Williston graphic. (Williston, Williams County, N.D.) 1895-1919, 1896-07-10
For my own sake, as well

moment"
'Very we'll, I'm ready to hear what
you have to say"
''First, my name is Albert Kane Rudd
DIR. Rudd-and I live and have my
surgery at 471% East Exeter street.
killed my friend Charles Booth as he sat
before his fire at the address have al
ready given you. I killed him by first
chloroforming him and then striking
him on the head with an African knock
ing knob which used to hang as an orna-
ment over the mantelpiece. You will
find the knob muffled in a silk handker-
chief. I wrapped it up so that the
coarse-grained wood might not cut his
scalp. 1 killed Charlie for his own
good, for the good of his wife and his
family, and finally to prevent him from
dying a natural DEATH"
"An effective precaution," the inspec-
tor INTERCEPTED.
Without needing the officers Interrupt
ton, Dr. Rudd continued:
'This is the story from beginning to
end: Charlie and I met seven years ago,
when we were both students-he at
WyAn's engineering works learning
practical engineering, and I at Kings
college studying medicine. We knocked
around together q good deal, became
fast friends, and finally took rooms in
the same house, and soon his friends
were my friends, and my friends were
his. In fact so close became our
friendship that our separate lists of az
quaintances were pruned and selected
and soon merged into one. We were
seldom apart, and I might say never
went to party or ball except together.
It so happened that in the same month
we both finished our studies, and
strange to say in that year we each of
us came into little money! few
thousand pounds. Charlie decided that
with his money-his little fortune was
double mine-he would set himself up
in business in Queen Victoria street,
city, rather than launch out into the
world as had been his original int ntion.
There was, of course, cause for this
| alteration of plans.
1--WE both met her the same evening
at Cinderella. and, we'll everything
happened to us in couples, and we both
fell deeply in love with the girl that
very same night. will not tell you OF
the months of rivalry, friendly rivalry,
that followed We used to discuss the
situation at night and sympathize the
one with the other according to the
way our suits appeared to prosper ornot
at the time. But one night Charlie ar
rived home all excitement and bushes;
in personal appearance he came as near
to the beautiful as man can ever come;
and before he had opened his mouth
I guessed his success. I congratulated
him heartily and honestly, sat up most
of the night packing my bag, took the
earliest train for Paris, and remained
there for three weelzs-in fact, until
Charlie had discovered where I had
gone, and FASTENED across channel to
bring me home. Finishing my studies
and having some money at bank re-
sOlved--fOolish / now see it waste at
tempt to establish a practice in a good
neighborhood. I thought 1 could al
ford to wait for patients. How short
sighted I was you may guess when I
tell you that my money is gone and
there is no practice. Poor Charlie rea-
l.
set up in business and waited. He lost
all his money, too.
'Charlie married Gertrude five years
ago. was best man, and, by the way,
while I think of it, if you search the
records of Marlborough street police
court you will find conviction against
man named Foster for creating dis
turbance somewhere in this neighbour
hood on the evening of the wedding day.
1 was Foster--my only appearance in
a police CORTLAND was fined 20 shil-
lings and costs After Charles mar
riage our relationship remained unal-
tered. He took a house few doors
from my surgery and the only differ
ence the new arrangements made was
that there were three of us instead
of two. His wife had been like a sister
to me. They named their eldest child
after me, and all my odd hours-and I
had many-were spent at their house.
My office hours were from six in the
morning to eight at night, for all it
mattered, as not a soul ever called.
kept strictly to business, nevertheless
and at eight sharp walked over to spend
the evening with my friends. Charlie
and 1 smoked our pipes, and Gertrude
sat with us, sewing and joining in all
our planning and resolutions and specu-
lations. But as the years slipped past
and no business came to either of us,
and expenses-more particularly Char
les always too heavy at best--in-
creased, in spite of all we could do, we
both of us grew less talkative, our spells
OF silence were longer and more fire.
quent. Gertrude left us earlier each
night. and we began to sit late, silently
watching the fire flicker and burn to
ashes like all our plans had done.
"Twelve months ago almost to day.
L noticed small hectic glow on MY
friends check. I had heard that his
grandfather died of consumption, and
Charles complexion had always been
too beautiful for a healthy man. For a
week after first catching sight of the
te]l-tale flush I scarcely slept wink.
Not that I was at 2 lOsS IN know VIVA RI