The Wilmington daily Republican. (Wilmington, Del.) 1890-1902, 1893-09-13
A dark sky and a wild storm would have

A dark sky and wild storm would have
better suited his mood
In the afternoon he returned to his
tent, wishing that Christmas was over
that he might get back 10 work. Labor
was all that be cared for now, for phys
ical WEAKNESS brought with it some
measure of ment rest. Listlessly he
took up one of the newspapers Rock had
left with him. What mattered it to him
how the rest Of humanity were moving,
what men were buying and selling, who
was growing rich and who had become
poor2 He was about to fling the paper
down again when something caught his
eye-something that instantly banished
the WEAKNESS and indifference and
brought the hot blood rushing to his
cheek. 1t was johannesburg journal,
and he read:
Truth is, after all, stranger than fic-
tion, and murder will out The truth of
these well known adages has just been
proved in a remarkable manner. Few
people will have forgotten the excite
ment into which Johannesburg was
thrown about IS months ago by the muir
der of Mr.. Diblin, wealthy and much
respected merchant of this town. A
young man named Clarkson was accused
of the crime and after trial sentenced to
death. The sentence was afterward com
muted to penal servitude for life 1t will
be remembered that Clarkson escaped
from prison and that all efforts to trace
him were unavailing. 1t seems, however,
that the young fellow was innocent Of
the crime for which he nearly paid the
awful penalty.
"a man named Dick Carter, who was
injured in the dynamite explosion at the
Gladstone mine yesterday and who is
now dead, confessed to tho murder. II
appears that for some time there had
been an i'll will between Mr.. Diblin and
Carter, and on the day of the murder it
terminated in bitter and terrible quar-
rel. Later in the evening as Carter was
returning home he met Mr.. Diblin, who
was very angry that, as he thought,
Carter should be logging him. Carter
was insolent, and Mr.. Diblin threatened
to give him in charge, whereupon Car
ter, who was not sober, pulled out his
revolver, which he had bought from
native few weeks before, and shot Mr..
Diblin. Carter did not at first think
that Mr. Diblin was dead but imagined
that he had merely tainted.
Being hard up, he took from the peck
cts Of the PROSTATE man all the money
he carried-a large sum-amounting in
notes and gold to several thousand
pounds. He also took watch and chain.
Carter had scarcely accomplished this
4t,n 90
street and came toward him. Carter
shrank back in the shadow of building
and waited for the man to pass. Instead
of this, however, the man lay down on
a stoop few yards away. Carter wait
ed some time, but as the man did not
move he came to the conclusion that he
must be asleep. Then Carter slipped out
of the shadow, and going up to Mr.. DID
lin discovered that he was dead. Sobered
by the horrible discovery and fear of
the consequences, he threw tho revolver
from him. Then he took Mr.. Diblin's
watch and few of the notes and placed
them in the pockets of the sleeping man
1t was devilish act.
Garter did not know till afterward
who it was that he had SO cruelty in
jured. He tried, he said, to make what
reparation he could by helping Clarkson
to escape from prison, providing him
with money and disguise and helping
him out of the country. johannesburg
is as much excited about the confession
as it was about the crime, and every one
is now asking, Where is Thomas Clark
SOM But that is a question no one seems
able to answer. He has vanished as
completely as if the earth had swallowed
him up. If he is still in the land of the
living, the newspapers will soon reach
his eve, and he will learn that he need
no longer skulk about in hiding, but
that he is free to return to Johannesburg
whenever he wishes"
So that was why Dick Carter, stran-
ger, had helped him to escape and done
SO much for him. Why had he never
suspected the reason beforeY He read
the newspaper account over and over
again that bright Christmas afternoon
Each time, it seemed, it brought him a
greater, deeper joy. The iron was lifted
from his soul, tho deadening weight
from his breaking heart.-Philadelph
Times.