
Let that console you. For the rest I go
where time is annihilated. Waiting will
not seem long, and 1 wait. Farewell,
Bertha, and if you ever think of me, let it
be as the woman who clasped the orphaned
child to her breast and wept over it in love
and in desolation."
Assuring the girl Bertha that she had
done perfectly right in showing me the
letter, and that would guard its contents
as sacredly confidential, ] trotted upstairs
TO receive the report of Policeman Blind,
who had stood as guardian outside Miss
Grande's door all night The room was
empty; the window overlooking the top of
the veranda was opened, and the 'listle
maiden had fownI No doubt she intended
TO take the tlrst train to the city, and as nv
duty lmperatively led me in the direction of
the railway station trotted over to it at full
speed, followed by my assistant. The little
wretch was not there, but the incoming train
brought Cyril Durand with two officers.
While was discussing the subject with
the offleers quiet voice said: my house
is always at the service of tLecoq' Fox, my
friendi'
Turning in surprise, faced the smiling
figure OF DR.. Brandt
"By what authority has Policeman Grope
allowed you out of his sight?'' I asked,
sfarnlv