The Virginia enterprise. [volume] (Virginia, St. Louis County, Minn.) 1893-19??, 1897-04-16
must find the means to liberate him and

must find the means to iiberate him and
substitute something else SIS. \. .
The daring audacity of the proposal
fairly took my breath away. II discovr
cred, the consequences to me IN aiding
and abetting a felon to escape would be
disastrous. resolved to have nothing to
do with such criminal h proceeding. but a
made me falter IN my resolution,
"F0r my sake she murmured, plead
ingly, placing her fair, white hand on my
arm.
Her touch thrilled me. l hesitated no
longer, but gave IN unwilling consent.
All, what folly will not Il man commit
when in love!
Next day it was reported that Brandon
was seriously indisposed. | took out the
ordered the cabin steward to attend him.
Three days later Mr.. Brandon was re-
ported dead.
When l was informed of this entered
his cabin. He was lying in the under
berth, pale and mOtionless as death. |
felt the body; it was cold and rigid. II
this were not death, he simulated it to
who sewed the body up in my presence:
When his task was completed dismissed
him, and, securing the cabin door in
stitches. My hand shook painfully
what if he We're really dead?
l confess to experiencing singular
feeling of relief when the man opened
his eyes, and the rcsuscitatc<l Brandon
sat UP. l administered some brandy,
and noiselessly dressed himself. Then
he produced from an American trunk
u dummy figure which he had previously
prepared and weighted, aid enclosed it
in the shroud. This lie sewed up with
his own hands. Not word was spoken
by either of us. When all was completed
| stepped out to reconnoitcr. Seeing the
crept swiftly across the passage into his
daughters cabin, where he concealed
himself.
In the first dogwatch of the same aft
crnoOn, the bell commenced to toll it's
solemn knell for the funeral of Anthony
Brandon. Officers and men and passen-
gers stood round me with heads uncov-
cred as read from the Book of Common
Prayer the beautiful and impressive
an awful mockery. 1 don't know how l
got through with it. Afterwards heard
it commented that was much affected
during the service. Heaven knows |
was, but twas with guilt and fear
After the funeral Brandon returned to
his own cabin, which was kept constant
ly locked. and the key of which l re-
tanned i'll my own possession With my
connivancc Alice struggled food to him
from day to day.
About two weeks afterwards, while
proceeding up the Channel under all sail
we were hailed by Il tug Anticipate
danger, ! slipped down the companions
way, and conveyed Brandon to my own
cabin for concealment. When l went
on deck again. l was just in time to SEQ
Il stout, well-groomcd party clambering
over the vessels side. Without any pre-
liminarics he brusuuely demanded:
don on board?''
Il had, stranger: | had"
He gaZed at me in1uiringly.
"Conlc below. SIR said |.
AS we descended he explained that
he WAS Il detective sent in pursuit of
Brandon. who had abscondcd from Aus
tralia with Il considerable sum of money
and valuable negotiable securities. When
he had produced his warrant. [ ordered
the mate to fetch the logbook. Under
date the 10th January, he read this ell
try;
Buried at sea at lat. 35 degrees +!
minutes n, long. 3} degrees 16 minutes
". Anthony Brandon, cabin passenger
Cause of death unknown
lie. muttered something under hi,
breath which was quite unintelligiblc tc
me- Then he demanded to see Brandon's
effects. | led the way into his cabin
tie ransackcd every trunk and portman
teau: but not Il vestige of paper OF
anything of value did he discover. The
expression Oh his face when he left tho
ship some hours later was not particularly
pleasant. '
When we arrived in the docks at Lon.
don. l struggled Mr.. Brandon ashore +,
one OF his daughters trunks, after they
had been searched by the customs officer
NO one in the ship ever suspected tho
truth IAcU secret remained alone with
me.
1t was arranged that Alice and
should be married quietly before setting
out on my next voyage, and our honey:
moon was to be spent on the bosom of the
deep. When we parted that night she
promised to communicate with me when
her father had secured some quiet retreat
in the country. SHIT kept her promise
Here is the letter. | have preserved il
al these years: 1t has neither superscrip,
ton nor signature.
Dear Old Captain Many. many
thanks for all your kindnasscs
My husband and I-for Mr. bran
don is my husband. though it was
not known iii Arlington-will never for
get them Pray forgive the deceit we
found it cxpe,lient to practice on YOU in
order to carry out our plans. We are
in fairly aftluent circumstances, for my
husband did not lose the money in spec
ulation: as ! thought it necessary to tell
you Dear captain, l know I can rely
upon you, for your own sake, not to in
form the authorities about my husband
AS he died ut sea. we expect to live
securely, unmolested by the bank officials
or the police. Goodby forever
And that was the end of my romance
no, never heard anything more about
ill-gottcn gains or whether they didn't
l cannot tell. But this l do know. she
was the first woman that ever fooled
me, and, by heaven, she was the last
l never gave another the chance.