New-York tribune., 1895-10-06

must have been my Mrs BurhsUi was sur VI VI ~;
Who. then, was in the conln " nat cIiihe hau
been conniving at?
started the next day on quiet detective
search. went to all the different unions in the
vicinity. and examined the list OF deaths finaiy
] found the record sought:
Samuel Burns. died -. aged forty-one years
/ nterrogated the master of the workhouse'
There was a funny story connected with the ueatn
of Burns he believed: the matron would know all
about it. / the matron. Yes. indeed: she re-
membered Samuel Burns well. She told me all
about IL.
There was a lady she said, who used to come
to the workhouse a good deal and read to the old
people and do good and give them few pennies
and amuse them In various ways. she useu 10
be In the nfrmary mostly. said the matbn, and
day, after she had been coming to the mouse
for two or three weeks she was slipping about
from bed to bed talking 10 the old paupers. until
she came TO the side Of Burns He was dying
told her." said the matron, land nobody knows
anything about him as he has only to-day come
to the house with just strength enough to tell ms
name.
What is his nance the lady asked me, un-
concerned like continued the matron
think says, its Samuel Burns No sooner
had said his name than she hops down by the
side Of his bed and cries out. My God" Wnat Is
the matter. madam? says |, and Burns himself
sort of pulled up to the cry and opened his eyes.
'Ah, you know me- then dear Sam says she, and
clasps his hand and kisses It, The old folks In
the ward looking with eyes as big as tea
cups. and | standing by dazed Ike. All of a
sudden Burns gave a gasp and died. and the lady
stood up and turns to and says with great
solemn eyes. 'Matron, he was my husband l
have been searching for him for two years
Il looked from her to him for times, can tell
you and then | caught her hand and led her
down 10 my She told me how happy they
were at first and how the drink had got nm oy
degrees and how she bore with him for a long
time. and then came the separation. and ne went
from bad to worse, and then she didnt see no
more of him for a long time. She had come then
into a bit Of money, she said and she had heard
OF her husband leading tramps life. ana going
from workhouse to workhouse. and she spent all
her time hoping TO find him, and now, she says,
L too late. and can only take the body.
"And take the body she did that afternoon 10
pretty house she had near here. She was going
TO take her husband TO America, she sad, 10 DurF
him In the family vault and that's what believe
she did do
'Thls was very pathetic matron," ] said.
you do not often such things, do you?
The matron laughed scornfully, and said: we
never had such thing before nor since. Poor
lady, she beautiful and no mistake, and
spent her money like queen. She felt IT very
much, coming in like that-not even In time to
get word from her husband. one word, one
kiss she says. that would have made II so much
easier. ! should feel much happier.
left the matron in state of bewilderment 1t
was that was bewildered. not the matron. |
could not make 1t out. AT noon Mrs. Burns was
weeping over Burns at the workhOuse, and at
she was giving away his body like old junk. An
idea came, and laughed. could not help it, |
saw the whole thing now She had made mis-
take in the man and had discovered the little er-
rOr after she got the corpse 10 her house But no.
If that 50. why had she come 10 me the next
day? Why had she carried the coffin to New
York?
stopped speculatng. and went on inquiring
found that she had taken the house that the
matron had told me Of furnished. for month,
that gentleman whom she called her brotner
with her that they had had no servant, but
only a charwoman: that they We're quiet, liberal
people and that the lady had had great and un-
expected sorrow in the tragic death OF a husband
she had not seel, for a long time. The CHAR
woman was extremely dull, but remembered the
largesse Of Mrs. Burns with rapture
Yes sir Mrs. Burns come theer wi packing
box big as ouse and likewise she had her
mourning dresses wi her when she come. see
em In her baskets
1T never struck you odd, | suppose" I
quered, that Mrs. Burns should have come here
with coffin in her luggage and a lot OF black
clothes. and then have found husband TO die in
the nick Of time?"
'I.or sir YOU don't mean she murdered he?
And yet there be a tidy few of them sorts about
now; and the woman looked about as If she ex-
pected to descry murderess strolling along the
pavement
The undertaken who carried the coffin from the
house TO the cemetery and thence the next day
forwarded it to Liverpool. had little to tell When
his men got to the house they found the lead
coffin already sealed up and placed In its outer
casing. and all they did was To move 1t as above
described. All papers were legally In order. The
undertaken said he would like more such pronta-
BILE and easy jobs.
Nv Inquiries on this side Of the water were
over; but | was determined to find out the con
tents of that coffin. therefore wrote a friend In
New-York a physician of influence, asking him
quietly 10 trace the destination of the mysterious
box, giving him full particulars as TO steamer,
date. etc In due time came MS answer. PRINT
1T in full:
Your letter in re coffin has had attention. Rec
ords of Health Bureau show permit TO land body
Of Samuel Burns and move same to Brooklyn.
Records of latter place showed interment at
Greenwood next day. With trifiing difficulty, ow-
ing to inability TO give adequate reason obtained
permission to disinter. Found therein body Of
man. but no further particulars noted Yours
faithfully. -.
Who was the man in the coffin?
thought the whole matter over and came to
the conclusion that ! would not put the matter
before the authorities. The porter might have
been in error as to buying body from Mrs.
Burns or some painful family mystery, innocent
in itself might be all that was wrapped up In the
lea den casket. / remembered the widows beauty,
her fearful eyes, her thrilling voice. her svery
laugh and made up my mind that would not be
the one TO unveil her admitted to myself that
an empty coffin in ones house and death GER
tificate in ones pocket are horrible combination
of temptations toward putting an enemy out OF
the way: but quieted my conscience with the as
sertiOn that If lovely Mrs. Burns had an enemy
he certainly deserved his fate merely because he
was her enemy
Thus did juggle with my duty and palter with
the straight path.
Two years passed by. l still wondered at times
what unhappy corpse it was that was masque-
rading. in the Brooklyn cemetery under the tomb
stone of Samuel Burns, but new problems had
risen to give zest to life and was no longer rest
less about 1t. In fact. at the particular time
am now writing of was amusing myself in Paris.
and had no leisure for dead memories Of either
dead or live people.
One night l dining the Bristol. when
whom should ! at the next table but Mrs.
Burns. She had dropped the widows weeds, and
looked as full of energy electric motor. and
as beautiful as Cleopatra. Her companion, as
sumed, her husband. he paid more atten-
tion to the dinner than his lady went and sat
beside her
who is in that coffin at Brooklyn" asked, as
graciously as | could. IL am curious"
Mrs Burns started Of course: so did her com
panion. Then they both laughed
Let us tell NJ. le Consul, Marie said he;
there is something funny in the tale"
1T is not exactly a nice story after ALL" said
madam in French But | see Monsieur knows