Wheeling register. [volume] (Wheeling, W. Va.) 1878-1935, 1896-03-31
WHEELING REGISTER, TUESDAY, MARCH 81, 1896.


was beyond dispute The poor girls
mother (whO was now in state border
ing on distraction had found her
daugAter that morning lying in her bed
smothered. The pillow with which the
accursed deed had been done still lay
upon the dead face. In it's upper sur
face two indenJed hOllows showed clear
~ where a pair OF cruel hands had
pressed and held it.
"The grief-the hOrror-the confu-
sion which this awful event aroused
among us I shah not attempt to de-
scribe Tic is enough to say that every
one of MS was absolutely overwhelmed
by IT,. But while 7 am dealing with this
part of the tragedy l viii briefly detail
the sequel and give the explanation
50 far as any adequate explanation was
arrived at-of this atrocious crime.
You viii remember that at the sub
seQUent inquiry circumstances came
out which threw strong suspicion on
Miss Jackaby's maid, Mary jenkins. 1t
transpired that an intrigue existed be-
between this maid-a pretty, attractive
girl OF her slyle-and George BagshOt,
the bridegroom-elecc BagshOt's fidel-
ity 20 Queenie had not been proof
against this w0man's charms. And
this wOman's virtue had not been proof
against George BagshOt's blandishdish-
ments. SO much was admitted. Bag
Shot himself did not deny it. IL was
also established that shortly befCGe the
projected marriage Mary Jenkins had
discovered an unhappy consequence Of
her intrigue, and she had entreated
B2gshOJ 10 fulfill a promise which he
made in this event. Bagshot denied
the premise. but the girl insisted upon
it-nameiy. 20 marry her.
ION BagshOt declining to do any
thing of the sort, and absolutely repudi-
ating such a promise, the maid appears
10 have worked herself into a state of
frenzy. She threatened every manner
of wild revenge; and il was all that Bag
shot could do to- calm her and bring her
into a more reasonable state of mind.
He was particularly anxious that she
should quit MIR. Jackaby's service at
once and go INFO some home I'm London,
az his expense However she would
mo-. She declared that for the present
there was no necessity. So. 20 Bag
/ shots great annoyance and alarm. she
remained on at Barclay Hall
AS the time of his marriage drew
| near the maids attitude toward Bag
/ shC. became less violent. She lapsed
into a state Of sullen silence. which,
! however alarmed him nearly as much
There was no saying what she might
I do. or how soon she might disclose his
/ disgraceful secret to- Queenie. And (as
| be af,erward confessed he was an the
while i'm state of miserable apprehen-
| sion. Bat nothing happened. Mary
| Jenkins kept her own counsel Until
| tho night before Queenie's wedding all
/ wcr- hly-tO0 smoothly.
On that night. about ten o'clock, the
maid had an interview with George
/ Ragshot i'm the garden. The pardcu-
/ lars of this interview came
our i'm Bagshcts evidence at the
/ trial. Mary made @ last appeal 10 him
-enUeated him. even az this late hour,
to- abandon his marriage with Queenie
/ and carry out mis- promise to herself
/ George Bagshot refused declaring that.
| under the circumstances. such a de-
mand was outrageous. unreasonable.
"The maid said very little more. But
what she did say was of great import
/ anCe In its bearing on the case. She
I declared that BaeshOt should never
/ never marry Queenia Jackaby; no, not
I If she herself had To- swing for prevent
/ ing IT, With this dark threat she left
. him. and he did not see her again until
sh- stood. @ prisoner, in the dock.
This. of course. was enough 10 throw
I suspicion on the maid. And corrObOr-
atiug facts were soon forthcoming. An
other maid. who shared her bed room,
. gave evidence TO the effect that about
five o'clock ON the morning when
/ Queenie was murdered she Che wit
ness)s3w her distinctly I'm the semi-tWi-
/ light preceding dawn. Witness paid
no par cular attention 10 the circum-
stance ar the time. but next day when
She learned that suspicion had fallen
ON the maid. Jenkins she communicate
cd the fact TO the police.
eft further transpire6. in the course
of subsequu inquiries that hOmicidal
/ tendencies had shown themselves in
/ more than one member of the accused
. maids family; and that her mothers
. brother was then actually incarcerated
| I'm BT0admCOr fer a murderOus attempt
upon one of his own sons. From a
I medical standpoint, this was as signifi-
/ cant as anything And i'm the end
/ Mary Jenkins was committed for trial
"The result of that trial at the As
sizes you an know. On the first occa-
I sion The jury disagreed. On being tried
/ q second time before a new jury. She
was eventually acQuiCted-the jury de-
/ Hberating upon her case for more than
six davs. That she was guilty. no one,
/ 7 think. doubted. hut the evidence was
/ not in itself conclusive. And she would
+ have probably ben acquitted the first
\ time had she not insisted upon making
/ a statement which went very near TO
4 hang her. I'm this statement she eX-
planned her absence from the bedroom
on that fatal morning by admitting that
+ sic had been To- Queeuie Jackaby's
room. I'm order TO lay before her all the
I particulars of George BagshOts base
\ ness. but that. on reaching the door. she
/ heard the sound Of q lady's voice talk
/ ing inside. and surprising that the
/ Young l3dys mother or one of her
/ friends had already come TO visit her
I she had stolen back, disappointed of
/ the interview.
This weak attempt at an eXplana-
I riou with its transparent design of di-
vesting suspicion from herself, told con-
/ siderablv AGAINST The accused; and il
I was only. as hes been said. after a pro
/ tracted deliberation that the second
/ jury acquitted her.