Spirit of Jefferson. [volume] (Charles Town, Va. [W. Va.]) 1844-1948, 1896-10-13
STOPPED IN TIME.

at the time of which 1 am writing I
was living in seclusion in small town
about 80 miles north of London. was
engaged in rather a large literary un-
dertaking-in fact. 1 was writing a
novel. So engrossed was 1 with my
task that had no time to read even
the newspaper and was quite ignorant
of what was going on in the world. 1t
was a little after o'clock one evening
in April that finished the second vol
ume of my work. put ON my hat and
coat and started off for an evening
stroll. 1 had no sooner stepped into the
street than a boy accosted me with a
bundle of papers under his arm and the
request, Buy an evening paper, sir?"
bought one, put it in my pocket and
resumed my walk.
After my return I opened my paper
leisurely = nay, Iazily. Presently my
eye was caught with the following par
agraph heading, Impending Execution
of the Clinfold Murderer. -
There is a morbid fascination for
most people in an execution, and so,
yielding to this feeling, proceeded to
read the paragraph:
"The murderer of the unfortunate
James Renfrew will be hanged tomor-
row morning at o'clock. The wretched
man, whose name = Charles Fenthurst
ii is now in everybody's mouth, still
persists in his plea of innocence.
Here became deeply interested. The
name of Fenthurst was most familiar to
me. 1 had formed q deep friendship
with man of that name. He was q
good 10 years my senior and had died
about two years previously. / knew he
had son named Charles, young fell
low who had emigrated to South Africa
early in life and who was generally
supposed to be working at the diamond
mines. Could this be the same man? l
read on.
at will be remembered that at the
trial the strongest oircumstantial evil
dence was brought to bear upon Fent-
hurst. The murder took place in a house
on the outskirts of the small town of
Clinfold. 1t was proved that Fenthurst
was in the habit of frequenting Rem
frew's premises and that apparently he
was expected there on the evening in
question. He was seen near the place
soon after the crime was committed,
and several other proofs of a strongly
condemnatory character were also laid
against him. He has persisted from the
first, however, III maintaining that he
was absent from Clinfold at the very
time the murder took place. This was
about o'clock in the evening AT that
hour, he says, he was returning from
London, where he had been spending
part of the day. Only one witness, he
says, could prove this, and that is an
individual who travelled with him as
far as P and entered into conversa-
tion with him. Advertisements have
been inserted in all the papers by Fent-
hurst's legal advisers for the purpose of
discovering the individual in question,
but as no answer has been forthcoming
it is generally believed that the whole
story is q myth. At any rate, there
seems but small chance of the alibi be-
ing proved at the last moment. The
murder was committed on Feb. 9. Since
his condemnation the murderer has been
confined in Silkminster Jail, where the
execution will take place. -
Astonishment and dismay confronted
me as l laid the paper down. 1 was the
missing witness they had SO vainly
sought. I distinctly remembered, early
in February, running up to town rather
late in the afternoon, spending just half
an hour there. and returning by the first
train could catch. My landlady didn't
even know but that I had been for rather
a longer walk than usual. l bad entered
into conversation on the return journey
with the only other occupant of my
compartment, young man with small
black bag, on which were painted the
letters &C. F." l remembered all this
distinctly. In order to make sure 1
snatched up my diary and quickly
turned to the date of the murder, Feb.
6. There was the entry: IRAN up to
town in afternoon. Inquired concerning
material for chapter z. Saw b for
half hour. Returned by 6:42 train.
The horror of the situation now
flashed upon me. A mans Hfe-the
life of my old friends son-depended
upon me. 1 looked at my watch. 1t
was just II O'Clock Hurriedly dragged
on my boots, thinking the while what /
should do. My first impulse was to rush
to the telegraph office. Then, with dis
may, remembered that it was shut for
the night after 8 O'Clock and that the
postmaster took the $50 train to the
large town of r, about five miles
off, where he lived. leaving the Office
for the night in the charge of a care
taker and returning by an early train
the next morning.
1t was impossible to telegraph. Then
1 thought of going to the police (there
were just two constables and a sergeant
III our little town., but what could they
do more than Il Country police are pro-
verbal for the leisurely routine" man
ner in which they set about an inquiry.
and it would never do to trust to them
was in despair.
M1dly threw on my hat and rusheo
out. / ran in mechanical way to the
postoffice. Of course it was shut, and
if L had aroused the caretaker he could
not have wired Besides. all our wires
went first to F., and, as have said,
all communication was shut of after 8
O'Clock. Then started for the railway
station. This was about half mile
from the postoffice and well outside the
town. AS hurried along I thought,