The Republican. [volume] (Oakland, Md.) 1877-current, 1897-08-26

pass the time nicely"
The first plate developed was IA fail
ure. Why, / don't know, for ] inn
mediately threw it away and COM
menced another. "Ah!" [ thought,
this one is something like a photo
graph" Truly, it was a most wonder
full photo. of lightning; the wavy lines
of fire-there were four, springing
from one stem-streaming down from
the dark and angry heavens right on
to the earth, where the trees of the New
Forest in the background were sharp
ly silhouetted against the tongues of
fire, from which little side-streams
spread out in all directions felt, and
still feel, proud of that photograph, for
it caused no little excitement in the sci
entitic world. The next plate was bit
of a mystery to me, for it was negative
of the landscape in front of ou. house,
and ! wondered when it was taken,
until | remembered that Donald had
asked ne TO take ia as a f1ash-light land
scape view with the last plate on that
! memorable evening Of the storm. As
| development proceeded and the OBJ
| iects became more and more distinct [
was surprised to see several human fig
ures portrayed in it. With a magnify
ing glass gave il clo&er Examination,
the result Of which made me tremble
with excitement.
Good heayens," | exclaimed; this
is photo. Of the mdrder of Solenski,"
and indeed it was; taken at the iden-
teal moment that the crime was COM
mitted. There was the whole scene un-
erringly depicted on the plate by that
brilliant flash of lightning! examined
the plate more rhinutely. and the result
was startling in the extreme; there was
the murderer in the very act of plung-
ing the knife into Solenslli's breast.
The faces of both men were plainly
distinguishable. and-that of the muir
derer was not Gerald Merrilees. but
of short thicll-set man with heavy
beard; and there. farther in the back
| ground, was an inanimate form, with
upturned face, lying upon the earth.
Good heavens!" | again exclaimed.
so Merrilees is innocent, after all!
| How wonderful that we should have
| taken this photograph, and thus be able
TO prove his innocence. Tomorrow |
will 90 to Winchester with it, and pro-
cure his release"
| Suddenly | reeled as if shot. ITO
morrow did | say? Why, tomorrow
is the day of his execution. 1t is to-
morrow now for it is after three
o'clock! In five hours all viii be over;
another victim sacrificed to miscarriage
OF Justice" What was l to do? Twen-
| ty miles from Winchester; with no
means of communicating with the au-
thorities to avert the tragedy which
would soon be enacted-herc was with
| evidence that would save an innocent
mans life; and that man dear friend,
| too.
What could | do? ] groaned aloud in
my anguish, and great beads of pers-
piration dropped from my brow.
Just then my wife ard son returned,
and were alarmed totsee my agitated
state, but upon explaining matters, my
wife's ready wit suggested that should
ride to Winchester on my bicycle The
very thing! l Jumped with JOY. and
soon after started on my dark and
dreary. but fatefuI ride, with tire price
less negative carefully packed to avoid
the risk of breaking and its terrible
| consequences.
/ win not 90 into details of that tide,
| for only those who have ridden over
| strange crossroads on Il pitch dark
night, when a friends life depends upon
their speed and dispatch, can sympa-
| thize with me.
At Gas that same morning ! rode up
to Winchester gaol, and demanded 20
to see the governor Immediately; and
upon being admitted to his presence
showed him the Heaven-sent witness,
which he deemed of such Importance
that he telegraphed at once to che home
secretary, giving him details of my
marvellous photograph, with the result
that in this eleventh hour Gerald Mer-
rilees was repreved-he was saved!
The nature of the evidence jhat es-
tablished Merrilees' innocence, and all
particulars concerning it, were kept
strictly secret by the police, who had
my negative enlarged, and sent copies
of the Observation-Disclosures the
features of the murderer were clearly
portrayed--to all the police stations in
the kingdom, with the result that with
in ten days the real culprit was arrested
in the foreign quarter of Soho, and upon
being charged with the murder con-
fessed his guilt, stating that Solensli
was an absconding nihilist, who had
fled to England to avoid carrying out
horrible task imposed on him by the
particular rules of that dreaded So
ciety.
BY so doing his life became forfeited,
and to the murderer was allotted the
duty of carrying out the society's veE-
g,nce. Hoping to escape, SolenslI had
| lived in retirement in our village, but
was tracked by his memorable eXecu-
| toner. who stated that on the night OF
| the great storm he had come across the
PROSTATE and senseless form of Mer-
rilecs, from whom he took everything
available, including the fatal knife
with which he stabbed his victim
! (whom he accidentally met Immediate
| ly after leaving Merrilees), just as the
defending counsel had surmiscd at the