The morning call., 1890-07-17


tell her so. All my old love for her came back
when we met, and she was no longer disdainful.
was beside myself almost with delight 1t the
prospect OF winning her after all. OF course l
never dreamed Of such thing after what had
happened. and least OF all did dream oil the
horrible trap that was being laid for me- When;
lew weeks after our reconciliation, askeu
her to be my wife, 10 the quiet way tnat now
seemed natural TO her she accepted my onei,
and we were married.
pected 10 find her, but no woman could nave been
more patient and obedient or more devoted 10
my Interests long time before h3a nsG, iia
but that should insure her life as well, and LOT
twice as much as my policy stood Tor, ana MADE
DO objection. This was when We had been mar
ried NOT more than four months A month after
the insurance had been made her healtn was not
SO good as IL had been previously Sho wouiu ue
III for day Ortwo and be well again Tor perhaps
a week and then she would relapse. we lived
in apartments ana had no servants, anu wien
she was i'll l waited on ner anu never lndue
trouble of IT, for If ever man loved woman L
loved her She gradually grew 10 be more Ire.
0uently unwell, and The doctor we called In
seemed puzzled TO make out what was the mat
ter with her. A GIL, who was employed by our
landlady came in at odd times and gave yer
medicine and prepared anything she faneled IN
the way OF food. he laudady was paid extra
for this, but she gave the servant no more than
her ordinary wages, so that what The latter did
was not done willingly, and one day my wlle asked
me II thought II possible that tile girl could De
wicked enough 10 tamper with her food out OF
spite. She had had some broth that day, she
said and she thought IL tasted strangely. l
Idculed the idea as SICK WOmans FANCY, out
the same afternoon i was fetched IN a hurry
from The Office The messen ger bringing the start
ling news that my vile was very lll-near dying,
In fdct-aud that the maid servant hdd Deen
given into custody on suspicion OF having pol
soned her. When | reached home found such
10 be The case. Ii appeared that during Tue
morning the girl had prepared my vile some ar
rowroot from packet | myself had bought the
day previously, aud she was Immediately AFTER
Wald-befOre she had empled the cup, Indeed
taken with such violent pains that the doctor
was sent for. aud to him my wife mentioned her
suspicious Of the servant. Tie doctor examined
the remains of the aTIOWroOt In the cup and
thereby discovered such ample proof OF guilt
thai the girl was at once arrested felt so lutl-
Gus against her that could have killed her. AS
| have already told you l loved my wife SIN
cerely and would have suffered death myself al
most TO have saved her from harm. Happily the
prompt remedy that was adopted aYerted The
threatening danger, and the same evening she
was able TO see aud reply TO the questioning Of
the Police Inspector VINO visited us. | was at
the bedside the whole time and heard all That
was said as TO the strange tasle my wife had Tor
some time past detected III the food the girl had
given her. The Inspector wished TO see the cup
board In which the food was kept and moved
several articles from The shelves himself and
look possession Of them.
"As | have told you, we occupied only two
rooms, and the cupboard was In tile sittlng-rOom.
We were alone there, examining lie Things IN
the cupboard. when he suddenly turned on me
with the question: DO you yourself ever Keep
L
II kept any, said /, you may depend that L
should keep 1t safely locked away 10 be sure
you would. and you would keep the key sale In
your pocket. Are they there now" at once
produced my lille bunch Of keys, and told him
that they were never out OF my own possession.
He took them IN Lis hand. Don't be alarmed
said he. but have particular wish 10 have
peep inside any drawer or box they Will unlock.
Have you any objection" | advanced TO snatch
my keys from him and demand his authority Tor
taxing such liberty. But lie had come all pre-
pared. Taking out bis pocket-book lie showed
me a sedIch-warrant l mad raised my voice an
griy, and SO, as l supposed, alarmed my
vile In the next room. She hastily slipped
on dressng-gOwn and came In TO where
we were. Size was white as paper, but
calm enough. l was not. was trembling
with rage and Indignation. explained 10 my
wife what II was the Police Inspector wished TO
do. Well, where is the harmY said she lnno-
Gently. There can be nothing, my dear that
You wish 10 conceal, or That you need be afraid
of. / could say no more. There were only Three
things that were lOcked in The roOn-the two
drawers OF wTltlng-taOle ana Il desk that stood
on sldehOaId. Tie desk contained only lew
private papers, including The Two insurance poll
cles, aud 10 WAS weeks sluce | had opened 1t.
That WAS the first Thing the Inspector unlocked,
my wife aud myself looking on. 1n one corner
there was small linen bag, half full, which had
never seen before, and IN my wOnderment made
some exclamation ana put my hand toward 1t.
But The Inspector was too quick for me- Having
secured IL, he put his finger and thumb Into the
bag and took out piuch OF The stun II contained
and held IL up 10 tile llght. 1t Is SAT-, isn't IL :?
my wife remarSed. Tue same kind Of salt,
MAJ am that your arrowroOt was sea soned with,
If / am not mistaken, tile Inspector answered,
as lie carefully tied up The bag again. this Is
arsenic Hearing this my VILE Shrauk from Inc
with look of horror, and without word went
back 10 the bedroom while J. feeling stunned or
like one IN dream, was taken away TO Tie DO
lice station.
Il have already tried your patience, gentle
men. with my long story, and l viii not trouble
you with ue eiIbe details OF what followed. l
was committed Tor tiIal for the attempted muir
der. Ii was shown that win my small salary l
had insured my wiie's life for 460O and the doc
tor was called TO prove that within month The
symptoms which were consistent with SLOW poi
sUning began 10 appear. II was shown thai The
packet OF arrOwIOut in the cupboard aud tie
beeT-Gea essence, which were intended for my
wle's exclusive use, were READY poisoned, and
l could not deny my own declaration TO the Po-
lice Inspector that tn keys Of lie desk where
the little bag OF arsenic was discovered were
never out OF my possession. You my be sure
that the prosecution did MOI fail o p int out how
mucl my guIll WAS Increased DS lhe cunning at
tempt 10 put tile crime on lie innocent servant
giIl, and the enc of II that L Was sentenced
To ten years penal servitude.
LAS / have already informed you, | never
from tie time oil my conviction received any
communication from my wife, which, of course,
added much 10 The bitterness Of my cruel pun
lshment, since It put 1t beyond doubt that she.
too, believed me guilty, aud scores OF times |
prayed that l might soon die In prison, like Seth
IaplOw. But my consciousness OF Innocence
supported me, and | lived through IT, Aud now
comes the most terrible part OF my strange tale.
/ never thought to see my wife again, but ON my
know her at trst, she looked so old and altered.
1t was joyful moment when Deheld her, ana
puI out both my hands, but she claSped hers be-
hind her, and there was relentless hatred Ia her
eyes. GOO0 GUd! said, can II be that you have
all along aud still think me gui!tyY There was
no wasting OF words between US. with no one
10 oyeIhear u.s. She SAID, listen to what l have
come Oh purpose 10 tell you. know OF no guilt
OF yours but One-yOuT murder OF the man L
loved. Ii was for that l married you, that |
might be well reyenged.' And then she told ME
how she herself had planned The poisoning for
VINO had procured the arsenic, and with false key
placed II i'll The desk where il was found; she
who had mixed the poison with the food. To
carry out her heudlsh design, she had taken
small doses OF Tie deadly sIul, ana finally
larger though uOJ a fatal dose, 50 as TO make 1t
abundantly clear that IL was my yillainOus inten-
ton 10 murder her so as 10 obtain the Insurance
money. And still with no one 10 OVerbear us
said sue, let me tell you that II was not that you
might be sentenced for pdItry ten years that l
ran the deadly risk. L hoped you would have
been sent away for twice as Ong-fOr your life,
perhaps. But have not done with you yet, john
LOCK. 10 be ria OF me you VIII have 10 XII me.
! VIII gOad you to H. and die happy, knowing
that you viii end your life on the gallOws.'
have nothing TO add to JOhu Locks strange
story, and The reader Is as we'll able myself 10
Judge II there was any truth iu IL. or whether 1t
was romantic fabrication on the ex-convlct's
part 10 excite sympathy. Inquiry, l believe, was
made for his wife but she had been lost sight of
for years, and was nowhere To be found, While as
for John himself. at his most earnest request,
and 10 the last persisting 10 the statement lie had
made, lie was shipped 10 America. - London
Telegraph.
DYING In POVERTY.