The morning news. [volume] (Savannah, Ga.) 1887-1900, 1898-05-29

now il was my duty as MS executor 10
go over those papers and preserve or de-
stroy them. / was bound to read them
/ knew that poor HeXham's life had not
been without its romances and its adj
ventures, and wondered If ne had pre-
served old letters and documents
It is curious how careless many men
are in this direction. They Jock away in
their desks the secrets of a lifetime and
forget that the day will come when all
win be laid bare to other eyes than theirs.
Hexham had asked me years ago If l
would be one Of his executors, and l mad
consented. Our friendship had com
menced many years back when We were
members of little Bohemian club much
resorted to by literary men and actors
and which was situated in a street run
ming off the Strand. We had chummed
together good deal then and afterward
when he had become a successful map Of
letters and l married and gave up club
life he was constant visitor al my house
and nv constant companion in the little
runs out of town which I occasionally took
en- garcon.
He was not man given to talking much
concerning his private affairs. He had
married when he was about six-and-
thirty and after his marriage his manner
had changed He had not asked me To
his house or introduced me TO his wife,
and had received my congratulations in 4
manner which did not encourage me TO
dwell on the subject.
But a year afterward he told me that
the marriage had not been happy one,
and that ne and his wife had separated.
After that we were as good friends as
ever, and we continued so until the day
of his death
He had died a comparatively young man,
at the age of AZ after a short illness, and
when his will was read / found that /
was his sole executor. The first thing
that astunished me was that no provision
was made for his wife in his viii. Her
name was not even mentioned. The bulk
of his fortune-a very fair one for a liter
airy man-was left to his brothers and Sis
tors.
had taken possession Of everything
after his death, and the day after the
funeral I found myself seated in hi.
study, going over the papers which I
found in his desk.
had almost concluded my search. find
Ing nothing of very great Importance,
when on looking round the room l saw in
corner an old dispatch box
Having fitted the key I opened il as a
matter of form. Il contained only a Iorg
scaled envelope. I opened the envelope.
ana found in il the marriage certificate OF
Arthur HeXham to Marion Lethbridge. a
Few letters commencing Dear Arthur. -
ana signed Marion and several follos
of blue paper fastened together.
These folios proved most interesting
reading
They contained the life history of Marion
Lethbridge, the woman Arthur Hexham
mad married. They We're accompanied nv
a letter and a receipt for 1900 The let
ter and the receipt were signed by a gen
tieman who had previously, been n ueU-
known superintendent of police and v-h,
having retired on a pension had gone into
business as a private inquiry agent on a
limited scale q
SuDt. johnson had been an ACQUAINTANCE
az my own during his official career. and T
hlS" mat ne was a thoroughly honest
ard Straightforward man. and tbat as an
INQUIRY agent he had confined himself en-
tfe8 TO a few big cases in which an ab
sciuteiY confidential man was wanted He
was, in fact. the leading man in tbe nro-
1ession and had only the very best Deo.
pie as his clients
he had certainly compiled very IN
tefesbng and exhaustive history Of Nrs
Arthur Hexham, and if could have -,
ahSthlng nut pleasant reading to her hus-
nand, When l had read the last fo,io ,
thoroughiy understood why my unfortu-
mare friend had separated from his viz
name to me. iiei
BY asceriaining few dates 7 arrived .,
Ihe Iact that the separation took nlace !
rev daNs after the detective had furnisba "A
nam with the information which now low
open before me ~" i"S
TOOK those papers away with me r.
study them at my leisure. feeling thar
1n
ends in case the wife shouId CON- GO
Ward and make any claim upon his &c
tate, and give me any trouble as his e,,ac,,
TOR The will was dated Dec. 10 1894 an
was IN the possession of Hexbam,s 60
Chambers F. c. 'e"i
The date of Hexham's MARRIAGE wa,
Nay a. 1886, and l discovered thai he bsl
not MADE fresh will as soon after III,
marriage he had been rendered IInbenT,
py MS wife, and had not taken the iron
oie 70 make any provision for her NV ,
ilssh wlii or codicil or to define her share
Mhlch ne should have done as in tho ab
sence OF any will made subseduent TO hi
marriage ne would die intestate and hal
the property would necessarily 60 to hi
WE his solicitor knew of no deed o
settlement and assured me that Arthu
MAD never consulted him either before =
atter the marriage on any point connecte,
with Mrs. HeXham
lt was on the 18th of November 1901
that HeXham died. and on the 1st of De
cember, having completed my search an.
made an inventory of his possessions an,
handed over certain articles beoueathe,
70 various relatives, | proceeded 10 maxi
arrangements for the sale of his furnitur
and effects, as l was authorized by In
will to do.
II was late one evening when I had ms
been over the house for the last time wit
the manager of the auctioneer 20 whor
the sale was entrusted, that the mouse
keeper, an elderly woman who had been Il
Hexhams service since his wife left hi
roof came TO me with the infornaHo
that In going over the wardrobe of he
dead master she had found in the poke
of an old jacket letter addressed to MI
Hastings the solicitor. 1t had evidentl
been stamped ready to post, thrust int
the pocket and forgotten, or kept back an
then forgotten because the jacket had bee
laid aside and not used again. / took tn
letter away, and the next morning 1 de
iivered it in person to Mr. Hastings
%9dd"' he said. as he took IL from m,
ITS like getting a letter from the dead
isn't it,"
Yes" I said, there is something rattle
creepy about H."