The Globe-republican. [volume] (Dodge City, Kan.) 1889-1910, 1890-02-19
and found himselfin very much better

temper.
As he walked up to the back door. he
heard Mollie singing quaint old bal
Lad, the refrain of which, ''Roses, red,
red roses" she repeated over and over
again. There was something wild and
sad in the tone of her voice which ar
rested his attention, and he paused
moment to listen. Then hurrying his
step he pushed open the kitchen door,
which stood ajar, and entered.
As he did so he started back horrified
at the dreadful sight which met his
eyes. There lay Seth CranbrOok. dead,
in crimson pool, while poor MOllie sat
on the floor beside her husbands body,
the awful light of insanity shining in
her eyes and a meaningless smile upon
her pretty face.
There she sat, dabbling her fingers in
the blood, and still grooming: Roses;
red, red roses"
Without stopping to think of what he
was doing, Gerald attempted to draw the
poor creature away from the corpse. She
did not recognize him, and he was COM
PEELED to use some force to drag her
from the slowly cOngealing red pool,
which seemed to have an awful fascina-
ton for her. Even after he had sue
ceeded in getting her to the other end
of the room, and returned to see wheth-
er Seth was really dead, with the cum
ming Of lunatic she glided swiftly
back, and dipping both hands in the
gore, daubed it on his coat before he
could prevent her.
Gerald uttered hoarse cry of horror,
and seeing that he could do nothing by
himself, started on a run for the village
to secure assistance. On, on he rushed
at the top of his speed, when suddenly.
a wagon, in which there were three men
returning from Seabrook, turned cor
ner in the road. Gerald was hatless,
and his wild appearance as he ran to-
wards them excited their curiosity. At
the very moment Weston first saw the
wagon, his hand happened to touch one
of the clots left by Mollie on his coat,
and he suddenly remembered that she
had smearcd blood on him.
His heart seemed to stand still. What
| if he should be accused of the crime?
Mollie was unable to tell any thing
about it just then, and might never be
| any better. He stopped. The men
whipped up their horses and shouted to
| him. He was confused, bewildered by
the danger in which he found himself.
Without knowing what he did he turned
and dashed into the woods which at that
point skirted the road.
That unfortunate action was enough.
The men sprang from their wagon and
following him into the brush, he was
soon overtaken. The blood on his
clothes was the first thing noticed, and
confused and terrified at the awful posi-
ton in which he found himself, Gerald
refused to answer the eager questions
showered on him, or, in fact, to say any
thing.
'Pears like MURDER" said one of his
captors.
Eyes, and like enough he has killed
old Cranbrook," said another.
After binding Gerald's hands behind
him, an operation to which he SUBJ
mitted passively, for he was completely
dazed by the turn events had taken,
the captors, with their captive, drove to
the white house.
Two hours later Gerald Weston occu-
pied cell in the little lookup, charged
with the awful crime of murder. No
one questioned his suilt-the evidence
against him was all too plain and cir
cumstantial.
That night poor Mollie lay cold and
still with little mite upon her marble
breast who had never opened his eyes
upon the world when he was born into
it, and three days later the little family
was hidden away from sight of man in
the churchyard on the hillside.
The trial came, and in spite of Ger
AIDS statement of the facts, the evil
dence was all against him, excepting in
one particular. This was very impor-
tant point to be sure, but the jury did
not allow it to weigh against the cir
substantial chain which connected Wes-
| ton with the crime. Haskins and his
wife swore that they had seen Gerald
Weston entering Cranbrooks's house at
an hour which Tailed exactly with the
time he would have arrived there if he
had gone direct from the beach. Turner
declared with equal positiveness that
he had met the prisoner three miles
| away from CranbroQk's at the same hour.
| The fishermen. with evident reluctance,
told of the threats made on the beach,
and a motive for the murder was thus
supplied. The jury's verdict of guilty"
was generally Endorsed by the people as
correct. but owing to the statement of
Turner, petition for Executive elem
ency was largely signed and forwarded
to the Governor at Boston. That
official, humane man, committed the
death sentence to imprisonment for life.
Years passed and the hopeless, white
haired convict lived on, counting the
days and hours which must elapse before
kindly Providence should end his suf-
ferings. Many attempts had been made
to secure his release, but in vain. Sew
eral wealthy gentlemen, at the instance
of a California millionaire who had
taken a deep interest in the celebrated
case. had used their personal influence
with the Executive head of the Com
monwealth. 1t was urged that Weston
had but few months to live at least.