The Iola register. [volume] (Iola, Allen County, Kansas) 1875-1902, 1894-02-23

bed, duly witnessed, and the civil au-
thorities were promptly notified.
Bridget Doyle was handed over to the
police. Certain detectives out some
where on the trail of somebody else
were telegraphed to come in. and four
days later, when the force of the fever
was broken and Waring lay weak,
languid. but returning to his senses,
Cram and the doctor read the confess
sion to their patient, and then started
to their feet as he almost sprang from
the bed.
Its an internal ier he weakly
cried. Il took that knife from Doyle
and kept it. l myself saw Lascelles to
his gate, safe and sound"
The sunshine of an exquisite April
morning was shimmering over the
Louisiana lowlands as Battery tx"
was ''hitching in and Mrs. Grams
pretty pony-phaeton came flashing
through the garrison gate and refined
up in front of the guns. A proud and
happy woman was Mrs. Cram. and
daintily she gathered the spotless,
cream-colored reins and slanted her
long English driving-whip at the ex-
act angle prescribed by the vogue of
the day. By her side, reclining luxuri-
ously on his pillows, was Sam Warning,
now senior first lieutenant of the bat
terry, taking his first airing since his
strange illness. Pallid and thin
though he was, that young gentleman
was evidently capable of approaching
to the fullest extent the devoted at
tentions of which he had been the OBJ
ject ever since his return. Stanch
friend and fervent champion of her
husbands most distinguished officer at
any time, Mrs. Cram had thrown her
self into his cause with a zeal that
challenged the admiration even of the
men whom she mercilessly snubbed
because they had accepted the general
verdict that Lascelles had died by
Warnings hand. Had they met in the
duello as practiced in the south in
those days, sword to sword, or armed
with pistol at twelve PAGES, she
would have shuddered, but maintained
that as soldier and gentleman War
ing could not have refused his oppon-
ent's challenge, inexcusable though
such challenge might have been. But
that he could have stopped to vulgar,
unregulated fracas, without seconds or
the formality of the cartel, first with
fists and those women's weapons,
nails, then knives or stilettoes, as
though he were some low dago or
Sicilian-why, that was simply and ut
terly incredible. None the less she
was relieved and rejoiced. as were all
Warnings friends, when the full pur-
port of poor Doyle's dying confession
was noised abroad. Even those who
were skeptical were now silenced.
For four days her comfort and relief
had been inexpressible; and then
came the hour when. with woe and
trouble in his face, her husband re-
turned to her from Warnings bedside
with the incomprehensible tidings
that he had utterly repudiated Doyle's
confession-had, indeed, said that
which could probably only serve to re-
new the suspicion of his own guilt, or
else Justify the theory that he was de-
mented.
Though Cram and the doctor warned
Waring not to talk, talk he would, to
Pierce, to Ferry, to Ananias; and
though these three were pledged by
Cram to reveal to no one what Warning
said, it plunged them in an agony of
doubt and misgiving. Day after day
had the patient told and retold the
story, and never could cross-question-
ing shake him in the least. Cram sent
for Reynolds and took him into their
confidence, and Reynolds heard the
story and added his questions, but to
no effect. From first TO last he remem-
bered every incident up to his parting
with Lascelles at his own gateway.
After that-nothing.
HIS story, in brief, was as follows:
He was both surprised and concerned
while smoking and chatting with Mr..
Allerton in the rotunda of the st.
Charles to see Lascelles, with friend,
evidently watching an opportunity of
speaking with him He had noticed
about a week previous a marked diff
ference in the old Frenchman's man
ner. and three days before the tragedy.
when calling on his way from town 10