The Wichita daily eagle. [volume] (Wichita, Kan.) 1890-1906, 1898-10-20
CircumsfantiaI Evidence

| dressed
Il want your help with regard 10 a
young lady" he said Her name is Mar
garet Dalton. she was engaged as gov
erness to the children Of Lady Decker.
who lives at The Perches, Avenue road.
hrst say Mss Dalton when my firm was
putting in the electric ngnr at The
Perches-I am an electric eaginee-. AS
! am distant cousin OF Lady Decker /
took occasion to cultivate her acquaint-
ance. ] fell violently in love with her and
soon proposed. She refused me at first
on the ground Of her poverty and posi-
zion. oui was determined and. in short.
she consented"
What cid Lady Decker say?"
She was angry. AS IL was no concern
OF he-s-our relationship remote can
only imagine that she must have intend
ed ne TO marry one OF her own dangh-
,ers Sne treated Mss Dalton cruelty.
abused her Wiley. and ordered her 10
leave the house al once.
However. while Miss Dalton was pack
ing her box Lady Decker changed her
mind, and told her harshly that. as the
/ mischief was done and l was oonnec-
ton, II was better that The marriage
. should take place respectfully from her
/ house, and. in short. II she liked. she
| could stay on till the wedding day. We
were to have been married this week"
And what has happened?'
/ "A week ago Miss Dalton disappeared.
! She posted me note. in which she said
! that though Il nearly broke her neart 70
| leave me. she had determined never TO
see me again. and charging me, If loved
her. TO make no attempt to follow her"
What did Lady Decker say"
! "Unluckily. BY most malign coinci-
/ dence, Lady Decker lost a most Yalua-
bic diamond necklace at that time.
would stake my life on her innocence. but
Lady Decker
Says that Miss Decker has gone OF
with the necklace"
Exactly. and I want you 10 find Miss
! Dalton and disprove this odious charge.
| She is an orphan and has no relations
| that she knows Of She had a patroness
| who paid for her schooling, got her her
| place with Lady Decker. and. dying soon
! afterWard, left her $3.50; but all that this
| lady ever told her was that her parents
were both dead, and she had taken charge
| of her on account OF an old friendship
of her father. who. she said, was Cap
| tain in the army"
Then. OF course, you are sufficiently
acquainted with Miss Dalton's handwrit-
| ing 20 know whether she wrote that let
ter Of farewell or not; but still. TO make
sure. will you let me have it and some
others TO compare WITH"
The young man flushed as he drew from
his pocket a small packet
These are the last three that I re-
ceived from her," he said with emotion,
land the last 10 on top"
! wished 20 hear an independent opinion
on the subject of Miss Dalton's character.
and so disguised myself as a peddler, and
in that character made the acquaintance
of one of the maid-servants at The Perch
Sha t0ld ma that Miss Dalton WAS a
nice young lady. perfect lady. but
knowing her place and giving herself no
airs at all.
Where was the necklace kept7
at was in missis' bedroom. Missie kept
II hasa rule hin a hion syfe, but she took
It bout ter look hat halter lunch. and
ses that she forgot to put hit back
sagyne."
A few days after this I was going
through Broad Sanctuary In The after
noon when heard man and and a wo-
man quarreling. At least. to be exact.
the man was evidently in the quarrelsome
stage of drunkenness. and he was abus-
ing the woman violently.
why don't you go back to your Lady
Docker?" cried the man as ] passed..
why did you leave her at all. TO come
Il tie yourself like a millstore round MY
neck? am sick of your whining, wheyey
race, ana II you OOn take yOuESeI Oh
I'll make you, dye hear?'
As he spoke he flung away from her,
with a furious gesture, and backed INTO
the road, tight under the wheel of a
hanson which was flying past. In the
next instant the man lay writing in the
road. The wheel had passed over his
body. He gasped out:
Margaret-forgive -the-necklace-th
mattress"
Then the limbs stinen.d-
The ambulance was brought from King
street and hs body was conveyed to the
neighboring hospital. l chung close to the
girl as long as / could, and waited for
her until she came out of the hospital
alone. She recognized me and said with
grave but perfectly dry eyes:
He Is dead
He was dear to your" inquired eau
tiously.
He was my father" she said. simply.
You must be fearfully shaken and IN
hinged. Permit me to see you home, or
at least a portion of the way. IL you pre-
fer it,
She accepted with some hesitation. ana
we walked slowly down TO a back street
in Westminster.
As soon as had seen her sate'y 70 her
lodging I drove rapidly to Mr. Evans.
You must come at once and identify
her" I said We were driven quickly.
and leaving the cab at the corner OF the
street, walked toward the house. Then
1 rang the bell and told the slatternly
servant TO inform the young lady that
a gentleman had come 10 see her about
the accident. In reply the bereaVed
daughter came down stairs.
Margaret he said.
Harry she cried with a shrek and
a gasp. and would have fallen had he not
caught her in his arms.
He told me at FIRST" she said. with
reference 10 her father. when the inevi-
table explanation came. that he had been
the victim Of cruel injuries. / pitisd HIM
much. and did what I could for him
The next time I saw him my illusion
all vanished he came 20 the house. next
20 forced his way in. and was evidently
the worse for liquor. Worst Of all, ~
talked In such a way that I soon realized
that he had been IN prison for a long
time for some serious offense. ! knew
that with such q stigma on me had no
right 70 marry an honorable man l got
rid OF him as soon as ! could. and thea
7 fed myself-going 70 him, because
thought Il was my duty. o, the lie I has
BEEN
II was necessary 20 tell her aeou; the
disappearance OF the necklace and th4
suspicious In which she was involved. 7
left them discussing the point. and took
the opportunity : 0 search the dead nan 5
bedroom A Slit in the mattress soon
attracted my attention. and hidden n The
sturiug I discovered the missing neck .
lace
LADY Decker was delighted - Eet back 4
ha- necklace. and professed 20 oe CAD
that Mss Dalton was exonerated Sha
was not az NJ BTans wedding. ana I
AsvA heard shs used 20 talk % nin ss