Lexington gazette. [volume] (Lexington, Va.) 1871-1962, 1902-11-26
A FARFETCHED
DELIVERANCE
fOriginal.l

In 49, became interested In read
Ing newspaper reports Of the Edmin
ton-Blake murder case. Alan Edmin
ton and Edna Blake were lovers. Mr.
Blake, Edna's father, opposed the mar
rlage. One night he was murdered III
the vestibule Of his residence His
daughter was out and returned a few
minutes after the murder must have
been committed. Neither she nor Ed
minton could account for where they
had been during the evening. A sin
gular feature was that they did not
try to establish an alibl. They simply
let the matter so by default. There
was no circumstantlal evidence against
Miss Blake, and the only circumstan-
tial evidence against Edminton was
Mr.. Blake's opposition to his mar
riage to Edna, taken In connection
with Edminton's inability to account
for his whereabouts at the time Of the
murder. Edminton was convicted, but
owing to the weakness of the testimo-
ny against him was let off with TWEEN
y sculS iliiplioOiLitHl'
One morning about ten years later
my friend Carl Strelltz came into my
office, evidently with something OF i'm
portance on his mind When we were
alone, he closed the door. Then, TAX
ing a paper from his vest pocket, he
held it in his hand while he said to
me:
81 have just come In from yachting
and wish to consult you about mat
ter of Importance that has fallen into
my hands. We were cruising off New
port. | was sitting on deck smoking
when | saw bottle in the water. l
fished it out and, drawing the cork,
took out this paper" He handed it to
me, and | read:
Ship Albatross,
OF East Coast of Africa,
Aug. 3, 1892
We are lost. Whoever finds this go to
No. -, - street. New York. and in
southwest corner room on fifth story
take up plank in middle of floor. You
will find important papers.
RALPH HARDING.
II don't like being mixed up in such
affairs" said Strelitz. What would
you do"
"Go and see what it means. of course.
will 20 with you If you like"
The offer was accepted. and we went
to the place designated. We found
q building of questionable character
saloon below and furnished rooms
above. We acquainted the owner
with our mission, and with his con-
sent. taking a carpenter, we went to
the room described and lifted several
boards in the center Of the floor. Be-
tween two joists we found a bundle
wrapped in brown paper.
What it contained filled me with sur
prise and satisfaction | have never
felt before or since. Calling carriage,
StrelitZ and took the bundle to the
chief Of police. Then, hunting in the
for the address Of Miss Edna |
Blake, we drove to her house. We |
found q young woman Of thirty who |
looked nearer forty. | gave her the
facts concerning the bottle and the
finding of the bundle. Then | said to
her:
Miss Blake N'r. Edminton is inno-
cent of the murder of your father"
II know It,"
"By papers found today it appears
hat one Jorbert, alias Slippery Jim,'
your father into the yestibule
If his house, killed him and took from
his pocket $4,000 in United States
ponds. Not daring to dispose Of them,
lie hid them under the floor, and, being
hot to death while housebreaking,
before dying he communicated the se-
ret to his pal, Harding. The papers
md the bonds are in the hands Of the
,olice, but they belong to YOU"
Miss Blake uttered never a word,
tut, going to a sofa. buried her face in
pillow. When she became composed,
he entered the carriage with us, and
We drove to the depot and in few
Iours were at the prison where Ed
anton was confined.
| had resolved at the time Of this
mans Incarceration never again to be-
ONE interested in murder case. Now
hat | witnessed the announcement OF
dina Blake to him that the true MUIR
erer was known, they were vindicat- ,
d and he would soon be free man /
cit that there may be a bright side
ven to n murder case Yet it was a
olemn sight to see those two. whose \
appiness for ten years had been ru. {
led and on whom the injustice must
lways remain blight. clinging to y
ach other as though they dared not q
ust the good news. 7
Soon after Edminton's release Strel-
z and | were invited to witness a
uiet marriage between him and Miss
lake. Indeed, we were the only c
tests present, for those who had been t
ear to them had thrown them both
rer upon Edminton's conviction. C
After the ceremony Edminton said II
me: 4
you gentlemen have been the in
ruments through whom we have been =
A A
we'd from further suffering. and to
III, and you alone, will confide the s.
cret of where we were on the night "
the murder. We were then ten &
'ars younger than now and more i'm v
udent. We went to n hotel to be II
arried. l went out to find a minis =,
r and had poor success. When | re- y
rned, Edna persuaded me to defer "
q matter. took her home and left u
r ut the lowest step Of the door OF 81
r house. 81
when | was arrested for the MUIR
r. II ut once occurred to me that to b.
owe an allbl should have to &C. al
owledge that Edna and had been l.
hotel together No one would
We believed that we had gone there J"
r nm innorpnt nilrDOsp E1na'g good p'