Warren sheaf. [volume] (Warren, Marshall County, Minn.) 1880-current, 1900-11-22
WITNESS 70 THE DEED
BY M. QUAD.
COPYRIGHT, 1900, BY c. B. LEWIS.


thief was tile parlor maid. knew it
from her actions, and three months
after l left the house she was caught
In similar offense and owned up to
the first theft. However, the crime
was laid off on me. and because /
made indignant and perhaps impu-
dent protest l was flung out of the
house at half an hours notice and re
fused a character was idle for the
next three months. The first thing de-
manded when l applied for place
was a character. AS soon as it was
learned that had none it was useless
to talk further 1t was for this reason
that finally paid fee to an intelli-
gence Office in Margate street and was
at length sent for to take q place at
general Homework. 1t was an old
man named Dyson who wanted me.
He was willing to take me without
character because he would have to
pay less wages and because. as he
grimly asserted. there was nothing
lying around loose in his house for one
to steal. AS we sat face to face
sized him up as mean and penurious.
but did not see any evil in him. He
had an aged and intirm WIFE, he told
me, and would be the only servant.
1t was not for me to pick and choose.
I must have place and hold it Ion.
enough to get character again. l
went with him miles and miles out on
the Holborne road. and we at last ar
rived at the cheaply built and cheap
looking cottage he occupied. 1t was
place devoid of almost all conveniences
and had been selected for its cheap
rent. found the old wife deaf. almost
blind and palsied. and it was apparent
that she had no care whatever. She had
become childish and petulant. and be-
fore l had been in the house half an
hour Mr.. Dyson whipped her with q
strap for saying that she was hungry.
AS be whipped her saw him look at
her in a way to give me chill. In the
course of three or four days made up
my mind that he regarded her with de-
testation and adherence and was hour
ly hoping for her death. l wondered
that he had not pushed her down stairs
or found other means to bring about an
''accidentaP' death, but the old man
was full of craft and cowardice. /
soon had evidence that he was in love
with a widow in the neighborhood. or
at least he desired to be free so that he
could marry her. The man had no oc-
scupation and seldom left the house.
During my first two weeks in the place
he never allowed noe to see the wife
except in his presence and found fault
If cooked anything extra for her or
expressed my sympathy. He had a
way of whispering to himself. and q
dozen times over 1 heard him say:
i've waited for five years. but L
. won't wait much longer. I'll get rid Of
her and be happy"
My natural impulse on finding out
how he felt toward his wife was to f1y
the house. but have explained how
was situated. And, too, l soon got the
feeling that | ought to stay to protect
the poor old woman. l figured it out
that, while he might thirst for her
death. be would not proceed to ex-
tremities while l was in the house. It
seemed as if he would have lived on
alone, as he had done for the last two
months, if he meditated anything Of
that sort. | didn't know the depth Of
his craft however. He. had brought
me there to work her death through
me. The first thing suspicioned this
way was one morning when he asked
me to help her down stairs. The stairs
were steep and shaky, and he had pried
one of the steps loose, that it might
slide from under our feet. AS mat
ter of fact, it did give way. but
caught myself and saved the woman
When old Dyson saw the failure of his
plot, he looke1 chagrined and savage
and presently found excuse for cutting
4 the poor wife's ears.
In the course Of couple of weeks
he declared that the cellar was full Of
rats and gave me money and COM
manded me to buy arsenic. He recon-
mended me to go to store miles away
and to say that wanted it for my
complexion and to give my own name.
# 1 went to a drug store only two blocks
away and gave his name. and when
he discovered this he was highly in
dignant for day. and rather expect
ed to be thrown out. However. in the
course Of three. or. four days he deyel.
oped another plan. After coaching the
old wife he left me alone with her for
the first time. and she begged me to
get her some laudanum for toothache
I and not mention the matter to him. It
was easy to tell that she had been
coached what to say, and ! refused to
\ buy the drug. a few days later, as /
was preparing her soup, ! had to
leave the Kitchen for minute. When
III returned. the soup was giving out q
strange odor, and, being satisfied that
the husband had poisoned it Of
course threw It away. he scolded