The Anderson intelligencer. [volume] (Anderson Court House, S.C.) 1860-1914, 1898-09-07

asked me to take it as a fashlight
landscape view with the last plate
on that memorable evening Of the
storm. AS development proceeded,
and the objects became more and
moro distinct, Twas surprised to see
several human figures portrayed in
it. With a magnifying glass gave
it a closer examination, the result
of which made me tremble with
excitement.
"Good heavensl'' I exclaimed.
"This is photo of the murder of
Solenskil" And indeed it was, taken
at the identical moment that the
crime was committed. There was
the whole scene unerringly depicted
on the plate by that brilliant flash
of lightning. examined the plate
more minutely, and the result was
startling in the extreme There was
the murderer in the very act Of
plunging the knife into Solenski's
breast.
The faces Of both men were plain
" distinguishable, and-that of the
murderer was not Gerald Merrilees,
but of short, thickset man with
heavy beard, and there, farther in
the background was an inanimate
form with uptl1rned face. living
upon the earth.
"Good heavensl' I again exclaim-
ed. $50 Merrilees is innocent, after
ALL How wonderful that we should
have taken this photograph, and
thus bo able to prove his innooenoel
Tomorrow will go to Winchester
with it and procure his release %
Suddenly I reeled as if shot.
Tomorrow, did I sayf Why, to-
morrow is the day of his executionl
It is tomorrow now, for it is after
8 o'clock! In five hours all will be
over; another victim sacrificed to
miscarriage Of justice" What was
I to do9 Twenty miles from Win
chester, with no means Of commu-
nicating with the authorities to
avert the tragedy which would so
soon be enacted, here was I with
evidence that would save an inno-
cent mans life, and that man a
very dear friend too.
What could I doi I groaned aloud
in my anguish and great beads Of
perspiration dropped from my brow.
Just then my wife and son return
ed and were alarmed to see my agi-
tated state, but upon explaining
matters, my wife's ready wit sug-
gested that I should ride to Win
chester on my bicycle. The very
thingl jumped with joy. and soon
after started on my dark and dreary,
but fateful, ride, with the priceless
negative carefully packed to avoid
the risk Of breakage and its terrible
consequences.
Twill not go into details of that
ride, for only those who have ridden
over strange crossroads on a pitch
dark night, when a friends life de-
pends upon their speed and dispatch,
can sympathize with me.
at GAS that same morning rode
up to Winchester Jail and demanded
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 the home secretary, CIV
in. him details of my marvellous
photograph, with the result that in
this eleventh hour Gerald Merrilees
was reprisyed-he was saved.
The nature of the evidence that
established Merrilees' innocence and
all particulars concerning it were
kept strictly secret by the police,
who had my negative enlarged and
sent copies Of the photograph
whereon the features Of the MUIR
derer were clearly portrayed-to all
the police stations in the kingdom,
with the result that within ten days
the real oulprit was arrested in the
foreign quarter of Soho, and upon
being charged with the murder con-
fessed his guilt, stating that Solen-
eki was an absconding nihilist, who
had fed to England to avoid carry
ing out horrible task imposed on
him by the peculiar rules Of that
dreaded society.
By 80 doing his life became for
feited and to the murderer was al
lotted the duty Of carrying out the
society's vengeance. Hoping to es-
cape, Solenski had lived in retire
ment in our village, but was tracked
by his inexorable e1ecutioner, who
stated that on the night Of the great
storm he had come across the pros
trate and senseless form of Mer-
rilees, from whom be took every
thing available, including the fatal
knife with which he stabbed his
victiL-whom he accidentally met
Immediately after leaving Me1rilees
Just as the defending counsel had
surmised at the trial.
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