The true Democrat. [volume] (Bayou Sara [La.]) 1892-1928, 1896-09-26

~ ~: novel. I had en-.
' gagged myself to get
the work in question completed by a
certain date, and IN order to do so I
found myself compelled to throw over
all other occupation for the time be-
ing. knew very few people in the
town where was living, and for five
or SIX weeks had scarcely seen anyone
to speak to.
So engrossed was I with my task
that I had no time to read the news.
paper, and was quite ignorant of what
was going on in the world. The only
relaxation I allowed myself was good
brisk walk into the country every
afternoon. With this exception I had
hardly stirred from my house, except
to run up to London once or twice for
the purpose of visiting the docks, and
making certain technical investiga-
lions concerning them. This I did, as
q good portion Of the novel I was
working at was about the life of dock
surroundings in the vicinity of Roth
erhithe.
It was little after eight o'clock one
evening in April, that I finished the
second volume OF my work. It was
with great satisfaction that wrote,
and with considerable flourish, too,
the words: "End Of Volume the Sec.
ond." generally worked up till ten or
eleven, but it was useless doing any
more that night; so I put on my nat
and coat and started off for an even.
ing stroll. I had no sooner stepped
into the street than boy accosted me
with a bundle Of papers under his
arm, and the request: ':Buy On
evening paper, sir?" 1 bought one,
put it in my pocket, and resumed my
walk.
It was fine night, and I went some
little distance, reaching home little
after half-past nine. My landladv had
brought in my supper, and as my walk
had given me an appetite, it was with
no small pleasure that I viewed a
goodly joint of cold beef waiting my
attack. I took off my boots and put
on my slippers. Then sat down and
did ample justice to my cold repast.
l had laid down the newspaper on
the table when entering the room, in.
tending to read it during supper, but
my appetite had got the better OF any
craving for intelligence, SO it was not
till had lit pipe and subsidized into
a cosy armchair by the fire that un'
folded the sheet Of printed matter.
looked at the ''leader." Something
i about new "Greek Loan" That
didn't interest me. I skipped through
the little items of news and hurried
jottings, and summaries peculiar tc
our evening papers. Presently my eye
was caught with the following para
! graph heading:
IMPENDING EXECUTION OF THE
CLINFOLD MURDERER"
There is a morbid fascination fol-
most people in an execution, and SO,
yielding to this feeling, l proceeded
to read the paragraph.
''The murderer of the unfortunate
James Renfrew will be hanged to.
morrow morning at 8 o'clock. The
wretched man, whose name-Charles
Fenthurst - is now in everybody s
mouth, still persists in his plea of in
nocence.
Here I became deeply interested.
The name of Fenthurst was most ia.
miliar to me. I had formed deep
friendship with man of that name.
He was good fifteen years my senior
and had died about two years previ
ously. knew he had son named
Charles, young fellow, who had en-.
igrated to South Africa early in life,
and who was generally supposed to be
working at the diamond mines. Gould
this be the same man? I read on.
1T will be remembered that at the
trial the strongest circumstantial evi.
dence was brought to bear upon Fen
thurst. The murder took place in a
house on the outskirts of the small town
of Clinfold. 1t was proved that Fen.
thurst was in the habit of frequentine
Renfrew's premises, and that appar.
emily 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, how
ever, in maintaining that he was ab
sent from Clinfold at the very time
the murder took place. This wa:
about Z o'clock in the evening. Al
that hour, he says, he was returning
from London, where he had beer
spending part of the day; only one
| witness, he saws. could prove this. anC