Santa Fe daily New Mexican. [volume] (Santa Fe, N.M.) 1885-1897, 1896-05-21

crime? often wonder. Yet here l have
dragged out three horrible, weary years
three years that have seemed to me
like an eternity.
One day in my lonely wanderings l
came upon Il spot where some tourists
had been lunching. They had left
newspaper behind them. Mechanically
took it up. 1t was London daily, now
some three or four weeks old With
eager longing l read the news. 1t was
the first had seen of the old home land J
in three long, weary years. That jour r
nal falling in my way was one of those
strokes Of chance which we call improb-
able in fiction, but which in reality di-
rect the destinies of our lives. Suddenly
I started back as d short paragraph met
my gaze:
cit is expected that the trial will
take place about the 18th prox., at the
central criminal court of Clement Grim
ston, now under arrest for the murder
of Mr.. Lesson at Rotherhthe about
three years ago .
Oh, God! This was what dreaded.
An innocent man was about to suffer for
my crime, and that man the very one
who had saved me-who had screened
me from justice!
Without moments pause l quilted
my Alpine retreat. l had plenty Of
money still.
Oh, that horrible journey through the
continent of Europe. The rafting, roar
ing of the trains sounded like the voices
Of demons rushing through my brain.
So slow, so slow! Should ever reach
there:
All! Paris at last, the gay city that
| I had once so dearly loved, but the looks
of all things were changed to me now.
| was speeding Onto my death
The channel, Dover, London; bus
thing, noisy, smoky Charing Cross, an
other spot fraught with pleasant mem
| cries.
eyes. cabman, the Old Bailey Drive
like wildfre, and you shall have SOW
| ereign!''
I rush wildly into the gloomy, sol
emn old court, where the sensation low
ing crowd are gazing at the prisoner,
whom they think the guilty one. And
now that l have come to the end Of my
fearful journey feel sick, dizzy; the
place, the sea of faces swim round about
me.
What shall | do? What shall say: Ii
I come forward and tell my strange
story, l shall surely be put down as
mailman, but it must be DONE Sudden
ly my attention is arrested by the man
in the witness box He is short, thick
set fellow, with cunning face. l fancy
l remember dimly to have seen him
somewhere before. He is answering
questions, making statement, and his
evidence is creating profound sensa-
ton. Of so much am conscious.
''My name is Ebenezer Startup, " he
is saying II was publican by trade
and kept the Fighting Cocks at Rother-
hithe. I have known the prisoner for
some time, and he knowed my 'ist'ry. l
remember Mr.. Lesson too. He were a
young gent in some sorter trouble. his
right name was Clayton" I started.
This was my wife's maiden name.
"Prisoner came one night with another
gent, Il Mr.. Lestrange, who was mad
drunk: They was in the clubroom. Then
Mr.. Lesson comes, and there was Ugh
words tween i'm and Mr.. Lestrange-
leastways Mr.. Lestrange did most O the
talk. T'other one seemed surprised like
They locked themselves in, but there
was ole in the door for Buff meetin' 8
and I saw all that passed. Prisoner knows
I did and paid me to keep quiet, but 90
. became irregular, and my conscience
$ prompted me to turn queens evidence
! Twas a heyewitness o the crime. Pris
7 oner KEEP in the background and 'ardl.
T opened his mouth, but he showed a barke
Q into Lestrange's and, and Lestrang
didn t use it. Ib'lieve 'ewere too DRUM
and too wild with passion to notice, AM
$ Grimston fred it over his shoulder an
shot Lesson dead ~
What happened after this canno
tell. was innocent, thank God, lnnc
d cent, and so overwhelming was the jo
q that swooned.
When I returned to consciousness,
. found myself in strange room, beln
WaUCneu over Dy-Iny OWH WiLe, WI
gazed down anxiously and tenderly int
my face. 1t was as though the last thre
q years had never been and that we ha
u simply taken up again the broke
u threads of our lives
u There were yet more discoveries
store for me. My suspicious of my vii
3 had been utterly groundless. The hal
less Lesson, or Clayton, was her ow
u brother, who, fleeing from Justice Il
u forgery, believe, had sought for hel
from his sister,
!. Clement Grimston had been an arc
j. enemy from the first under the guise
friendship. There had been some Of
family quarrel between him and Cha.
ton and while numbering him he Ia
g made me the victim of his crime.
p "Oh, Adela," I said, chow l hay
y wronged you! Will you ever forsiN
n me? Toward you am guilty
!! But knew / was already forgive
o. My wrongs and sufferings had pleadt
for me, and the past was wiped out.
III Buffalo Times.