Pittsburg dispatch. [volume] (Pittsburg [Pa.]) 1880-1923, 1892-04-09

By the coroner to Mr.. Bywater:
Had you any idea that deceased was suf-
WisnessNo We but for some months mast she
had had been taking homeopathic remedies.
| and noticed bottle which had contained
aconite globules, but nearly empty, which
may have tended to AFFECT the heart.
Some excitemennt was at this moment
produced in court by the sister of the de-
ceased exclaiming that the witness was q
murderer, and that she would prove 1t; but
| upon examination by the Coroner, she only
made a rambling statement with regard to
a love affair in which her sisters husband
had been concerned previous to his mar
| rage.
After an address by the Coroner, the jury
| returned verdict of death from natural
| causes"
As Miss Potion was leaving the court, Bit
| terly regretting her inGiscreetnesS in hav-
| ing SO openly shown her hand, she was
touched gently on the arm, and looking
round, was confronted BY a small slight
looking man, who said: "Beg pardon, miss,
| but Coroner or no Coroner, you were right;
the husband did the trick sure enough. I
| can read faces. and that man is guilty"
Scenes4.
Miss Potion had an idea that some trap
was being laid for her. 81 don't know who
| you are" she said. turning away.
BEG pardon again. miss, it's all on the
| square, I'm Mat Wenlock OF the Vaudeville
| Square Mystery, and the Great Gryle Street
Conspiracy, but don't like to intrude, only
| you may take your 'davey that he did the
| trick"
Miss Potion had heard of Matthew Wen
lock, whose name had achieved SO great u
celebrity in the tracking down of criminals,
and at once saw what valuable ally he
would be. "Come and talk the matter over
at my house, said she.
As soon as they we're in privacy, Matthew
begged her to tell him all sne knew, and she
narrated the reconciliation between hus-
band and wife. "a pretended one on his
part, she added, 'for he had just received
Intelligence which made him more anxious
to get rid of the tie by which he was bound"
why, miss" exclaimed Wenlock, with a
groan OF delight, you are going to give US a
motive which was the real difficult point in
the case. Prove that, and we'll put rope
round his neck, as sure as my name is Mat
Wenlock."
"In the paper in which he pretended he
was reading about q mine which only exist
ed in his imagination" continued the lady,
WAS the announcement of the death OF q
certain Jonn Bigg, at Cannes Before the
villain married my sister he had won the al
fections of ID young girl OF great beauty and
large fortune, one whom he had attended in
his medical capacity. The love affair was
discovered and the girl taken away. She af-
terward married an enormously wealthy
man much older than herself, Mr. Bigg,
the announcement of whose death 1 have
just read. Doubtless John Bywaters old
love has been left a very wealthy widow.
He had great influence over her, and II he
could only get ree, 1elt sure that she would
consent to become his WIFE"
He wouldn't start in a business like that
on spec.," broke in Wenlock, depend on it
the lady has written to him, and to his club,
Oh course; which is il now?"
"The Megatherium," answered d Miss Pol
ton.
"i know. in pall Mall, I'm off there to
make ina uiries," exclaimed Wenlock. "And
don't you stir from here. if you, please, until
you either see me OF get cleW."
Miss Potion promised, ana Wenlock sped
away on his mission.
NJ lss Potion awaited his return with the
utmost impatience, but 1T was fully an hour
and-a half before the detective again put in
an appearance.
Sorry to have kept you waiting, MISS"
said he, "but had a little difficulty in max
ing the hall porter talk, man like that is
what the novelists call a tomb OF Secrets
so you see our friend rides rather rough
shod over the f1unkeys, SO they don't like
him. Well, to make long tale short, he did
get letter with foreign stamp on the
very day the event took place, and precious
glad L should be to get sight OF that same
note. I'm going into the house with Graves,
the undertaker's man, and I'll havesa good
look round. Criminals are sometimes awful
fools, when they think themselves most
clever. The envelope had a small monogram
on it, in green and silver, F. b., the porter
said as he thought it was" d..
at is from her." exclaimed Mrs. Potion,
"Flo Bigg; oh, my poor sister has been muir
Gered beyond doubt"
1t was nearly o'clock before Wenlock
again made his appearance at Miss Polton's
residence, and this time his countenance
was lighted up with an air of complete tri-
umph.
'sHe left it in his overcoat pocket, hanging
up in the hail." exclaimed he, Just as If it
wasn't a compromising document. People
are asses: the house was all skies and sevens,
and the servants running about: scattered
like rabbits Here. miss, read it,"
Miss Potion took the note. which exhaled
a delicate perfume, and read:
''DEAREsr-The jailer is dead, and the pris-
oner free. 1 have been left everything, and
if you have waited for me as you promised,
we can be wealthy, and consequently happy
for the rest of our lives. As soon as 1 hear
love. Yours ever, F."
she shall have rough awaklng," said
Miss Potion, clenching her teeth. rs this
to fix it on him, MI. Wenlock?"
We'll, hardly" answered the detective,
'it is certainly strong corroborative, evil
dence, and shows a motive; still, if it were
not for one other little link, he could Slip
And what is that2" demanded Miss Pol
ton, eagerly.
In reply, Wenlock handed her a paper
signed with the name OF one of the first ana
l ytical chemists of the day, to the effect that
he had received from Matthew Wenlock O
common black pin, that with it he had in
ficted slight puncture on the nose of dog,
and that ten minutes after the creature had
died from syncope. The symptoms were
those of poisoning by aconitia.
"And what is aconitia?" asked Miss Pol
ton, with shudder; ''and what has all this
to do with my poor sisters death?"
"Aconitia!" answered the detective, with |
the air of schoolby who had learned his
lesson, sis the active principle of aconite. |
As for the black pin with which the expert |
ment was tried, found it in the compart- |
ment in which your sister was murdered. |
ou see," he added with ghastly simplicity, |
''the poor thing had absorbed most of the |
poison. and so the dog had longer spell OF |
life than she. 1t was the fellows talk about |
aconite at the inquest that put me on the |
right scent"
Miss Polton's solicitor represented the |
mysterious facts in the proper quarter, and |
a warrant was issued for the arrest of MI |
Bywater.
He submitted quietly enough, strongly |
his innocence, but on the way'to
the police station in q cab he suddenly fell |
forward, and on examination by the doctor
It was discovered that life WAS extinct.
"Tnere's Scotland Yard all over" NUT
tered Wenlock. as he read an account of the
occurrence in the newspaper. 81 put it on
,he right track and they take all the credit
Of it, and muddle up the whole affair in the
end. Why, the fellow must have had q
whole store of those murderous bits of wire,
Ind I'll lay dollar that if they had looked
n the straw at the bottom of the cab they
Hould have found Black Pin
Copyright. 1888. By 7flJotson Son.
THE END.l
NEXT SATURDAY
THE 9:45 EXPRESS
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