The morning news. [volume] (Savannah, Ga.) 1887-1900, 1895-07-14

OF Rose. who was then eighteen years Of
age, and who. at the death OF her moth
er, would be thrown upon the world. penni-
less and without home Those events
fitted in with each other. Mrs. Fraser had
lost her old servant Here was a young
! SRI. a relation. country-bred. strong. and
/ willing to work. ready 10 her hand. She
wrote TO her niece that she could have a
I home with her. and shortly afterwa ris
Rose MeadOwfeld took up her residence
at the Hollow Farm.
The villagers pitied her when they be-
came acquainted with her. for Rose was
pretty, simple girl with winning ways.
and had been brought up respectfully. de-
/ spite her poverty. Her association with
such a hard and cIose-hsted taskmistress
! as her aunt was not likely 10 bring her
/ any happiness. However she made no
| complaint. but did her work 20 all ap-
pearance without a murmur. Her aunt
/ laid strict injunction upon her TO have
nothing 10 do with any Of the villagers
or with any one outside the farm. and
I you easily understand. therefore. that she
/ made no intimate friendships. She had a
| sweetheart IN Norfolk. a yong stOnemasOn
| Of the name Of Lowell. though there was
/ no likelihood OF an early marriage. because
the young man was working from hand
/ 10 mouth, and was little better or than
/ Rose herself. Some nine or ten months
/ after Rose entered her aunt's service
| there was a talk in the village OF Mrs
/ Fraser being III, and people Immediately
\ jumped 10 the conclusion that she was
going 70 die. A good radiance everybody
| said. Then the question arose to whom
/ would she leave her money! Why. OF
| course said some, to her niece Rose
| Meadowdeld. Rose is in luck But there
were others who shook their beads. and
declared that Mrs. Fraser was not the
| sort Of woman to leave a penny TO anyone
who wanted IL. and that she would rather
| burn her treasure or throw IL into the sea
To their disappointment, Mrs. Fraser
got well. and the frequent firing of her
pistol on dark nights showed her to be as
vigorous and vicious as ever.
Il come now to the night of the 10Th OF
August Rose had been seen in the village
on the 18th and 18th, and it was noticed
that she looked unhappy. No questions
were asked her. and she volunteered no in
formation but the gOssips settled Il that
she and her aunt had had a desperate
quarrel. She spent the two or three pennies
given TO her to make her purchases, and
on the first Of these days she received a
letter al the postoffice. A woman met her
on the night of the 18th as she was re-
turning TO the Hollow Farm. and observ-
ing that Rose was walking slowly and cry
ing as she went. asked IL she was i'll. o,
no.. Rose answered. and passed on. walk
ing quickly as though to escape further
questions. II was a dark night. and there
was no sign of an impending tragedy.
At o'clock the next morning, however,
Rose came flying into the village, with
out hat, and in great agitation, crying
that her aunt was dead The villagers
were instantly on fire with excitement
" Murdered? they asked.
THE suggestion seemed to stagger the
girl. but when she recovered she sobbed
that her aunt was not murdered, but had
died in the night.
"A doctor accompanied Rose back TO the
farm, and he returned TO the village with
a grave face.
is the old woman really dead? the
villagers asked.
" No doubt of that he replied.
What did she die Off
'Suffocation
What" they exclaimed. Did she choke
herself with a raw turnip?
No, he answered, L don't think she's
to be blamed for it,
These dark words engendered suspi-
cions of foul play, and tongues began to
wag and when IL got about that an in
quest was to be held at the Hollow Farm.
the village, as you may imagine, had a
fine time of IL.
AT the inquest the following informa-
ton was elected from the lips of the one
witness who was supposed to be in a po-
siton to throw any direct light upon the
event. The witness was Rose MeadoWfield.
She deposcd that on the night of the 18th
her aunt left the house at $3.50 O'Clock;
at 10 O'Clock she returned, and went to
bed, and Rose also went to bed. They
slept in separate rooms. At o'clock In
:he morning she was aroused by deceased
calling to her; she got up, and asked
what was the m2tter Deceased said that
some villain had secreted himself on the
premises with the intention of robbing her
But he won't get my money she
cried he won't get my money!
They went over the house and even
into the grounds. Rose carrying a lamp
and deceased her pistol but they saw no.
body. Their search ended, they went to
bed again. At o'clock in the morning
Rose got up and proceeded with her do
nestle duties. Deceased usually rose at
about the same hour, but on this morning
she kept her room-for sufficient reason.
At 1880 o'clock Rose knocked at the door
of the deceaseds room, and receiving no
answer. went in; and there she saw her
aunt lying dead in bed. She flew to the
village for assistance, and that was the
end of her volunteered evidence.
Then came questions from the coroner
and jury"
How did you know she was deadP'
q" I did not know; 1 thought So
but you said she was dead
"'Yes; l found 1t out afterward; the
doctor told me-
"'Were you not asked in the village
v hether deceased had been murdered, and
been murdered. but that she was dead?
:" I was so troubled that hardly know
what said
when 1t was suggested that she had
been murdered you were very much agi-
tated?
THAT Is why cannot recall exactly
what passed
when you entered deceased's room at
half-past seven in the morning did you OBJ
serve anything unusual in her appear
ance?
O. Her face looked black
You shook her and called her.?
I called her. 1 was too frightened to
touch her.
You say that deceased went out at
half-past eight on the previous evening.
Where to-?
81 don't know
WAS she in the habit of going out by
herself at night?
Yes; about once week
" And you cannot tell us where she
went?'