Yorkville enquirer. [volume] (Yorkville, S.C.) 1855-2006, 1895-09-25

IQeTe WeTe uO signatures VI WlIuesse'A'
but Ezra was lawyer enough to know it
would stand, and that it revoked all
previous wills. Calling in the two elder
sisters, he read the will to their amazed
ears, and then and there wrote out Il
full statement as to the circumstance
under which it was found All four at
tached their signatures to the document,
and when Ezra kissed his love tender
good night and went home he hardly
felt the paving stones under his feet,
for he had carefully tucked away in the
inside pocket Of his vest, just over his
heart, the little soiled piece Of paper
which told him in unmistaksble terms
that his fortune was made, and the
wedding ceremony once over that it was
beyond all chance of change.
Before the discovery of the new will,
while it was believed that Mrs. Brea
was an heiress and her credit good, she
and her husband had made use of the
fact, and had incurred debts to large
amount. Brea got his wife to indorse his
note for $40, 900, and he borrowed that
sum from the bankers, but as soon as
the true state Of the case was known
his creditors became clamorous and had
him arrested on civil suits. Unable to
give bonds, he was locked up in Ludlow
Street Jail, and there he remained six
months, until, acting upon Eza's ad-
vice, the sisters agreed to pay all his
5abto ond r,;ua b;,,, o,,d h;v xp;fo 6I 0nn
each if they would live west Of Chicago.
This they were forced to accept and
went to Montana. Brea opened saloon
at Butte City, but he never recovered
his spirits again. He became his own
best customer, and that of course meant
ruin, but what, after all, killed him
was the knowledge that he had been for
more than score of days in full posses
sion of that old house and had spent
scores of hours alone in the old library
and yet had not discovered and destroy
ed the new will lying there at his mercy.
The sheriff soon sold out his saloon,
Ehile his wife eloped with his best
riend. Ruined in pocket, health and
character, poor old Brea was left bare to
every storm that blew. One morning, as
the sun was rising over the town, sur
prising half dozen belated gamblers in
Ned Wright's saloon as they were get
ting up to leave, they found lying across
the threshold the body of a man, rag
ged, emaciated, forlorn. 1t was Brea-
As soon as James had read the will
he insisted upon having $4,000 from
Brea at once, and he got the money
But when that thunderbolt of the new
will fell on the two men James sadly
recognized that fortune and he would
shake hands no more, so far as this
world is concerned, and be resolved to
chance returning to London before the
whole of the S., 900 he had from Brea
was gone. To London he went. He lived
few years in extreme poverty, driven
to all manner of miserable shifts, and at
last died.
This man died who ought to have
been buried in Westminster abbey, so
adding one more brilliant name to the
long line of illustrious lord chancellors
from Thomas a Beckett and Cardinal
Wolsey down, but he, hating his own
soul, took the first step in wrongdoing,
and instead Of resting in the mighty
abbey and bequeathing his dust as a
precious legacy to succeeding genera
tions perished forlorn and alone and
was buried in pauper's grave.
We all landed in Liverpool in the
highest spirits and at once took the
train for London. enjoying the novelty
of everything.
Therefore, after completing certain
preparations which required skill and
considerable business knowledge, We
departed to execute this new and of
course last shuttle for fortune.
After we saw George off to Paris on
the train Mac and I walked up and
down the platform outside Of the station
star gazing. Mac, with his brillian'
scholarship, elegant speech, logical force
and fiery enthusiasm, made most fas.
cinating companion
The study of mankind is man, the old
proverb says; but, like many other prov
erbs, there is full measure of unreality
in it, 1t takes good amount of arro-
gance and conceit for one to fancy he is
going to study and understand men. No
man can understand himself, and by no
amount of experience Or study will he
ever come to understand that subtle
thing he calls his mind or understand
the motives that sway him.
I only wish one of those scientists
who study the human mind could have
sat in Macs brain that night, have
thought his thoughts and heard his
speech, while remaining ignorant of our
history and mission. Macs mind was Il
storehouse of erudition, his memory a
picture gallery whose chambers were
gilded and decorated with many glow
ing canvas AS child he was familiar
with the Bible, the Old Testament par
ticularly, and, improbable as it seems.
was still diligent student of holy writ.
His mind was completely saturated
with Bible imagery, yet there we We're
with our pockets full Of forged docu,
ments walking up and down that plat
form star gazing, while he talked with
intelligent enthusiasm of those silver
flowers in the darkened sky, Of stellar
space, how in its infinity it proved the
presence of Deity; that with him there