Orleans County monitor. [volume] (Barton, Vt.) 1872-1953, 1898-11-14

with a combination that they could
not learn, had to be forcibly opened,
the selectYnen of Wharton discovered
this:
To whom it may concern:
It is my sincere wish that he who
shall be appointed as my administra-
tor spare no effort to find my son if
living, and convey to him my prop
erty. His Christian name is Alton;
he was born June u, IS; was 16
years Of age when he ran away from
home, rather tall for his age, and Civ
ing promise ofa still greater height;
had a light complexion, blue eyes and
auburn hair. Of course ne has ma
terially changed in his personal APP
p%earance; and a slight lisp, which he
. would not be likely to outgrow, may
+ aid in his Identification.
I am certain that his stealthy de-
parture from home was due to the
severity with which treated his boy
ish freaks, and the remorse that has
been mine cannot be expressed in
words; to say nothing OF the misery
that has resulted to me from the be-
lief that my dear wife's death was
fastened by her constant grief at los
ing her only child in such a manner.
I can think of no way in which to
ever partially atone for my unfather-
ly treatment of him, a W to leave
him the property which Ishould have
nniOEo6 40 r,uoh mora Iod ho 1oi1u
shared it with me.
Then followed certain directions
with respect to the disposition of the
property, in case the wanderer could
not be found; and the document was
signed Thomas Beckford'-but not
dated.
The chirography was that of the
ceased-in a tremulous, scrawly style
and the paper was blotted in many
places, as if by tears from the writer's
eyes.
The duly appointed administrator,
after assuring himself by careful in
quiry in the city whence Mr.. Beck
ford'had come that he did have a run
away son-though no one distinctly
remembered his personal appearance
advertised for information respecting
him in all the prominent journals in
the country.
"Every word that your pastor has
uttered is true. Ones sins follow him
like u~nrelenting fate, and eventually
find him out"
These remarks, delivered in a deep
yet incisive tone, drew every eye in
the crowded Wharton vestry to the
speaker, Daniel Fink-a short, thick
set man, somewhat past the middle
age, judging from the gray sprink-
ling his hair and full beard though
scarcely d wrinkle was visible upon
his face-who had at odd intervals
been seen in Wharton lately.
"Let me Illustrate by an incident of
which [ have a personal knowledge
he continued "Some three months
since, in a village as quaint as this, |
an elderly man was brutally murder |
ed, in so mysterious a manner that
those officially employed to discover
the author or authors Of the crime
were obliged to the case as
hopeless. But a detective who was
having a rest from his labors deter
mined to investigate the matter, |
without auUhority-tO test his skill.
"He was among the scores present
at the Inquest, and earned hat the
victim was without a known enemy; |
that none Of his valuables were touch
ed by the murderer; that though a
rich man, the deceased had made no
will-so far as any one was aware.
The motive for the crime, hence, did
seem incomprehensible.
"At the inquest was a loved and
confidential friend of the murdered
man, who won the almost universal
sympathy of the crowd by the express
sion of anguish that his c-ountenance
wore. To the experienced eye of the
detective, this mans III seemed
to indicate something beside the suf-
ferings caused by the death of his
friend-a greater acquaintance with
the crime than he would caro- to make
public.
Gin various DISCUSSES, the detective
constantly Swallowed this man, and,
noticing that he took frequent soil
tary walks in a certain direction,
went in the same direction, to find, in
a lonesome spot, far from where n
would be likely to go merely for
pleasure, that the earth had the ap-