The Roanoke times. [volume] (Roanoke, Va.) 1890-1895, 1894-08-15

AAO ROAoUhutd euS 10 uak0 ILLS
will as follows: Mrs. Childs, his niece,
had tho property for life; then her chill
dren by seniority inherited, and then
heirs male, and failing them or issue
tho son of Richard Townley to inherit
in fee. AS there were nine of the Childs
children, James Townley's chance Of
gaining the inheritance his father had
forfeited seemed very remote.
Sir Edmund died, leaving large
personal estate in addition to Apley
Park, and the Childs entered into pos
session.
James Townley had no force Of char
aoter and was, moreover, improvident
and careless, and he added to his re-
sponslbihties by marrying very pretty
young woman, named Cray, who was q
seamstress i'll one of those ono storfed
shops OH Eighth street, below SAMSON.
Each did their best to mako q living.
but tho husbands health failed, and
then poverty came Mrs Townley was
delicate and could do little to support
tho household, now increased by the
birth Of sickly boy.
Rachel Barron had known the elder
Fownley and, nursed his son when i'll
with fever, and she came forward.
took the stricken family to her own
home Mt the Fourteen Chimneys" and
cared for them The husband was then
dying from quick consumption and the
wife failing i'll health, and both were in
effect paupers
In the month of March, 1927, q small,
thin man, evidently English and look
ing very much like ferret, came to soc
james Townley. He was, he said. a
friend of his fathers and had but re-
GENTLY heard Of the sous affection He
talked sympathetically, left several dol
lars and promised to call again, and
this no did several times ALWAYS giving
Mrs Townley money.
Rachel watched him closely and be-
came very distrustful Mrs Townley
had told her something of her husbands
history, and after many injunotions to
do nothing until she returned the reso.
lutte Rachel paid a visit to tho late Rich.
ard Mccall.
He heard her story indifferently, but
advised that Mrs. Townley should sign
no papers without letting him know of
1t The woman hurried home, and Gil
ter1ng the house heard some one talk
ing up stairs. She went at onco to the
Townlcy's room and peeped in Two
mon were ut the bedside james. prom
ped up by pillows, had before him on a
pieco of board a paper, and his wife had
just placed a pen in his feeble hand.
On the table was q pile of notes and
gold.
With rush tho mulatto grabbed the
paper. almost upsetting both mon, who
turned OH her fercely.
BE careful what you 10 doing, wom-
an That is legal document that Mr..
Townley has received money to execute.
and I'll hold you responsible for dam
ages
"All right! This yer is my house.
You get out and take yer money with
you We amt signing anything today. {"
And the men were resolutely hustled
down stairs. In an hour after MIR. Nc
Call and his clerk came walking in and
heard the story.
Let me soc the paper. All, YES
shrewd scheme to get Townley to con
vey his right to q magnificent estate for
$500. We are just i'll time, it seems -
:, Townley was almost unconscious, but
no lived long enough to know that he
was the owner of Apley Park. This
freak of fortune came about in this
manner.
Mrs. Childs' husband died before the
baronet, and she was the head of the
family. Shortly after coming to Aplcy
Park tho eldest son broke his neck in
the hunting field and was brought home
dead His elder sister was in Germany.
and her mother received letter telling
or her sudden illness, and with several
children, a maid and q man attendant
started at once to cross tho channel,
posted through Franco and got safely tc
Germany, and with two. carriages was
driving along the Rhino, when the bank
gave way and all We're procipitated into
the river, and the maid and position
alone escaped. Thus the Childs family
was extinguished.
The attorney for the heir lost no time
In communicating with MIR. Mccall, ap
prising him that one of their clerks
had sailed for America. and that his cr
rand was to make some arrangement fo1
his own benefit with the new heir and
to warn that gentleman at once.
Thanks to Rachel Barron, no warn
ing was needed james Townley died
two months after hearing of his good
fortune, and his wife, attended by Ra
ohel, started for England. Inside OF
two years both the widow and son died.
Rachel married q very respectable white
man in the neighborhood, moved te
Brighton and kept q hotol there, much
freQuented by Shropshire people. Hel
property here was looked after by Rich