The Manning times. [volume] (Manning, Clarendon County, S.C.) 1884-current, 1902-12-24
CHAPTER NI.
NIL-NI : IIAN -N1.
MYSTERY OF THE DEAD MISER'S HAN,

appeared in the office Of the railroad,
at tie junction, accompanied by Will
liam Hackett, and the transfer Of the
entire IIackett interest was recorded
uDoY the books. It amounted to $500
shares.
Afterward Hackett came over to see
me It Tunbridge and told me that this
action was in accordance with his own
stiD,. He had refused to sell at
any price or to use his influence to Sc
cure the stock from the other heirs un-
less Kelvin would agree, in writing, to
declare himself the owner through the
usual medium of the stockbook before
q certain date
THAT was very honorable in you,
William" said I. "But I wish you had
given me q chance at the stock"
The deal was proposed to me in con-
fdence," he rejoined. 81 could not dis
close it to you. Besides" be added
thoushtfully, Il wouldn't have had the
face to ask you to meet his terms"
This was all that could make him
say about the price which Kelvin had
paid.
81 knew what he wanted it for" said
ne, ''but it's a wild financial night
mare. Kelvin will never get control Of
this road"
"He will come mighty close to it,
William" said I.
Upon the same day at later hour I
received a call from Kelvin. He came
to my Office to see me, and the shock OF
that surprise was considerable to a
man Of my years.
Kelvin is capable Of that engaging
frankness Of department which char
acterizes the man who does not see
anything wrong in lying. He men
toned his investment in the branch
stock as if it had been something that
I should be glad to hear Of. When he
moved into q town, be said, it was al
ways his way to get property interest
aside from mere house in which to
live. 1t made him feel free to go ahead
and take a hand in the towns affairs.
He had bought this branch stock be-
cause it was good investment and
because it would identify him with
Tunbridge, which, because of its situa-
ton, depended so much upon the rail-
road for its prosperity.
When he had finished this address,
I perceived that the real reason Of his
visit did not lie in that matter at all.
This amicable mention of it had merely
paved the way for something else.
While he was preparing to introduce
this other subject, the nature Of which
I could not guess, Donald strolled into
the office, and, seeing Kelvin, he was
about to back out again.
Nothing private" said Kelvin.
"Don't go on my account. I'd be glad
to have you stay. This is case where
superhuman agencies will be welcome"
"a case in which they would be vel
come to me. sir" said Donald, would
be a distinct novelty in my experience"
I recognized favor Of little Rollo
in this remark which let me know that
Donald was disturbed in mind.
CAS- an old resident Of Tunbridge,"
said Kelvin, turning to me, you Will
remember Ezra Walmsley."
have already mentioned this old
miser whose mortal part-with the ex-
ception of the right hand-lay buried in
Tunbridge cemetery. He was q most
UNPLEASANT creature, sullen and bru-
tai scoffer against all things sacred, and
O man of secret and mysterious ways.
The house in which he lived had long
been viewed with disfavor by the su-
perstitious, for it had history before
Walmsley's day. 1t was set with
corner to the road and had been paint
cd red in some dim date Of old times,
but the paint had weathered to dlngy
black, upon which, in certain states Of
the atmosphere, dull spots like faded
blood stains would appear in curious
designs. When Walmsley died, his
hoard proved to be very small though
there were stories Of large sums hid
den. What was found the public ad-
ministrator took charge of for lack Of
an heir.
yes" l replied to Kelvin. Il knew
him, but there is an old maxim which
would prevent my saying anything
about him now that he is dead
Don't know any good Of him, eh:'
responded Kelvin. "Well, ! guess there
wasn't much to know. But to get back
to business. Ny property up here, The
E.uls. used to be called the Stoughton
place. That family in this town goes
back to colonial times. Ezra Walmsley
married Q Stoughton after the family
had lost its money and was nearly eN-
tiact When Mrs. Walmsley died, she
was supposed to be the very last of the
Stouchton blood. Soon aftcrward, along
In the early sixties, Walmsley, as the
heir Of his wife. brought suit for this
property which is now mine. He Claim
ed that there had been no legal trans
fer"
That was bis contention said l. ~
family named Westcott then owned the
place. Norman Westcott, the head or
the family, was a colonel in the Union
army and fine fighting man. Because
Colonel Westcott was busy putting
down the rebellion Walmsley thought
that the chance Of making trouble with
his suit was quite good, but the colo
mel came back, and the suit was set
tied. The whole truth never came out,
so far as I know. 1t was very much
of a mystery, as l remember. About
that time Nalmsley lost his right hand
nobody knew how. There was legend
that he had sold it to the devil, but II
so he didn't get his price, which could
hardly have been anything else than
the fine property now known as Kelvin
Elms."
what do you suppose the facts
were?" asked Kelvin.
"The facts commonly known" re-
piled, were that the public record OF
the transfer Of the property from the