Richmond dispatch. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1884-1903, 1891-02-22
THE KRUNISER MYSTERY.
WHY cHiFFiNcH THE GARDENER
WAS ACCUSED OF MURDER.
A story by Jamos Greenwood.
rhnadelphia TlmeG

WhfCh was Slthhtea IA HVtt'p"f"f AS'N'9
spot about a mile end half from the mar
ket town.
The estate included small farm, and
Mrs. Krumiser's two mecca, Catherine and
Helen Prawl--women Of middle age and
unmarried--lived with her IN the capacity
of servants. Christopher Chifinch was q
iaborer, sort OF handy man ebout the
house and premises. and had been IN
the same service since he was q lad. His
age. as il appeared on the dispositions,
was forty-six. Though hard.working, and
seemingly Trustworthy, Chiiiinch was Of a
morose disposition. lie was c,umsiIy-
built, ungainly sort OF fellow, and some
what lame.
Old Mrs. Krumiser was crippled. too,
and much more seriously. the result Of an
accident that happened few weeks after
the demise Of her husband. 10 was not 20
be wondered at that Widow Krumiser was
eccentric If only hall of the stories told
of the farmer were true. Although lie
could very we'll afford to hire all the house
and outdoor work he REQUIRED, he toiled
in the fields and on the farm harder than
any common laborer. and shocked oil his
decent neighbors by working Sunday as
well as week DAYS. lie was graspng ana
greedy for wealth. and compelled has wife
to do Homework and assist with the wash
ing as we'll
Anything TO save a shilling. He never
went 70 church. and. as far as any one was
aware. protested no religion. He had a
stuffed monkey in his bed-room--a mon
strous creature Of the babOOn species,
with n Satanic expression Of countonance,
and cleaning white tusks and great Cog
Cling glass ewes. This stuffed animal stood
In n SQUARE glass case near the bed, ana
when old Ambrose Krumlser was taken
with his last illness, and the parson heard
az n. ne deemed IL his duty. although the
farmer had never treated him with COM
mon civility even, TO call with view OF
affording him spiritual consolation, But
the wicked old fellow would have nothing
TO DO with him.
"D'ye want 10 know what my religion
is and has been all my lifei" he inquired
of the minister.
~ should much like to know was the
"Then that is it," and with grin he
pointed to the hideous ape in the glass case.
"That's the chap believe IN. Heha been
the best friend in the world to me-
The parson was much panied, of course
and left the venerable reprObate. But his
meaning was not quite as 1t appeared
After Krumiser's death and burial il was
discovered that he bad made q mOney-bOX
of the ape-had taken out all the stufhng
from its inside and replaced it with
boarded money. Thinking II probable
that there was more hidden some
where, his widow. mounted on pair Of
high steps, poking among the ratters, tell
and was afflicted with paralysis Her
arms were So nearly useless that she could
neither dress herself nor eat her food with
ont assistance. In addition to this few
months before her death she was so de-
crepit-her age was seventy-fOur-that she
could walk but slowly and with difficulty,
and having a great liking for sitting III the
garden when the weather was fine. Chit
finch, who was very strong, was accus-
toned on such occasions % carry the old
lady out, seated in her easy-chair, and con-
vey her back again to the house IN the
same way when she desired it.
Old Mrs. Krumiser's eCcentTiCity mani
tested itself in various ways, but in none
so markedly as in tho disposal of her
money. In this respect she was amazingly
like her late husband, but even more cum
ming. There could be 10 doubt as 10 her
being rich. She was possessed of excellent
house property in the ncighbOrhoOd and
her rents amounted 10 ut least two hun
dred q wear, and beside this she derived
from another source an annual income of
a hundred and fifty, and in addition there
were the profits of the farm. which were
at least enough for defraying household
expenses.
But the singular part Of it was that Mrs.
Krumiser never had any money. 1t was
not frlttered away IN unnecessary eXtTava-
pance in the way of living, and twenty
pounds q year was made TO meet the wage
account Of Mrs. krumiser's two nieCes and
the kitchen maid rs well. What the old
lady did with the money was a mystery in
explicable, and the more so because she
had strange fancy for gold. II her rents
or any part Of them came TO her in the shape
of bank notes shewas restless until she had
exchanged the latter for soyereigns, and 1t
was the same with her annuity. She put
nothing in the bank. If she had done so,
either Catharine or Helen Prawl must have
known of il, for, having scarce any use in
her arms she never ventured abroad with
out one Of them went with her, Where,
then, could she hoard It? Say It was quar-
Ter dav, and she received forty or fifty
pounds in gold. She ouldhaveit brought
into her little stting-room and placed, for
the present, in an old china punch-hOwl
that stood in the corner cupboard by the
fireplace Then the two nieces went to
look for il as soon as Mrs. Krumiser was
gone TO bed, but the punch-bowl was
empty.
Had she been person blessed with the
free use of her limbs the natural inference
of course would have been that she had
II was q tested and proved fact that she
could not lift q coin from the table. Her
fingers were powerless for such feat. She
might, with q spasmodic Jerk of the wrist,
sweep piece of money from the table TO
the ground, but she could not if her life
depended on it pick it mp. How then
could she take the money out of the bowl
and convey il of and hide it? 1t was
physically impossible. Yet there was no
s..tksv.r. o,ror hn hor1 foot that CcrnabOxv
or other she did convey II OF and hide II as
well.
But where? The two sisters. though
they were honest aud faithful, were in
crate against the old woman for her parsi-
mony, and, as need not be said oppor-
tunity serving they had many and manv q
time made tho strictest search for the con-
cealed wealth. They had minutely ex-
arnined beds and mattresses, probed the
clinks between the foor-boards, raised the
the hearth, investigated the chimney even,
but not 50 much "a a single half-soyereign
could they ever discover. They dare not
question Mrs. Krumiser on the subject.
Niece Helen, being the boldest OF the
two, ventured 70 put out feeler in this
direction and got sharply snubbed for her
pains. A house in the neighborhood had
been visited by burglars, and their booty
included a considerable sum in ready cash.
at should be q caution, aunt, to folks
who hoard money on their premises" said
Helen. Much better hank TO- ! should
gay. Suppose they were TO break in here 2"
"Well, what then?" demanded Mrs.
Krumiser, sharply.
"Why, see what they might perhaps
find" replied her niece.
"They would have 10 be sharper than
YOU OF your sister, then" the old lady re-
Joined. with grim chuckle. You two,
who know every hole and corner and
Granny and crevice in the house, and are
always ferreting about. And what have
you ever found ?"
"Yes, but aunt" began the niece, pro-
testingly. you know"
AYE, that's just Il" snapped Mrs. KIu-
miser. II do know, and you don't, and
never viii. And il you amt satisfied you
can pack up and DO of as soon as you
please
1t was actually whispered in the house,
and not 50 softly but that it reached Chris
topher Chiffnch's dull ears, that Mrs.
KFumiser swallowed her money. This
Helen Prawl. and her sister Catherine as
well, were prepared 10 swear 20 on the
Bible They had seen their aunt with
money in her mouth. Helen ayerred that
on one occasion when Mrs. Krumiser had
received some rent che watched her
through the keyhole. She bad reached
the punch-bowl out of the cupboard
n 4 ~ a a. ~