The morning news. [volume] (Savannah, Ga.) 1887-1900, 1895-08-04

whether Phoebe looked paler-she is al
ways very pale-but l saw in her black
eyes a look l shall never forget think
she began to suspect me at that moment
Phoebe glanced back at Maria, but
she asked me another question: Has
he had words with anybody" said she.
only with Rufus 1 said, but Rufus
is gone" Phoebe turned away from the
window to attend to Maria, and L ran
on to the village.
hundred people can testify what I
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 doc
tor touched him. very carefully, to see
If he were quite dead; how the coroner
came and all the rest.
The pistol was in the bed beside father,
but it had not been fired; the charge was
still in the barrel 1t was bloodstained,
and there was one bruise on fathers
head which might have been inflicted by
the pistol used as a 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 a clean
one; the weapon must have been dull
They searched the house, lest the MUIR
derer should be hidden away. l heard
Rufus Benefits name whispered by one
and another. Everybody seemed to know
night before; could not understand how
because I had told nobody except Phoebe
Dole, who had had no time to spread the
news, and l was sure that no one else
had spoken Of it.
They looked in the closet where my
green silk dress hung, and pushed it aside
20 be sure nobody was concealed behind
1t, but they did not notice anything wrong
about it. 1t was dark in the closet, and
besides, they did not look for anything
like that until later.
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-all hunted their own
suspicion, and that was Rufus Bennett
All believed that he had come back and
killed my father. They fitted all the facts
10 that belief. They made him do the deed
WIIn long, slender screWdr1Ver which
ne mad recently borrowed from one of the
neighbors and had not returned. They
made his finger marks, which were still
on my fathers throat, fit the red prints
on the sitting room door. They made sure
that ne had returned and stolen into the
mouse by the east shed door, while father
ana l sat on the doorsteps the evening
before; that he had hidden himself away,
perhaps IN that very closet where my dress
hung' and afterward stolen out and killed
my father and then escaped.
IAey were not shaken when l told them
mat every door was bolted and barred
mat morning. They themselves found all
the windows fastened down, except few
winch were open on account of the heat,
ana even these last were raised only the
Wldth of sash, and fastened with sticks,
so that they could be raised no higher.
rather was very cautious about fastening
the mouse. for ne sometimes had consd-
erabie sums of money by him. The Of
Reers saw all these difficulties in the way,
DuI they fitted them somehow to their
lheory, and two deputy sheriffs were at
once sent to apprehend Rufus.
Ihey had not began to suspect me then.
ana not the slightest watch was kept on
my movements. The neighbors were very
Bkind' and did everything to help me- re-
HeVing me altogether of all those last
Onces-in this case much sadder than US
ual
an inquest was held, and I told freely
al knew, except about the blood stains
on my dress. I hardly knew why ! kept
uIat PACK. l had no feeling then that l
might have done the deed myself, and
Nould not bear to convict myself. if 1 was
I"o OF the neighbors. Mrs. Holmes and
~i'S' adams, remained with me all that
reward evening, when there were
Wy lew in the house they went into the
Pai4of TO put it in order for the funeral,