The aegis & intelligencer. [volume] (Bel Air, Md.) 1864-1923, 1898-10-07

the suit of Solenski, and when she ad-
mitted that she had that day accepted
Solenski his jealousy and rage over
powdered him-neing a very hot-tem-
pered fellow-causing him to rush
from the house, muttering the terrible
discriminating threats now used as
evidence against him. After leaving
Forest HalF' (his counsel continued)
reason gradually prevailed, and he
proceeded to go home, his path lying
across the common in front of the
house.
Being anxious to arrive there before
the threatened storm broke, and part
IL to cool his fiery temper, he ran but,
his foot catching in the stump of a
furZe bush, caused him to fall heavily
to the ground, and with such force as
TO render him unconscious.
He declared that his pockets must
have been rified by some malicious
passer by, while he lay in that state,
for whereas he fell on his face, when
he recovered consciousness he was ly-
ing on his back. He reached home,
too weak and daZed to think or OBJ
serve, but great was his surprise the
next morning to find his pockets empty
watch chain, purse, loose cash, hunt
ing knife (Which he always carried:)
| and everything, all gone.
Counsel dealt strongly upon this
fact, and maintained that the accused
was not the culprit, but that when
! lying unconscious the real murderer
robbed him, taking, amongst other
! things, the knife used with such fatal
effect upon Solenski--whose pockets
ne also rifled--leaving the murd, rous
weapon in the dead mans breast, to
| Il RI from, birncalF 10 10,
nocent owner.
! For further details, must refer the
reader to the very full reports of the
| trial which appeared in the local
, papers at the time, merely contenting
myself with stating that the jnry
smiled, that superciliOus, superior
| sort OF way common to the British
| juror, at the palpable weakness of the
! defense; but having satisfied them
selves as to the prisoners guilt after
short consideration they returned
| their awful verdict of Guilty" Ger
aid Merrilees was sentenced to death.
Sometime after the foregoing events,
| was sitting up awaiting the arrival
of my wife and son, who were return
ing from London by a III dnight train
or, rather, an early morning one
reaching Dean station at 3 A. NJ after
| which thew had to drive the interven
ing five miles home.
1t was weary work waiting. | had |
finished reading my novel, and was |
looking about for something to do, |
when suddenly thong hit of the plates
we had exposed on the night of the |
thunderstorm, and had lain undevel- |
oped and forgotten till now. 'I'll set |
to work and develop them at once. |
1t will pass the time nicely
The first plate developed was fail |
ure. Why, don't know, for imme-
diately threw it away and commenced |
another. "Ahn' thought, this one |
is something like photograph u
Truly, it was a most wonderful photo |
of lightning; the wavY lines of fire
there were four, springiDg from one |
stem-streaming down from the dark |
and angry heavens right on to the |
earth, where tho trees of the New For |
est il the background were sharply |
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 |
scientific world. The next plate was |
q bit of a mystery to me, for it was d |
negative of the landscape in front of |
our house. and l wondered when it |
was taken, until l remem bered that |
Donald had asked me to take it as a |
fash light landscape view with the |
last plate on that memorable evening
of the storm. AS development pro-
ceeded and the objects became more |
and more distinct was surprised to
see several human figures portrayed |
in it. With magnifying glass gave |
it Il closer examination, the result of |
which made me tremble with excite |
ment.
Good Heavensr' exclaimed; this !
is photo of the murder of Solenski!' |
and indeed it was; taken at the identi- |
cal moment that the crime was COM |
mitted. There was the whole scene |
unerringly depicted on the plate by |
that brilliant flash of lightning. | |
examined the plate more infinitely,
and the result was startling in the eX- |
IRENE; there was the murderer in the |
very act of plunging the knife into |
Solenski's breast!
The faces of both men were plainly |
distinguishable and-that of the muir |
derer was not Gerald Merrilees, but of |
a short, thick set man with heavy |
| beard; and there further in the back |
/
| upturned face, lying upon the earth. |
Good heavens" l again exclaimed. |
$50 Merrilees is innocent, after all, |
How wonderful that we should have
taken this photograph and thus be
! able to prove his innocence. Tomor
row | will 60 to Winchester with it
and procure his release"
| Suddenly | reeled as if shot. TO
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 will be over;
another victim sacrificed to miscar-
riage of JUSTICE What was | to do?
Twenty miles from Winchester; with
no means of communicating with the
authorities to avert the tragedy which
would soon be enacted-here | was
with evidence that would save an in
nocent mans life; and that man dear
! friend, too,
| in my anguish, and great beads of
perspiration dropped from my brow.
Just then my wife and son returned,
and were alarmed to see my agitated
state, but upon explaining matters,
my wife's ready wit suggested that |
| should ride to Winchester on my bicy
Gle. The very thing! l jumped for
| Joy, and soon after started on my
dark and dreary, but Hateful ride, with
the priceless negative carefully pack
ed to avoid the risk of breaking and
its terrible consequences.
will not go into details of that ride,
for only those who have riden over
strange cross roads on pitch-dark |
night, when a friends life depends up
on their speed and dispatch, can sym
pathize with me.
AT 6.45 that same morning rode up
! to Winchester gaol, 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, giving him details of
my marvellous photograph, with the
result that i'll this eleventh hour Ger |
aid Merrilees was reprieved-he was
| saved,
The nature of the evidence that es-
| tablished MerrIlees' innocence, and all
! particulars concerning il, were kept
/ strictly secret by the police, who had
! my negative enlarged, and sent copies
| of the photograph-wh ereupon the
| features OF the murdered were clearly
! protrayed--to all the police stations
in the kingdom, with the result that
within ten days the real culprit was
arrested in the foreign quarter of Soho
| and upon being charged with the muir
4 L q 1 L..