The Abbeville press and banner. [volume] (Abbeville, S.C.) 1869-1924, 1893-05-24
base again, I'm afraid.


not only spared his life but had been,
no doubt, at very great pains to start him
on the road toward health and strength.
you saw from the card, returned ne,
that I was working on the st. Cyr case.
Yes"
-Thst led me to the house Of this MAJ
Norris"
Before that ! met the daughter Of the
murdered m:."
'Berenice
Exactly" -.
And YOU fell in love with her. Don't
deny. It's family failing. did 1t my
self once, and was never the same man
since"
Il see. Well, you are right, and that
largely accounts for my interest in the
matter. Judge of my feelings, then,
when saw that she was dead!"
"I'>n sorry for it, Milty."
~ was she that I lowered from the
window in Morris house.
Then he and Sears have made away
with her"
Undoubtedly"
And you'd like to be revenged?"
Its all that's left me now"
.Ill help You. The scoundrels! Try
Ing to get me to kill blood relstionl I'll
help you, and you'll find I'm Of more use
than I look"
Whereupon the dwarf bustled back to
the stove, leaving our hero to examine the
papers at his leisure.
TO his intense astonishment, Cole
found that ten days had elapsed since he
had received the injuries which 80 nearly
~oop1fad II, hiu daath
These, coupled with the worry and ex.
citement which for more than twenty
four hours had preceded their infliction,
had proved too much for human nature to
endure, and brain fever had resulted.
With absorbing interest and as much
composure and resignation as he could
command, the invalid devoured 50 much
of the file Of papers as related to the st.
Cyr case, taking them in the order of
their appearance.
Much that he read was, as he we'll
knew, the invention Of the reporter who
wrote It, while almost everything was
sadly jumbled up and distorted.
He learned that the guilt Of himself
was undisputed, that he was being eager
" sought after by the police. and that no
ono else was suspected, though he was
Detective Hyland had survived the bull
let wound; in fact, it was not nearly 30
severe as was at first supposed, but re-
NAMED in a half dazed, passive condi-
tion from which it seemed impossible to
arouse him. Physically he was almost
we'll, but the hospital physicians held
Dut no hopes Of his ultimate mental re-
sovery.
The house where Hyland had been
vhot wes believed to have been fitted up
and occupied by Cole Winters. Numer-
ous disguises, together with some burg
lars tools and stolen property found
there, had served to still more firmly es-
tablish the guilt Of the reader.
As to Berenice St. Cyr, our hero read
Of her through eyes wet with tears.
The accounts stated that she had re-.
ceived note on the evening after her
fathers death from Cole Winters, in
forming her that he was lying at the
point Of death, and asking her to come
10 him.
She had maintained the innocence
OF the young man, and had
inpulsively complied. She had been
driven away in hack, and did not re.
turn. All efforts to find the hackman
had failed, and she was believed to have
been abducted by the desperate criminal
Cole Winters. The note. said by experts
to be in the handwriting of the young
man. sne had left behind her. It Ias
then in the hands Of the police. and made
another link in the already strong chain
of evidence that was expected to hang
our hero.
The paper Of next to the latest issue
contained the article whose sensational
headlines had completely upset the
reader.
It appeared that the body OF woman
found floating in the Chicago River bad
been shown to be that of the missing
heiress. The identification had been
complete, though it rested mainly on the
cloak and hat found on the body, as to
the identity OF which there was no shadow
of doubt.
With an awful sinking of tho heart
Cole learned, also, that he was now ac-
cussd of tue murder of the daughter as
we'll as that Of the father.
Exactly what his motive hal been IN
the commission of this last crime, no ono
seemed able to define, but the authorities
were i'd to be confident that he was the
guilty party.
The paper of that morning told OF the
immense funeral of the unfortunate young
lady, Mt which the elite of Chicago were
present.
WITH groan of anguish the unhappy
Invalid learned that, in the absence OF
blood relatives, Almon Sears, spoken OF
a. q Young man whom Mr.. st. Cyr had
educated and to whom he was much at.
tsched, had appeared as chief mourner.
sTba donhle dvad vi1lainIn cried Cola