Martinsburg independent. [volume] (Martinsburg, W. Va.) 1875-1900, 1896-09-12

COutu uOb tSiAs lOi uiu sup ioH9 "
reflect. I hurried out from the
place, through the other two apart
ments, to the door by which | had
entered from the passage. | placed
my hard upon the latch, but it
would not give. | tried sgain and
again, but with no better success.
The door was not only locked, but
so stoutly and securely that very
soon made up my mind that | could
not force it. 1t was made of solid
oak plank, and was immovable.
Sup to this moment / had been
timid and terror-strickeu, but my
temper became sharpened now. |
felt just angry enough 10 desire q
few moments private conversation
with the party who had caused me
this. OF course / knew the boy
could be only an agent, or tool, and
hoped his master, or masters,
would make their appearance. Do
not think that l would have you be-
lieve that I was without fear; | was
very fearful, for | knew my life was
in danger. The very horrors of the
place would have made any man
fearful. But was not TREMENDOUSLY
so. I was calm and collected, and
my little six-barreled friend gave me
a vast deal of confidence.
"After listening awhile, and hear
ing no sound, / resolved to 60 back
and see if I could discover anything
upon the person of the dead girl by
which | could learn who she was. /
was startled again when l saw her,
for / never beheld another such
CHASTITY sight. have seen men kill
ed have seen men shattered al.
most in pieces-but that pale, mar
Bile face, with the bursting eyes and
protruding tongue standing out like
fiend-marks to mar its beauty-and
the place, and the circumstances,
too, conspired to render it horrible
enough beneath the murky glimmer
of my lamp.
However, l stopped down and
turned the body partially upon its
side, and, in doing 50, l hit the edge
of the door, which swung into the
room, and threw it almost to. At
the same moment / saw a pocket
book upon the floor, which had been
concealed by the flowing dress, and
at once picked it up. 1t was well
worn and soiled, and l knew it to be
the property OF a man, and not of the
girl who had died. II smelled rank
of tobacco and garlic, and had sure
ly seen some service. Upon open.
ing it found several old papers, but
no money. Perhaps these papers
might give me some light upon this
dark subject. The first which l ex.
amined was a memorandum Of some
sort, but in such hyeroglyphics that
I could make nothing of it. The
second, however, was of some i'm
port; and when / had thoroughly
deciphered it 1 had light enough.
The following is a literal transla-
tion of it:
" s0ne body to DR.. NJ. d. y, (Male) 4Of
" sOne body to Dr.. s., (Female) 35f
" One body to DR.. e., (Female) 35f
"Was it not plain enough now ?
The whole plot was unfolded to me
as clearly as could be. I was to be
made food for the dissecting knife
of some studious doctor, and was al
ready in the trapl And my body
would be sold for forty francsI My
soul knocked out-my wind stop
ped-and all for that paltry sum !
Ny soul, what price for a murder
But then the body-catchers might
get some perquisites beside. All
yes-surely. I had over two hun
dred francs in gold in my pocket;
and my clothes, and jewelry, and
watch were worth over twelve hum
dred more. But they wouldn't make
much by the strangling of the poor
girl, for her garments would hardly
have paid for the trouble of getting
them off. But-harkl
81 had just returned the ghostly
memorandum to the wallet, and put
the latter into my pocket, when I
heard the door open. As l said be-
fore, / had nearly closed the door of
the vault in which I stood when /
turned the body over, and now I
shut it entirely, being careful to
make no noise, and placed my ear at
the key hole. In a few moments
heard the voices of two men in the
adjoining apartment.
!" 'Hallo-his lights gone out
said one.
sHola Holal Monsieur, your
countryman is here y
" Is he on the bed p
"sNo.'
"'Pardieu ! is he gone? Didn't
the boy bring. him here p
@'Certainly he did. Eugene could
have made no such blunder.'
a. e can't have gone in there =
" mol locked the door myself.
"Pestei There's the key in the
lock now. Sacrel he'll know his
fate =
!" Careful Let's see.'
aTha fa1lowa ofnDnod oDaaL;nr,