Yorkville enquirer. [volume] (Yorkville, S.C.) 1855-2006, 1896-06-26

he uttered an exclamation Of alarmed
surprise. His prisoner had escaped him.
He feared it in the instant when his
quick eye caught the little. dark red
stream that had sluggishly crept out un-
der the grated door and half across the
corridor floor. He knew it when he
reached the form upon the bench and
found it inanimate clay.
Such had been the desperation inspir-
ing the young man to cast off the burden
Of life. that he had torn, with the sharp
edged bits Ct glass, great ragged open
ings in his arteries, both at the ankles
and the wrists, and death seemed to
have come to him while he was still
digging in his neck another vent for
life All the space between his body and
the wall was pool Of blood, and it had
run down at the end Of the bench to the
floor and thence to the door, as if the in
stinct Of escape had been in it.
Amore unqualified confession Of guilt
would have been impossible, and yet it
was far from being such one as the
inspector had desired and expected In
deed he was sorely disappointed and an
noyed, since he could not help reproach-
ing himself for letting prisoner get
away from him, even through the dark
gate Chester Sewall had chosen.
Without that confession, however, the
evidence before the coroner's jury On
the Willmarth inquest would still have
been sufficient to warrant them in the
verdict they rendered-that the murder
was done for the purpose Of robbery by
Chester Sewall How this hideous reve-
lation Of her lovers guilt affected Irma
no person but herself was privileged to
know. She was young person Of more
than ordinary power Of self control, and
not even Mr.. Cyrus Pratt, who, with
delicate but pervasive assiduity, as
sumed the position Of chief consoler to
her, could Lave seen that she demon
strated more than q conyentionally
proper amount Of grief, all Of which
was exclusively on her fathers account.
The two inquests, upon the murderer
and his victim, were held on the same
day. Publication Of their results told
the last obtainable news In the Will
marth affair and put an end to the
"sensation" 30 far as the newspapers
were concerned So it was quickly for
gotten by the public. A few months
later there was little revival Of inter.
est in it on the occasion of the wedding
Of 1.-THE charming daughter Of the emil
nent.A AnAncier, the late Richard Will
marth, with "the able political lead
er, Mr.. Gyms Pratt" when the old
story was retold
But not even at that late date had an
inkling leaked out concerning what
would have been, as apiece of truly
sensational news, hardly second to the
murder itseR-viz, the making Of atone
ment for the long bygone wrong done
to Abner G. Hall by Ema's father. The
production Of the original agreement
between those men and its corrobora-
ton by the confession Of Michael Nc
Caffrey readily satisfied rma Will
marth Of the justice and validity OF
Mrs Halls claim to restitution Of her
husbands estate. Being so convinced,
she was quite willing, even anxious in
deed, to make amends for her fathers
bad conduct, which she said was "just
like pa, he was 30 sharp about money
matters" If it could be done without
publicity. And Mr.. Pratt who even
before he became her husband had much
to do with the management Of her at
fairs, was very clearly in favor Of a
satisfactory and quiet settlement of the
claim. He saw the desirability of 81
lencing at once what might otherwise
become an ugly scandal, containing un-
known potentialities Of social damage.
The original sum and added interest
claimed by Mrs Hall was only a little
over $186, 600, trivial amount-or at
least not ut all serious one-in COM
parison with the great estate left by the
late banker to his only child But the
one essential condition to settlement,
which was insisted upon strenuously,
was that it must be made privately,
without the knowledge Of any other
persons than those interested in the
transaction.
Fortunately Adde'S happiness in her
love and distinct appreciation Of John
Latham's merit seemed to have had a
notifying influence upon the widows
vindictive spirit. The time was, not
long since, when she was willing to
abandon the claim for financial repara-
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