The Laurens advertiser. (Laurens, S.C.) 1885-1973, 1903-09-09
Gho L~0nGworthy
* Concessions
LOrlglnnl.l

- y 'N N'l'F' 'hAtN' 10 hNN NNtIN bONlN
said. Lolgworthy had come into the
house that day, and Desmond was to
SO out of ii i'll The morning. Longwor-
thy's body was found in the library
shot through the heart, while Des-
mond'S revolver, ono chamber empty,
lay OH the fioor. When they arrested
Desmond, though he had not been i'll
formed of the murder, he did not seem
surprised; The pallor on his face deep
cnCd; there was Il wild terror in his
eye; he made no denial of fis guilt.
Desmond had every motive for the
crime. l~.ongWorthy had turned up to
deprive him of an estate he had sup
posed belonged TO himself. Desmond
had loved katherine Page, who nus
marry the heir TO tho estate or forfeit
her own property, worth II million.
Tie prisoner bore himself us one liv-
ing in the horror Of II crime. What
passed between him and his legal dc
fender WAS Il secret, but after Il con
ference the lawyer put in the plea Of
insanity and on this depended solely
for nCuuittal.
The trial was short, the defense be-
ing confined TO Il theory advocated by
tho prisoners counsel that Desmond
had been made temporarily insane by
the loss Of fortune and the woman he
loved. IN" plea was considered weak,
first. because it was not proved that
katherine Page had decided to throw
him off TO say her fortune; second,
because tho criminal insane arc not to
be tolerated by society. The jury were
out two hours. all this while discussing
the leaving OF tho pistol where 1t was
sure to incriminatc tic murderer, then
returned to the court with a verdict of
guilty.
Desmond vas I'm prison n long while
awaiting the execution of the death
sentence. His counsel worked for him
with all tho zeal of one confident OF his
clients innocence. This was surpris-
ing, for, putting I'm n plea Of insanity,
which was Ivy no means ~substantinted,
tho lawyer virtually confessed that the
decd had been committed by Desmond.
Ono day the lawyer hurried into Des-
mond's cell and told him to prepare
his mind for Il relief which was SO
marked, so unexpected that 1t would
be dangerous. Desmond looked up at
him with n pitcous expression of in
Qlliry.
"Somc time ago" said the lawyer, 81
received Il note from one who agreed
to confess TO the Longworthy murder if
punishment could be fixed beforehand
at Il few years. Since then | have been
working night and day to secure the
terms. This morning secret papers were
| ,;.,,.1 .-,~,, g. " n.
years, and the real murderer has con-
tossed.
confessed" said the prisoner won
dcringly. "Who did the murdcrf"
THAT is Il secret which belongs to
the state"
"Iltc murdcrcr's motivc?"
"1l.it, too, is Il state secret"
Desmond walked out of prison n free
man. lie was In q singular position.
The man who had Supplantcd him was
dead. and he was again in possession
of his states He asked after Rather
II Page and was told that she had
gone on Il long journey and had left in
structions that her whereabouts should
be concealed from him. This only deep
cncd tho gloom i'm which he dwclt with
WV llllls~tttS Jul tl.tN tNlDItSSlOIl Ol us
satisfaction.
\ wear passed. One morning Dcs-
mond took up Il newspaper and read:
y man died yesterday. who before his
death nude n written confession that he
had Killed the person supposed to be
Philip ~l.ongworthy. but who wos PhiIip
Dcvlin. Dcvlin. By means OF forged pa
pcrs, obtained possession of the estate OF
Arthur Desmond, who was tried for his
murder. The confessed Inr, dercr was to
have shared In the plumber. AS he did
not. he went to the house from which
Desmond had not yet departed and. OBJ
tanning Dcsmond's revolver, killed Long
worthy. leaving the weapon to turn sus-
picion to another. After Dcsmond's con-
vlction a woman confessed the crime and
Is now serving Il sentence of imprison-
mcnt.
The woman? She had confessed a
crime she had not committed. There
came n suspicion that this was n sacri-
flee with which I'm some way Katherine
Page was linked.
Desmond seized his hat, eager to find
some one who would unravcl the mys-
terry. He was about leaving the house
when he received n call from the at
torncy who had defended him.
"Have you seen the ortlclc'- asked
Desmond.
"Hes l have come TO announce that
she who suffered disgrace and impris-
onment that YOU might live, Katherine
Page, has this morning been set free
and Is waiting for you ut her house."
When Desmond entered the room
where katherine Page awaited his
coming he found her as much under
the control of deep feeling as he was
himself. Till the real confession she
had not known whether Desmond was
guilty or innocent, though she had not
the slightest doubt OF his innocence.
Now her own personal freedom was
restored to her with his vindication
and a restoration Of her former sur
roundings. The two without q word
were locked In a long embrace. The
world that had been dead for them
had again sprung into life.
Desmond had brooded so deeply oyer
his loss that at the time Of the murder
he was in a state bordering on mad
ness. At intervals he could not recall
the recent past and was In terror lest
he should kill the man who had sup
planted him. When the deed was done
1t seemed to be revealed to him that
he had done 1t. He was so far con
vinced Of this that his attorney had
no other recours but to enter q plea
Of insanity.