Evening capital. (Annapolis, Md.) 1884-1910, 1891-01-03
PRICE ONE CENT


IF l kept any said I. you may de-
pend that | should keep il safely
i0e..C@ ss,ly si'S be sure you would.
and you would keep the keys safe in
your pocket. Are they there now ~
at once produced my little bunch OF
keys, and told him that they were
never out of my own possession. lie
took them in his hand. Don't he
alarmed said he, but l have par
ticular wish to have peep inside any
drawer or box they will unlock Have
YOU any objection 2 | advanced to
snatch my keys from him and demand
his authority for Ia ing such a liberty.
But he had como all prepared. Taking
out of his pocket-bOok he showed me
a seaph-w warrant. | had raised my
voice angrily, and so, as | supposed.
alarmed my wife in the next room.
She hastily slipped on dressing gown
and came in To where we were. She
was white as paper but calm enough.
/ was not. | was trembling with rage
and indignation. | explained to my
wife what it was the Police Inspector
wished to do. We'll, where is the
harm 2 said she innocently. There
can be nothing. my dear, that You wish
TO conceal, or that you need be afraid
of. | could say no more. There were
only three things that were locked in
the room-two drawers of a writing
table and desk that stood on a side
board. The desk contained only few
private papers, including the two in-
surance policies, and ii was weeks since
| had opened il. That was the first
thing the Inspector unlocked, my wife
and myself looking on. In one corner
there was a small linen bag, half full,
which | had never seen before, and in
my wonderment | made some eNcla-
nation and put my hand toward il.
But the Inspector was too quick for
me. Having secured it, he put his
finger and thumb into the bag and
took out a pinch of the stuff ii com
tained and held it UP to the light. II
is salt, isn't il ? my wife remarked.
The same kind of salt ma am, that
your arrowroot was seasoned with, II
/ am not mistaken the inspector an-
swefed, as he carefully tied up the bag
again; this is arsenic. Hearing this
my wife shrank from me with look
Of horror. and without word went
back TO the bedroom while |, feeling
stunned or like one in dream, was
taken away to the police station.
have already tried your patience.
gentlemen, with my long story, and /
will net trouble you with the terrible
details OF what followed. | was COM
nitled for Trial for the attempted mur-
der. II was shown that with my small
salary ! had insured my Wife's life for
900 pound sterling, and the doctor
was called to prove that within
month the symptoms which We're COM
n. -.
appear. 1t was shown that the packet
OF arr0wroot in the cupboard and the
beef-tea essence. which were intended
fer my wife's exclusive use, we're
already poisoned and could not deay
my own declaration to the Police In
spectof that the keys OF the desk where
the httlo bag OF IA scnic was discovered
were never ont of my possession. You
may he sure that the prosecution did
not fail To point ont how much my
guilt was increased by the cunning
attempt to put the crime on the inno-
cent servant-giFl and the end OF IL was
that ! was sentenced 20 ten years
penal servitude.
As | have already informed yon |
never from the time Of my conviction
received any communication from my
wife. which, of course added much to
the bitterness of my cruel punishment.
since it pat it beyond doubt that she.
too, believed me guilty. and scores Of
times | prayed that ] might seon die
in prison, like Seth Taplow. But my
conscience Of innocence supported me.
and | lived through IT, And now
comes the most terrible part Of my
strange tale. ] never thonght 20 sea
my wife again. but on my wav here
this morning | met her. | did not
know her at first. she looked SO old
and altered II wac joyful moment
when / beheld hci, and put ont both
my hands but she ciasped hers behind
her, and there wae relentless hatred
in her eyes. Coed God 2 / said. can
il be that you have all along and still
think me guilty? 2 There was no
wasting of words between us. With
no one to 0yerhear u.s. she said. listen
to what have come on purpose To tell
you. | know Of no guilt Of yours hut
one-y0ur murder of the man ] loved
1t was for that / married you. that |
might be well reyenged.' And then
she told me how she herself had
planned the poisoning for which | had
been tried and convicted. 1t was she
who had procured the arsqnic and with
a false key placed it in the desk whore
it was found she who had mixed the
poison with the food. To carry out
her fiendish design she had taken
small doses Of the deadly stuF, and
finally larger though not a fatal dose,
50 as to make IL abundantly clear that
it was my villainous intention to hllr-
der her so as to obtain the insurance
money. And still with no ore to
oyerhear u.s. she said. let me tell You
that ii was not that you might he
sentenced for paltry ten yeas that
/ ran the deadly risk. ] hoped Won
would have been sent away for twice
as long-for your life, perhaps. But
/ have not done with you yet. John
Lock. To be rid Of me you viii have
to kin me. / will goad yoH to II. and
die happy knowing that Won viii end
your life on the gallows.
have nothing to add to John Locks
strange story. and the reader is as well
able as myself to Judge if there was
any truth in it, or whether it was
romantic fabrication on the ex-con-
vict's part to excite sympathy In
quiry. i 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 to the
last persisting in the statement he had
made. he was shipped TO America
London Telegraph.
Miles Nerve and Liver pills.