Fisherman & farmer. [volume] (Edenton, N.C.) 1887-19??, 1892-09-09

At Gloucester her escort had got out
to telegraph 70 her husband to meet them
and had lost the train through porter
telling him that the stop was five minutes
instead of three, and she had just seen
him run on to the platform as the train
left the station.
AS she looked round the carriage in
which she now found herself free, IN.
shackled, she saw the key of her hand
cuffs, which must have fallen from his
ticket pocket as he jerked his overcoat
on. She tried hard to open the locks,
but, of course, had been unable TO do so.
Didcot and Swindon were passed as
she told her tale; we conVersed upon
the strange occurrences Of the night, and
the only stop before Paddington was
now Reading. Here my travelling com
panion decided to leave the train, as by
no means could she avoid running into
| her husbands arms at the terminus.
Despite her gentle winning manner, l
felt instinctively that persuasions would
be useless, and SO 1 opened the door
got out, and helped her to alight from
the carriage, and with few murmured
words of repeated thanks she was gone.
When l got back into the carriage l
lit cigar and lay back on the cushions
to think over my adventure. BY the
time the train drew into Paddlngton
had exalted my beautiful unknown into
a heroine Of romance, and, l regret to
say, myself into something like a
knight Grant of the days of chivalry.
''This is 1t, twelve-nlnety. Are you
there, Fred3" TIE train had stopped,
and lamp flashing into the carriage
woke me up from my day dream to hear
these strange words, aDd to see couple
of men in police uniform and railway
Inspector peering into the compartment.
'tHullo! this must be wrong. They
aren't here, and yet this is the right
number. Excuse me, sir, how far have
you come in this carriage?"
'tFrom Stroud" replied, bit dazed
by drowsiness and my strange reception.
"Have you come all the way aloneF
Some~~zad idea connected in con-
fused way with the beautiful woman
whose soft, clinging clasp [ could still
feel on my hand, stopped the truth that
rose to my lips, and instead uttered the
foolish lie
ayes, have been alone in the carriage
all the way"
A moment later 7 would have given al
I possessed to have recalled my words,
for as I uttered them the railway inspec.
tor turned his lamp under the seat
opposite to me and said in a hoarsc
whisper
"Good Heavens! what's that2"
My eyes followed the glare of the
lamp, and saw the toe of mans boot
, on the floor of the carriage a few inches
back from the front of the seat.
, A minute later and the corpse OF q
somewhat understood man, whose face
was still drawn in the agony of violent
death, was dragged out, lifted up and
: laid upon the seat.
Of course spent the night in the
J cells, for if I could have procured bail to
any amount it would not have been
, accepted.
! Not only was I charged with the most
, terrible of all crimes, but the charge was
/ supported by prima facie evidence tina
looked practically conclusive. The
handouts had been found in my pocket,
3 and l was accused of procuring the
escape from justice of the notorious
! Maria s., the wife of a member o
> the Nihilist Inner Circle, then serving {
? life sentence in Siberia.
No fewer than four murders had beer
, traced to her, and now l was charged
with completely in a fifth, that of
we'll known English detective who hat
, sought to make brilliant coup by taking
her alone.
She seemed to have the power of fas'
cinating men with her beauty till the,
became her slaves, and then strikin!
them dead by some terrible and myster
} ious agency that left no trace save dealt
behind it.
! There is no need to dwell on the hor
, rors of the time that followed my arrest
7 Everything that money and skill coulC
do fer me was done, but l was com
2 mitted for trial on the circumstantia
( evidence to answer the charge of muir.
e der.
2 While lay in jail awaiting my tria1
f the search for Marie s. became al
f absolute hunt to death.
t Despite all this, so perfect was bel
] skill in disguise, and SO unlimited bel
: fertility OF resource, that she might hav
evaded pursuit after all, had it not beer
: for one of those slips that the cleverest
f of criminals seem to make sooner O
}. later.
-o....-. obo-o;u4so assistant q