Yorkville enquirer. [volume] (Yorkville, S.C.) 1855-2006, 1896-03-13
uspaper for the pronotion Of the politifa satal agr


returned with a litter, and took him
back. There was man among us who
claimed that he had studied medicine,
and he attended my cousin. He removed
!he bullet. and found that the wound
was not very deep, but the skull was
fractured. He was i'll for two months,
and then slowly recovered his health.
But his reason was entirely gone l took
him to New Orleans and placed him in
IN asylum, and there he has been ever
since"
"very good, Mr.. Mitchell" said Mr..
Barnes. but what proof have you that
you are not the father and the lunatic
the innocent cousin, as so many believer"
"Why, in the first place, though we
had the same name, we are totally un-
like in feature. I think Mr.. Neuilly
will admit that he would not have rec
ognized me, and he knew the guilty
man. However. we will take that up
later. l have no fear Of not proving my
identity. Too many people in New Or
leans know me. To continue my tale, l
determined to get possession of the
child. knew that the Montalbon would
resist and that I would find it difficult
to prove my story. More than all, !
knew that could not obtain legal pos
session Of her without disclosing the &C.
cret Of her birth, which I wished to
avoid for her own sake as we'll as for
her mothers. therefore stole her open
ly in the streets. Detectives were sent
out to search for me, but perhaps Mr..
Barnes will testify that I am not much
traid Of detectives. Perhaps, too, he
will understand better now why I know
something about detective methods. !
led them dance for two years, until in
disgust they abandoned the search.
Then went abroad, for I must tell you
that as long as I was bounded I re-
manned close at hand. enjoyed the ex-
element 1t made me forget, or at least
it gave me occupation.
81 remained in Europe until my re-
cent return to New York. 1t was not
very long after that when I received
the letter from Montalbon and the
photograph which / showed to you. I
recognized the picture, though, Of course,
I should not have known the signature,
which was Rose Mitchell did not fear
the woman, but expected some enjoy.
ment at her discontinue when should
tell her to do her worst. was not pre-
pared for what occurred. When she met
me, she began by saying:
al have not the least idea of at
tempting to blackmail you, though per-
haps could do that But Ihave that to
sell which I think you would be glad
to buy asked what it was, and she
told me:
"'A certificate Of marriage between
your cousin and the child's mother,
certificate of marriage between him and
myself, antedating that, and another
certificate of marriage between myself
and another man who was alive at the
time that inveigled your cousin into
marrying me-. ~
"Great heavenP exclaimed Mr..
Neuilly. "If she had those papers. they
wonld prove that her marriage to your
cousin was illegal, and that would
make the marriage to Roses mother
perfectly regular. "
Exactly so. I paid the woman $10,-
900, or the equivalent Of that sum, for
those documents. We're they not worth
it?''
Indeed, indeed they are. would
have given twice the sum-"
"Now let me show you the audacity
of the woman. She told me that in case
l should refuse to pay her price she in
tended to claim me as her husband, ex-
hibiting her certificate and leaving me
to prove if I could that she had married
my cousin and not myself. This, you
see, would have been most unpleasant,
and as the papers were we'll worth the
price, in clearing the name of my cousin
aud his wife and child, I paid over the
money. :"
II must again ask you," said Mr..
Barnes, "for proof that you are not the
woman's husband"
"Does not the fact that she sold me
those papers indicate that?'
"Not at all, replied the detective.
"Supposing you to be really her hus
band, wishing to be married to Mis-.
Remsen, you would readily pay the
woman her price for the paper which
proved that your marriage to her had
been fraudulent. You might have found
it difficult to prove the existence Of her
first husband without knowing his name,
even though she had given you the hint
that there was such person..
II declare, Mr.. Barr.es, you are
doubling Thomas But will give you
one more bit Of evidence" He went to
his desk and returned with some papers.
Here is confession which exacted
from the woman at the time that I made
the bargain with her. You see, it con-
firms my story. But even that you
might think manufactured. Here per-
haps is better proof. This" handing it
to Mr.. Neuilly, "is the certificate of the
marriage between my cousin and the
Montalbon. AS is sometimes done, you
see, the woman has pasted the likenesses
of herself and my cousin upon the pa
per. Now, Mr.. Neuilly, I ask you, is
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