Martinsburg herald. [volume] (Martinsburg, W. Va.) 1881-1920, 1895-04-13

and requested tho coroner to read it aloud.
1t began:
ITO Mr.. Noah Pye ard Whoever Else 1t
May Ct ncern;
Before making atonemGnt for my crime
desire to confess what led me- OH TO it.
Many years ago was head bookkecper in
a large wholesale commission house in
England and had large sums atny mercy.
My salary was fairly good, but unfortu
nately contracted expensive habits, and
before long iuund that double the sum
would scarcely cover my yearly liabilities.
At first / borrowed and paid my debts,
then borrowed at heavy interest to pay the
lender. Finally began to cook the books
in order to square myself with the world,
making it appear that large sums which
had been paid in full had only been paid
in part or not at all, but fear of discovery
now began to lay hold of me- / felt had
hut woven !, net for my own feet. l saw
that my assistant had begun to suspect me.
could read tho distrust in his eyes, in his
actions. Ho pointed out to me certain
omissions intentional on my part-omis
sions l colld not explain. lived for
weeks in a state of misery in daily appse
hension of exposure. Though had re-
trenchetl closely, could not retrieve my
position
lone day had the opportunity to escape
before me--the handling of large sum
of money. The temptation was too much.
| laid my plans, and in disguise fled to
Canada with tho money in my possession.
did not attempt to find a situation lest
it might lead to inquiries Instead drift
ed down here TO Mapleville as "A man CT
some means and settled hero. | married
tried to forget and do we'll, to live new
life in the new land. So far l succeeded
but my wife and children made me long
to be an honest man. to be able to lift up
my face to the sun like other men. This
desire was always strongest on me after
talking with you, Mr.. Pye. determined
to become a man again. to pay back, with
interest. tho money | had robbed the firm
of. The prospect filled me with energy
and hope. l went into business. / bought
lots and built on them and sold at "a fair
profit, and every day was nearing the
goal of my hopes.
Then this man, my ex-assistant, came
to the town. He had had money left him,
had como to this country and had been
| advised to look at this place with view
to starting u mill. The situation pleased
him. There was water, seaboaId, the rail-
way at hand, every advantage. But ho
was told that the site he wanted for his
| erections belonged to a Mr. Fullar In the
old country l was known by another
1ame. When be called on me to negotiate
about the lots-I leave you to imagine
with what sensations we mutually recog
Ilized each other. shall enter into no de-
tails All ! say in defense of what is indie
feasible is that the man was absolutely
mereiless. All my explanations, my en-
treaties, my abject prayers to be spared
exposure were in vain. My wife, my chill
,lren, were nothing to him. Twas rogue,
u wolf in sleeps clothing, and he was de-
termined to unmask me whenever he left
my house. He never left it alive. 1t was
in the evening when he called on me. My
wife had gone to visit her people on tho
farm, taking the children with her. l was
alone with my Nemesis.
8 For Gods sake, / pleaded, think of
my poor wife and children.
. L shall do justice, he answered, with
a face of iron, and then, with a brute in
stinct of self preservation, leaped at his
throat and bore him to the floor with the
strength of despair The next thing l
a dead man, and again self preservation
sharpened my wits 1 managed to get
| him out to the wood she'd where locked
my democrat, lifted the body into it, drove
it down the beach and got it into the boat
and bound bag of stones to it securely.
Lest these might not be enough, took the
horse weight and wound the strap around
the neck to make sure. Then l tied my
horse to a willow up on the bank and in
the silence and the darkness l rowed ont
and sank him about quarter of a mile
from the shore The night was dark and
rainy, and no one saw me, no eye but one;
no mortal ear heard my muffied oars
When the man was missed, pretended
to be surprised and disappointed that h
had not come to buy my lots, as he had
proposed to the hotel keeper and happily
for Inc he had said he intended TO call on
me the next day. Instead he must have
changed his mind and called that evening.
So men drift, each to his own destiny
Il had had double escape but once
moro the old misery returned-the old fear
IF detection-but it abated when the ice
grew over the bay. | tried to reason my
self into quietIde of spirit. l said to my
self over and over again that was no
murderer that / was irresponsible, mad,
mad with despair. Why could not the
man let me live in peaces Why would he
not give me chance to redeem my soul
when begged him for it upon my kneesf
But all my self expostulating was of no
use. / had done what no hand not even
the hand of the Omnipotent, could undo,
and the memory Of it abode with me, and
my wife began to look askance, frightened
at what raved about in my sleep At first
she asked me what was dreaming about
Then she grew silent, CHANGING at me
across the breakfast table with horror
she could not conceal. have been afraid
to 60 to sleep lest she should discover all.
What ! have suffered since the break
ing up of the ice upon the bay, when the
very waters refused to conceal my crime;
how have watched that spot accursed by
sunlight and moonlight, expecting every
moment to see the dead man, with that
iron face of his, rise to demand justice-a
life for a lifo-God alone knows know
now that cannot flee from his presence
no, not If take the wings of the morning
and flee to the uttermost parts of the
earth. May he forgive me when / make
this atonemcnt for he alone knows what
was the provocation, what my tempta-
eioHi eHS oiHcofiiy vi my purpose Oh TeSCl-
tuition. Think as leniently of me as YOU
can. As for my wife and children, this is !.
the last thing can do for them. / know
what the diver will find below there, and
| forestall the sentence of the law.
ALBERT FULLAR"
Uncle Noah sat up in his chair and
drew long breath in the silence that en-
sued
We'll, ncw, poor devil, who's goin to
jedge hims Upon my soul, don't know
but I've more respect for him now he's
squared things than ever / had for him
Twin. But say, curner, did ye ever
know such thing to happen befores That
water, mean''
The coroner here explained that while
he certainly never knew such thing to
have happened in his own experience no
had an old college friend, scientist, who
was at present visiting him, and he had
furnished him with an explanation of tho
sluggish stiffness of the water Immediately
shove the body.
1t was q fact we'll known to scientists
that the flesh Of human body held una er
Gater for a time will, under certain con-