Rock Island Argus. (Rock Island, Ill.) 1893-1920, 1894-11-03

pSlieVeu WHAT we told them too 1mpllc-
lily. After the examination by our ply
stefan and the positive manner in which
ne told them that there was no founda-
ton for their claims, there were few
who dared risk the penalties for perjary
by bringing the case TO court. Our pri-
vate tribunal generally settled the mat
ter. The few who dared TO risk legal
trial have had the leisure to repent
their folly in prison. But all this took
time and work and was expensive. The
will expressly stipulated that .re costs
OF research and legal protection should
be taken from the trust property Itself,
and in 10 years these expenses alone
have more than eaten up the interest on
the money. SO that the trust property to-
day does not amount to quite $500, 600.
So matters stood on the 21st day of
April last past. On that day the slate
was clean. There was not an unsettled
claim pending The last Ethel Forsythe
had been disposed of, and there was
nothing more to be done. Ten years hay-
ing elapsed since the date of the will
and the lost daughter not being forth
| coming, Felix Rosenfel had clear title
to her property. The lawyer expected
daily a call from his solicitor The days
went by, and he did not come. The pa
pers were prepared, the property was
ready, but no Jcw. He did not come.
In fact, there was great hue and cry
| raised about this matter, for the Jew
had disappeared as suddenly and COM
| pletely from his home and his acquaint-
ances as if, unseen and alone, he had,
like Elijah, been translated into heaven
He had gone out one night on an Grand
| He had never returned.
Meantime what was to become OF
| the Forsythe property? The will was
| clear and explicit on this point. In case
| of the Jews death and the nonappear-
ance of the missing heiress the trust
! funds reverted, rs before, to the charities
| The trustees only awaited proof of the
Jews death to lift this burden off their
| shoulders. Then, like thunderbolt out
Of clear sky, last and most danger
Gus Ethel Forsythe appeared upon the
scene. This girl had been brought up by
Il certain George and Mary Stevenson in
the country as their own daughter. They
now declared that in her infancy the
| child had been placed in their hands by
a certain Leander Dye, who had paid
| them royalty for her support An aft
davit, sworn out by Dye before justice
of the peace, averTed that he had stolen
the child from Ansel Forsythe's house
in hope Of a ransom, had been terrified
| by the results of his deed, and had been
afraid ever since to produce her through
| fear of the Jew.
$50 far the case was simpler and more
straightforward, but not more plausible,
than some of its predecessors But the
| physician test threw the executors into
confusion. Miss Stevenson's left foot
met the requirements of the case The
third toe had been amputated. AT once
there arose n dispute among the eXecu-
tors Some Were for admitting her claim
without further inquiry. but the good
sense of the others prevailed, and the
| most rigid Investigation ensued A
choice list of the best physicians in the
city was made up, each of whora was
to make separate examination of the
scar left by the amputation and return
to the executors his opinion as to its
age. The opinions varied greatly, but
the average result was certainly of a
character to Justify our worst suspicious
The general verdict placed the date of
the wound within year, and there was
but one voice to the belief that the am
putation, instead of being the intelli-
gent and careful work of physician,
was the bungling performance of per-
I NJ no f,rc-f e
surgery. The physician who had operat-
ed upon tho real Ethel was dead, but
his standing and knowledge of his pro-
fession were undoubtedly OF the first or
der. Here at the outset was a manifest
flaw in the Stevenson case, but before ii
could be followed up information was
obtained which let the light in upon
the whole mystery. While the executors
were getting over the shock of the frs,
establishment caused by these develop.
ments and We're preparing to proceed tc
extreme measures the last of the For.
sythe impostures came to sudden ter.
mination by the flight Of all concerned
in the conspiracy.
''Such is the remarkable Forsythe
case as we knew it and as the worlC
knew it week ago today. This is the
outer and surface history. I have added
a brief statement of the secret history
as the events of the past few days have
made them known to us.
Ethel Forsythe was stolen by tht
Jew himself. From the day of her alb
duction she led a forlorn and unsatisfac.
tory life. She was brought up under thu
false narle of Annette Dye. She travel
ed about the country, believed and be
lieving herself to be the daughter of {
moral coward whom the Jew had sue
ceeded in getting completely under hi.
thumb She might have been the daugh
ter of that moral coward still had mo-
an accident revealed to her part o.
the truth Of her situation. She commit
ted the indiscretion of telling this knowl
edge to her pretended father He flew
with the startling news of her fatal in
formation to the jew. At first the Jew
was paralyzed with fear, but he was too
determined and INSCRIPTIONS man t.
permit the schemes of years to be dissi
4 H. n