The morning news. [volume] (Savannah, Ga.) 1887-1900, 1897-03-08

horror-stricken. Lying face downward
on the floor was the ventriloqust, while
from his bosom flowed the red stream
that had crossed the stage. A large
knife was transfixed in his heart, as if
he had tripped and fallen upon it. Life
had already fled when they raised him
from the floor. A messenger was sent
al once to his partner at the wagon, who
was found asleep in the vehicle and
awakened with some difficulty. He
thought they Were fooling him, and
would not believe that Wilson was dead
until he saw him lying on the stage with
the dagger in his breast.
How did the professor come to his
death? This was the question that agi-
tated the village. After a great many
theories and surmises, everybody at last
settled down to the opinion that the dead
man, in acting out the part of the muir
derer and the murdered, had grasped
the knife in his hand, and in the at
tempt to step from behind the curtain
had tripped in the folds of the cloth and
fallen with his whole weight upon the
keen blade. Nobody could offer any other
explanation of the sad event.
As Wilson had no money on his per-
son, Grant asked the town authorities
to take the silver watch that the pro-
fessor had in his pocket to cover the
burial expenses, as he himself had no
money with which to defray it. This
they did, and the professors funeral was
largely attended. Grant, as his partner,
of course fell heir to the wagon and
horses and other sundry articles, and inn
mediately after the funeral was over he
drove away from the village.
II was several weeks after this that the
silver watch that had belonged to Prof.
Wilson came into the hands of the jeweler.
He opened the case at the back TO look
at the works, and I'm doing so very natu-
,.al1 fp ma mr.
numbers had been put on IL by former
jewelers. Great was his surprise when
he saw, rudely engraved there IS IL II
had been done with the point of a knife
blade these words: Grant Did It."
The jeweler carried the watch out at
once and showed it to the citizens who
were on the streets and II created a great
sensation seeming TO throw, as IL did.
some light on the mysterious death Of
Prof Wilson. The case was widely dis
cussed, and there were some, of course,
who did not think the inscription in the
watch had anything to do with the trag-
edy at the school house. The prevailing
opinion In regard to it, however, and the
one which Is believed to this day in s.
is this:
Wilson, so the theory ran, had noticed
that Grant was watching an opportunity
TO kiln him, either from motives of hatred
or to gain possession of his outfit and
money and seeing this he had put the
telltale words In his watch, so that should
his partner indeed attempt foul play-of
which he was perhaps, not altogether GER
tain or felt sure he could prevent--if Grant
should indeed kill him secretly, then the
inscription in the watch would tell the
world who IL was that struck the blow,
and thus his murder would be avenged.
As TO the tragedy at the school house,
they went on to argue. that Grant, being
familiar with Wilson's entertainments,
had slipped in az the back door and con-
cealed himself until the time when he
knew the professor would come behind