The times. (Owosso, Mich.) 1882-1897, 1897-01-29
THE FITTEST SURVIVES
By J. Il. CONNOLLY.
Copyright. 1896. by the Author.l
CHAPTER XIII

When the inspector came back ana
turned up the gas before Sewall's cell,
he uttered an exclamation Of alarmed
surprise. His prisoner had escaped him.
He feared it in the instant when his
quick eye caught the little dark red
stream that had sluggishly crept out un-
der the grated door and half across the
corridor floor. He knew it when he
reached the form upon the bench and
found it inanimate clay.
Such had been the desperation inspir-
ing the young man to cast off the burden
Of life, that he had torn, with the sharp
edged bits Of glass, great ragged OPEN
ings in his arteries, both at the ankles
and the wrists, and death seemed to
have come to him while he was still
digging in his neck another vent for
life. All the space between his body and
the wall was pool Of blood, and it had
run down at the end Of the bench to the
floor and thence to the door, as if the in
stinct Of escape had been in it.
A more unqualified confession Of guilt
would have been impossible, and yet it
was far from being such one as the
inspector had desired and expected. In
deed he was sorely disappointed and an
noyed, since he could not help reproach-
ing himself for letting prisoner get
away from him, even through the dark
gate Chester Sewall had che IN.
Without that confession, however, the
evidence before the coroner's jury on
the Willmarth inquest would still have
been sufficient to warrant them in the
verdict they rendered-that the murder
was done for the purpose Of robbery by
Chester Sewall. How this hideous reve-
lation Of her lovers guilt affected Irma
no person but herself was privileged to
know. She was q young person of more
than ordinary power of self control, and
not even Mr.. Cyrus Pratt, who with
delicate but pervasive assiduity, as
sumed the position Of chief consider to
her, could have seen that she demon
strated more than conventionally
proper amount Of grief, all of which
was exclusively on her. fathers account.
The two inquests, upon the murderer
and his victim, were held on the same
day. Publication of their results told
the last obtainable news in the Will
marth affair and put an end to the
sensation" so far as the newspapers
were concerned. So it was quickly for.
gotten by the public. A few months
later there was little revival Of inter-
est in it on the occasion of the wedding
Of ''the charming daughter of the emil
nent financier, the late Richard Will
marth, with "the able political lead
er, Mr.. Cyrus Pratt" when the old
story was retold.
But not even at that late date had an
mixing leaked out concerning what
would have been, as piece Of truly
sensational news, hardly second to the
murder itself-viz, the making of atone
ment for the long bygone wrong done
to Abner G. Hall by Ima's father The
production Of the original agreement
between those men and it's corrobora-
ton by the confession Of Michael Nc
Caffrey readily satisfied Irma Will
marth Of the justice and validity Of
Mrs. Halls claim to restitution of her
husbands estate. Being so convinced,
she was quite willing, even anxious III
deed, to make amends for her fathers
bad conduct, which she said was 'just
like pa, he was so sharp about money
Matters" if it could be done without
publicity. And Mr.. Pratt, who even
before he became her husband had much
TO do with the management of her az
fairs, was very clearly in favor Of
and quiet settlement of the
claim. He saw the desirability of ST.
lencing at once what might otherwise
become an ugly scandal, containing I'M
known potentialities of social damage.
The original sum and added interest
claimed bv Mrs. Hall was only little