Barton County democrat. [volume] (Great Bend, Kan.) 1885-1915, 1897-01-14
XXIII.

near SOuctuluS III TIC part OIL LdIQdE -
story which explained his coming into
my life. a letter from Perez brought
this explanation, for which had been
waiting eagerly. Neither johnson nor
I had had signs again of Lamar's pur-
suers, who, however, we believed, had
contrived to secure proof that their
intended victim had evaded their ven
geance. The strange schooner had not
reentered the bay, but the fisherman
had heard that a vessel answering her
description had lain for three days at
anchor in little harbor some miles up
the coast, and that at least four of her
people had been away from her
throughout her stay. 1t was his the
DRY that the four revisited the house
the night before Lanar's funeral;
though the man whom / had employed
to assist Johnson as watcher and care
taker, and who was then on duty, re-
ported no unusual happenings, and the
fsherman's belief had, so far as I could
discover, no more substantial basis
than the fact that as he approached
the house late that night the sea-breezc
bore to his ear faint sounds which he
took for those of oars against thole
pins.
My term of residence in Rodneytown
was closed within a fortnight after the
body of the suicide had been committed
to the earth; but before I went ava:
there was a wedding, at which an al
together charming bride was given
away by my good friend DR.. Banks,
standing Tor the time in loco PARENTS.
In view of the change in our circum-
stances, I had persuaded Dorothy to
consent to an early marriage, and to
come with me to Trent, where there
promised to be an excellent opportu-
nifty to establish a practice, and whert
the bay might become a doctors nag
in reality as well as in name. And
there Perez's letter found us, as happy
a pair as the city held within it's Dor
ders. AS Lamar's residuary legatee =
if the term can be correctly used il
such case-I was possessed of an in
heritance which, with my savings, was
ample to support US in comfort for
the several years we deemed it wise to
allow for the building up of a profitable
professional connection.
But now for the letter, which was to
tell me all I had ever learned of the
career of the man whom I knew as
Lamar.
'sHe was of a family of rank and
wealth. it ran. "He had much to con-
tent him with his lot, yet he was by ma
ture an intriguer and a plotter, cold,
selfish, daring and revengeful. Many
hated him, more feared him. So adroit
was he in his schemes, that, though
they sometimes came to grief, he HIM
self escaped.
EAT last he became involved in po-
Itical plot of the gravest character,
and for once lost his craft. There was
a meeting of the conspirators, at which
enthusiasm ran high, and, in the Juror
Of the moment, compact was drawn
up and signed by those present. So
reasonable was this document that the
signers were hopelessIy compromised
should it fall into the hands of even
the most mercifully-disposed govern
ment. Within "a hours after the meet
ing the paper disappeared. The sign
ers set themselves to search for it, and
at last gained clew Following this,
they discovered that it had come into
the possession of a woman of rank,
young, beautiful, ambitious, mad for
political intrigue, and attached to q
rival faction. The fact that she had Sc
cured it was sufficient to insure the
failure Of the project it outlined; but
worse than this failure was the menace
to the signers. 1t was resolved to re-
cover the compact at any cost; but
then arose the question, who should
undertake the difficult task? The
man who afterward came to you vol
unteered, and was accepted.
"He recovered the document. Single
handed, he waylaid the lady's carriage.
drove off h| servants, and, on her re-
fusal to surrender the paper, cut her
throat. AS he had expected, the precious
paper was found in the bosom of her
dress.
''He fled the country forthwith. carry
ing with him the cause of the tragedy
So long as he retained possession of X,
he was certain of holding his Cocoon
spirators at his mercy. Many of them
abhorred his bloody deed, but he held
their fortunes and perhaps their lives
in his hand; and some of them, at
least, were forced to aid him in making
his escape. The family of his victim
swore undying vengeance. Her broth
ers traced him to Europe, and then to
the United States. They were close
upon him when he sought your aid:
had it not been given, he could hardly
have escaped; for in your country a
man of his face and accent was easily