Iron County register. [volume] (Ironton, Iron County, Mo.) 1867-1965, 1893-07-06

stoned so much delay and speculation,
as well as rccrinination, each side ac-
cusing the other of having spirited her
off in order to prevent her testimony
from being taken. In view of her con-
fidential relations to her mistress for
SO many years it was believed that she
could give important testimony in ref
erence to Mrs. Dunkirk's will; but
when the papers were issued summon
ing her as a witness it was ascertained
that she had suddenly disappeared from
New York, and 10 trace of her could be
discovered. Now, to what conclusion
does this fight Of hers point? Clearly
and indisputably to her completely In
this forgery! She is beyond all doubt
as deeply concerned in it Us Mrs. May
nard or Noll; indeed, without her aid
they could not have carried out their
scheme at all. presume it was part
of their plan for her to disappear in
case the will were contested Yes, yes,
there can be no doubt now about this
conspiracy. 1 comprehend it from be-
ginning to end. The evidence is accu-
mulating, and each suspicious circum-
stance fits perfectly into its appropriate
place. The motive that actuated Jenner
isapparent enough; the generous legacy
from her old mistress was the stake for
which she played. In order to secure
for herself these glittering thousands,
after that genuine document had been
destroyed, it was necessary that a will
in favor of some available and not i'm
probable heir should be produced and
probated. Annie Dupont, the sole heir
nt-law, was among the missing; or
rather, she was in that still more hope
less category of persons whose exist
ence has never been satisfactorily estab-
Gshed. Clearly, then, Annie Dupont
was not to be considered in this connec-
ton. No more available person than
Mrs. Maynard could be found; there
fore she was the one selected. Now,
his line o argument would lead to the
conclusion that the conspiracy origin
ated with Jenner; but on the other
hand, With the same facts little diff
ferently configured, It could be as
clearly shown that Mrs. Maynard and
Noll originated the scheme, selected
Jenner as an indispensable accomplice.
and by allowing her legacy to be
doubled drew her, a willing instru-
ment, into the conspiracy. This is un-
doubtedly the true state of the case. It
was jenner, beyond all. question, who
placed the will in Mrs. Dunkirk's desk
and subsequently led up to the dis
covery of it by the lawyers. It was
Jenner alone who could have gained
access to Mrs. Dunkirk's private seal.
1t was Jenner who recollccted that Mr..
Herman drew that first will; Jenner
who furnished the specimens of hand
writing by the aid of which the for
gerry was effected; but they made their
first fatal mistake in dating this forged
will after Norristown's death and
Kernan's departure for Europe. Well.
well, am slowly solving all the
mysteries of this case; and yet thus far,
notwithstanding my reckless attempts
to do SO, have been unable to put my
hand on single direct and indisput-
able proof of Mrs. Maynards share in
the conspiracy. Can l hope yet to OBJ
tain this evidence?"
He raised his eyes to her as this ques-
ton entered his mind. She was appar-
emily lost in reverie as profound as his
had been; she seemed even to have lost
all consciousness of his presence, and
when he spoke abruptly after long in
terval of silence she started as if the
whole current of her thoughts had been
changed.
'Jenner was quite an old family
servant, was she not, Mrs. Maynard?"
The question was so strangely irrele-
want to her own reflections that Mrs.
Maynard smiled little as she answered
It.
"Yes, she came from England with
Dr.. and Mrs. Dunkirk when they were
married, forty years ago. She was
their hcusekeeper, and in this capacity
she lived with Mrs. Dunkirk all these
years"
"a clever person, is she not?"
"She is a woman Of more than ordi-
nary intelligence, and Mrs. Dunkirk al
WAYS treated her as a friend, rather
than a servant Jennef's family In
England were very respectable middle
class people, and she received fair ed
pcation, which. added 70 her native