Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1895-08-05

ing Phoebe looking out of the window, I
ran into the yard. She opened the window.
matter. Sarah Fairbanks?'
Maria Woods came and leaned over her
shoulder. Her face looked almost as white
as her white hair, and her blue eyes were
dilated. My face must have frightened her.
"Father-father Is murdered in his bedr'
said.
There was scream, and Maria Woods
face disappeared from over Phoebe Dole's
shoulder-she had tainted. I don't know
whether Phoebe looked paler-she is al
ways very pale-but I saw in her black
eyes look shall never forget. I think
Phoebe glanced back at. Maria, but she
asked me another question. Has he had
words with anybody" said she.
is gone" Phoebe rurned away from the
window to attend to Maria, and I ran on
to the village.
A hundred people can testify what did
mexican tell how 1 called for the doctor
and the deputy sheriff; how I went back to
my own home with the horror-stricken
crowd; how they focked in and looked at
poor father--but only the doctor touched
him, very carefully, to see If he were quite
dead; how the coroner came, and all the
rest.
The pistol was N the bed beside father,
but it had not been fired; the charge was
still in the barrel 1t was blood -stained,
and there was one bruise on fathers head
which might have been inflicted by the
pistol, used as # club. But the wound
which caused his death was In his breast,
and made, evidently, by some cutting in
strument, though the cut was not clean
one: the weapon must have been dull.
They searched the house. lest the MUIR
derer should be hidden away. I heard
Rufus Benefits name whispered by one
and another. Everybody seemed to know
that he and father had had words the
night before; I could not understand how,
because I had told nobody except Phoebe
Dole, who had had no time to spread the
news. and was sure that no one else had
spoken of 1t.
silk dress hung, and pushed 1t aside, to be
sure nobody was concealed behind It, but
they did not notice anything wrong about
It. It was dark In the closet, and, be-
sides, they did not look for anything like
that until latar.
All these people-the deputy sheriff. and
afterward the high sheriff and other out-of-
town officers for whom they had sent, and
the neighbors-alI hunted their own sus-
picion, and that was Rufus Bennett. All
believed that be had come back and killed
my father. They fitted all the facts to
that belief. They made him do the deed
with long. slender screw1river, which he
had recently borrowed from one Of the
neighbors and had not returned They
made his fingermarks, which were still on
my fathers throat, fit the red prints on the
sitting loom door. They made sure that
he had returned and stolen into the house
by the east shed door, while father and I
Eat Oh the QOOTStSpS tH6 evening before;
that he had hidden himself away perhaps
in that very closet where my dress hung,
and afterwacd stolen out and killed my
father and then escaped.
They were not shaken when told them
that every door was bolted and barred that
morning. They themselves found all the
windows fastened down, except a few
which were open on account of the heat,
and even these last were raised only the
width of sash and fastened with sticks SO
that they could be raised no higher. Father
was very cautious about fastening the
house, for he sometimes had considerable
sums of money by him. The officers saw
all these difficulties In the way but they
fitted them somehow to their theory, and
two deputy sheriffs we're at once sent to
apprehend Rufus.
They had not begun to suspect me then,
and not the slightest watch was kept on
my movements. The neighbors were very
kind. and did everything to help me, re-
1ieying me altogether Of all those last
offices-in this case much sadder than
usual.
An inquest was held, and told freely all
] knew, except about the blood stains on
my dress. I hardly knew why 1 kept that
back. 1 had no feeling then that I might
have done the deed myself. and I could not
bear to convict myself. If was innocent.
Two of the neighbors, Mrs Holmes and
hrs. Adams. remained with me all that
day. Toward evening. when there were
very few in the house, they went into the
parlor 10 put 1t in order for the funeral
! sat there by the window I thought of
my green silk dress. and wondered If the
stains were out. went to the closet and
brought the dress out to the light. The
spots and streaks had almost disappeared.
took the dress out in the shed and scrap
ed off the flour paste, which was quite Cry;
] swept up the paste, burned 1t In the stove,
took the dress upstairs to my own closet
and hung it in Its old place. Neighbors
remained with me all night.
At o'clock in the afternoon of the next
day, which was Thursday. 1 went over to
Phoebe Dole's to see about a black dress
70 wear to the funeral. The neighbors
had urged me to have my black silk dress
altered little and trimmed with crepe,
found only Maria Wood at homo.
When she saw me she gave little scream
and began to cry. She looked as If she
had already been weeping for hours. Her
blue eyes were bloodshot.
"Phoebe's gone over to-Mrs. Whitney's
to-try on her dress" she sobbed.
81 want TO get my black silk dress fixed
Q lttle," said I.
shell be homeopathy soon," said
Maria.
I laid my dress on the sofa and sat down.
Nobody ever consults Maria about a dress.