Reporter and farmer. [volume] (Webster, Day County, Dakota [S.D.]) 188?-1946, 1896-12-17

GG tne w $500
burden.
drafts. The jewels and about f3.o0O
In notes were in the safe. Norton was
ii stranger in London; ne had only ar
rived that very day ut southampton;
the chances were he would be- neither
missed nor sought.
Finally. Dr. Sonerville examined the
dead mans pocketb lok. There was
the draft for f2,.s0D, indorsed, Ernest
II. Norton" with .,ther drafts. repre-
s~enting a total of f23,0t0. rs yet lack
ing endorsement Almost involutarily
he found himself studying the sigma
turc and thinking what an easy enc 1t
was to initiate. III he made hiaaself
known at the bank as Ernest q. Nor
ton by cashing the Endorsed draft in
person. there would I've no difficulty
about subsequently cashing the others.
He could not be suspected of forging
his W supposed Iame.
Lit has been well said that oppcrtuni-
ty often makes the criminal. Ernest
Norton was dead. through pure misad-
venture, and the opportunity of annex
ing his wealth was too tempting for
Richard Somerville TO resist. Ernest
Norton, living, he would not have
AODita Va obC iiiHit pNhi Dat LII
nest Newfoundland. What could II mat
ter to.a dead man what became Of his
money? Why should he, Richard
Somcrville, forego the prize thus unex-
pectcdly thrown into his lap by fate,
In order that distant. perhaps I'M
known. relatives Of his deceased friend
might be enriched?
I'll risk it!'' he muttered. I'D risk
1t were the odds against ne twice as
great as they appear TO be"
HaDitually n very temperate man, he
now had recourse several times to a
bottle of brandy. ere he felt equal to
carrying out the first steps in his dan
gerous scheme. The disposal Of the
body was clearly OF prime Importance,
and a very simple way of effecting this
was close at hand. AT the end of the
flower garden flowed the river Thames;
end the previous occupants OF the viii
In had erected n small landing stage
for boating purposes. What more OBJ
vious than to carry the body to this
landing stage and dump 1t into the
river? And this Somerville promptly
decided upon doing.
But first he had to make n minute OK
animation of the dead mans clothing,
+, lest any portion of 1t should lie marked
with his name or initials. As it turned
out, only the collar and n handkerchief
were so marked. and these he replaced
by corresponding linen of bis own,
J marked X. s. Ii was part OF his plan
4 that the body.if ever discovered. should
\ pass as that of some unfortunate, own
ing these vague, COMMON initials. who
had committed suicide: and to lend col
or to this conclusion. he placed a near
\ ylempty bottle of laudanum In one Of
4 the waistcoat pockets. He removed all
jewelry. eve down to the studs. which
n he replaced by bone ones; and he was
especially careful to secure every
scrap OF writing. Lastly, he shaved
a the long, tawny moustache and clipped
the hair close to the head. And then
he surveyed his handiwork.
"Poor old Ernietv he mnttcred, as he
gazed into the pallid, rigid features OF
hi sfriend. who, but a few hours be-
fore, had burst in upon him in such
y boisterous fashion. lizard lines to be
cut of Ike that. in the very prime OF
y carly manhood and with every good
gift OF fortune to make life worth iiv-
sng But 1t can't be helped, old fellow