The times dispatch. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1903-1914, 1903-02-15

ing a woman within his grasp, pinnng
her to the wall. and struggling to cover
her mouth with his hands and prevent
',er cries from being overheard.
The woman was none other than Ethel
wynn.
At my unexpected entry ne released
his hold, shrinking back With wild
Ilerce look IN llAs face, such as I had
never before seen.
"Ralph,' cried my love, rushing for
ward and clingtng to my mock. Ralph!
For Gods sake Same mo from that fendl
Save mot"
put my arm around hor to protect
der. ut tho Same Instant shouting to Je-
IONS. who entered as much nstorllshcd
IS myself. Ny love had evidently como
10 town and kept an appointment with
khe old man. The situation was start
ing, and required explanation.
Tell mo Ethe1wynn,' said. In a
( oean?''
She drew herself up and tried to face
nc firmly, but was unable. had burst
n upon her unexpectedly, and she SEEM
I'D to fear how much OF the conversation
had overheard.
Noticing her silence, my friend Jevons
,ddressed hor, saying:
4AA!1S ~hAafo4 - SSu al u dWu1 y VI al
he circumstances OF tho tragedy at Kew.
Please explain them. Only by frank ad-
mission can you clear yourself remem-
Yer. To prevaricate further is quite USE
ess."
She glanced at the cring1ng old fell
pw standing on the further side OF the
loom: the man had raised his hand
against her. Then, with sudden reso-
luton she spoke, saying:
4 ar Is tS1le that am awora of MANY
3acts which have been until to-day kept
)ecret. But now that 7 know the hor-
hble truth they shall remain mysteries
DO longer. I have been tho victim of
long and dastardly persecution. but 1
now hope to clear my honor before YOU
Ralph. and before my Creator Then
she paused, taking breath and drawing
herself up straight with an air of de-
termined resolution.
First let us go back to the days soon
after Mary's marriage. think it was
about year after the wedding when 1
suddenly noticed q change in her Her
intellect seemed somehow weakened
Hitherto. she had possessed strong
well-detlned character, but this suddenly
developed into q weak. almost childish
balance of the brain. Instead Of possess
ing will of her own. she was no long
er the mistress of her actions, but as
easily led as an infant Only to myself
and to my mother was this change ap-
parent. To all her friends and her ac-
qnaintances she was just the same.
About that tim she consulted this man
here--Sir Bernard Eyton. her husbands
Misunderstanding some other ailment,
and he no doubt at once detected that
her intellect had given way. Although
devoted to her husband. nevertheless tho
influence OF any friend of the moment
Irresistible. and for that reason she drift
ed into the pleasue-seeking set in
town.
Tell US Of that. My own inquiries show
that you are aware of it all. Mrs.
Courtney murdered her husband,
know
"Mary-the assassin" I gasped.
Alas, 1t is too true. Now that my
poor sister is dead concealment is no
longer necessary" my love responded
with deep sigh. Mary killed her hus-
band She returned homo, entered the
house secretly, and ascending to his
room struck him to the heart"
But the wound-how was 1t inflicted ~
I demanded eagerly.
with that. pair Of long, sharp-point-
ed scissors which used to BIO on. poor
Henrys writing table. You remember
them They were about eight inches
long, with ivory handles and q red mo-
u.
TO me 1t seems plain that after striking
the blow, IN an endeavor to extricate
tho weapon she opened 1t and closed II
again; thereby inhicting those terrible
injuries that were so infinitely described
at the inquest. Well, on that night
heard sound. and fearing that the in
valid wanted something crept from my
room. AS gained the door I met Mary
upon the threshold. She stood facing
me with weird fixed look, and in her
hand was the weapon with which she had
killed her husband. That awful moment
Is fixed indelibly upon my memory,
shall carry its recollection to the grave,
y dashed quickly into the room, and to
my horror saw what had occurred. Then
my Thoughts were for AIary-to conceal
her guilt Whispering to her to obey
me led her downstairs, through the
back premises and SO out into the street,
"A cab was passing. and I put her into
at, telling the man to drive to the Hen
mixers. with whom she had been spend
ing the evening. Then cleaning tho scis-
sors of blood by tllrnsting them several
times into the mould Of garden I was
passing. I crossed the road and tossed
them over the high wall into the thick
underground which flank the gardens. At
that spot I felt certain that they would
never be discovered. AS quickly as pos
sible I re-enterod the house. secured the
door by which had made my exit, and
returned again to my room with the
awful knowledge of my sisters crime
upon my conscience"
What hour was that?"
when / retired again to bed my
watched showed that II was barely half
past /. AT 2 O'Clock Short awakened
by his alarm clock, made the discovery
and aroused the house. What followed
you know well enough. need not de-
scribe 1t, Yon can imagine what felt
and how guilty was my conscience with
the awful knowledge OF 1t ALL"
THE circumstances were certainly
most puzz!ing," ! remarked. at almost
appears as though matters were cleverly
arranged In order to baifle detection"
ITO certain extent they undoubtedly
were. knew that the Hennikers would
say nothing OF poor Afarys erratic re-
urn to them. did all in my power to
withdraw suspicion from my sister. at
the risk OF 1t falling upon myself. You
suspected me- Ralph. And only natural
+ ly--after that letter YOU discovered.
"But Mary's homic!dal tendency seems
TO have been carefully concealed" said
"I recollect having detected In her n
strange yagualess Of manner, but it
8nfrttrreH tn ma that ,ba