The Globe-republican., 1892-07-11

planned.
who do you suspect is your fathers
murderer" asked Paxton.
Levi Kredge!" answered Reid Oak
burn in tone OF conviction.
Why so?"
Because he was flush of money after
the murder, and it was not marked
money he had. I think he robbed my
fathers little private safe, after killing
the old gentleman"
The detective questioned Reid Oak
burn further, but nothing worthy OF
record was elected after that, and the
interview was cut short by the arrival OF
one OF PaxtOn's agents, with note from
the villainOus janitOr, who requested
him to come to his cell as soon as possi-
BILE, as he had decided to make a con-
feSsiOn.
will he confess the murder? How
will the mystery be explained?" won
dered Paxton.
He felt that the denouement was sure
ly near at hand, and he fastened with
out the least delay to the TOmbs, where
Levi Kredge was confined:
AS soon as he was in Kredge's cell the
janitor began:
4 am going to make clean breast Of
the job. don't want to be put on trial
for John Oakburn's murder"
You've come to your senses at last. "
Yes; now listen"
On the night of John Oakburn's g death,
I entered the office through the rear
window where you found my tracks. l
had found out that John Oakburn kept
a large sum of money in his little safe,
and having a duplicate key to 1t, 1
meant to rob it.
I had entered the Office, after forcing
open the blinds and raising the window,
and had robbed the safe and locked 1t
up again lust as 1 had found it after Sc
curing the money, nearly eighty thou
sand dollars, on my person, when sud-
denly John Oakburn entered the outer
office.
had only time to hide behind desk
when ne came into the interior office,
and hastily unlocked his little private
safe.
I shall never forget the cry of agony
he uttered when he discovered that the
safe had been robbed.
He reeled znto the outer Office and fell
into chair.
The old man had paid the seventy
eight thousand dollars he drew from the
bank that afternoon, and which belonged
to Garrison, to save a scapegrace son OF
his from arrest. Pratt and Weeks had
captured that son. and to them John
akburn paid Garrison S money, intend
ing to replace it with the money which
was in his little safe.
remember the way the old man NUT
tered as he sat there after he discovered
the loss of his money.
Il am ruined, I am an embezzler, l
have appropriated my employers money
to my own use, have betrayed sacred
trust. l have kept it secret that had
) saved large sum of money, and that
! 1t was in my little safe. My story will
not be credited. 1 will not live to suffer
this awful disgrace, whose one wish
was to live an honest man, and dying
leave a spotless reputation. 1 will die by
my own hand"
! 1t was like that he went on, almost
remember his exact words. Then he
seized pen and began to write, I
watched him breathlessly, and bad as
| am, l resolved to save his life, to pre-
vent his committing suicide.
When he had written for some time,
| he came to his safe again, and took out
J d
into the outer office, and heard him
say:
Il will kill myself in ten minutes.
saw him sit down, pistol in hand,
| and watch the clock. The time was al
most up, and I was about to rush out
and disarm him, when he threw down
the pistol saying, am afraid. l saw
that he trembled from head to foot.
%Lc% hn thn Don
ment or so, but finally he picked up the
pen and wrote a few lines. Then as II
he had decided, he picked up the pistol
again.
Il cannot face the weapon. The sight
Of the pistol unnerves me. If could
not see, might have the nerve to pull
the trigger"
Then he took up the pistol once more
opened drawer and took out ball OF
twine. Tying one end of the twine tC
the trigger Of the pistol. after cooking 1t
he placed the weapon in a bracket at the
side of the docr, where there had been
a lamp, and with the cord in his hand
walked back to the table.
Before could prevent it, and before
fully comprehended what he intended to
do he pulled the string attached to tht
trigger, the weapon. which was an ali
pistol, was discharged without report
and Oakburn fell dead, shot through th'
back Of the head In his fall he over
turned the table.
sprang forward and secured the pa
per which he had written, for I surmise'
it was statement that he had com
mitted suicide.
Then left the office as had entered
! it, taking care to close the window an
the blind behind me. 1 had an idea tha
the suicides last written words nigh
be of value to me in case I was sus
pected, and the result proves that wa
! right, said kredge.
CHAPTER XXXvI.
At last the secret of John Oakburn'