The Manning times. [volume] (Manning, Clarendon County, S.C.) 1884-current, 1904-04-27

who is in india. He is my hal;-brothef.-
and for property reasons his VIE. "Ao
lives il my house and passes Tor NINE
must appear to be living win leE hHs-
band. Mrs. Clark, who lives "lth De:
child on the top floor, IS The "luow el
nv dearest friend, and The care OF Eer,
her child and her property is 2 trust
which he reposec in me While on DIS
death bed. These poor women and
their affairs take up much Of my time:
but YOU mustn't mind, darling.
Mrs. Seaton was 50 deeply in love
that she was far past minding any
thing respectable that concerned her
new husband. So on their arrival al
was serene. Having learned about
Mrs. Seaton's' property and the will
and about her suspicious and exacting
nature, wives, No. ! and No. , even
urged Crossman to humor her IN every
way. And thus the new honeymoon
was not too rudely concluded.
But on the very day OF their home,
coming Mrs. Seaton" objected
strongly to that strange odor from the
cellar, much more noticeable on toe
first floor, where she was laStai.@d'
than on the others occupied b; wives
No. l and No. ,. CroS>man was sefl-
ously embarrassed. He could not
think how TO safely dispose vi the
trunk and its dreadful secret.
In the presence Of that odor his laS-
cinations lost their effect on wife No.
). They had a quarrel about 1t, and
wife No. ; was in a fair way to join
the dead wife in the cellar when She
suddenly packed a handbag and left,
saving she would return to her parents
and remain there until the cellar was
put in respectable condition.
SUSPICIOUS OF THE ILL SMELL.
This episode called anew the atten-
tion Of wives No. and No. to the
i'll smelling trunk in the cellar. They
made Crossman take them down to
look at it. 1t was al old tin trunk
and stood in a little dark closet.
CroSSman tried to say that Old cement
usually smelled that way-but the wo-
men had flown to the upper regions.
And then the wife murderer would
20 down into the cellar and tug at the
straps of the trunk in which the body
of one Of his victims lay encaSed in ce-
ment. trying to shut in the odor that
was making his living wives suSpi-
ciouS.
While CrosSman was continually
planning to take away the trunk and
bury it in his mothers garden, IN an
other part Of the suburbs, wife Nc. )
finding that absence made the heart
grow fonder, returned. Crossnan
promised to have the trunk taken
away the next day without fail.
But several days elapsed with moth
ing done CroSsman seemed much
preoccupied, and when wife No. )
hiuted her suspicious he looked at her
so strangely that cold shivers ran
down her back. Was be thinking
that it would be better to let her join
the dead wife in the cellar:
At last, on Saturday, Crcssman call
ed at the shop OF Messrs Ryden X
Sons, news agents, in WilleSden lane,
in whose window was notice to the
effect that light work was done with
pony and van. He wanted a box
moved, he said.
Young Ryden, who is still under
twenty years of age and who does the
van work, was out and CroSsman re-
fused to leave his name and address.
saying be would call again.
He called again that same evening.
but Ryden was again not in. On Tues
day he sent telegram ordering the
van, but subsequently, cancelled it.
Late the same evening" he called at
the shop, again ordering the cart for
the next day and saying he would
come for it.
On Wednesday evening he went to
the shop for the last time and asked
Ryden to get the van ready. 1t was
then about $50, and he said that the
job would probably take until about
9 o'clock.
Ryden suggested that he should take
a carman named Wicks to help, but
Crossman insisted that he must go
alone. Ryden was suspicious at this
and told Wicks to follow on foot. He
and Crossman then drove to "Sucny-
side," a drive of about eight or ten,
minutes.
DISCOVERED, HE KILLS HIMSELF.
Before fetching the cart, however,
Crossman had moved the fateful box
from the cellar into garden. His ac-
tions were watched By a suspicious
neighbor, who, while CrosSman was
away after the van, reported the mat
ter at the nearby police station.
The police sergeant and an officer IN
plain clothes met the murderer when
he arrived with the van. Gre ssman
was completely taken by surprise, and
it was not until the sergeant had
actually touched him that he took 10
his heels and ran wildly down the
road. Luckily, the plain-clothes man
was young and an excellent runner.
He stuck close to Crossman's heels
down the length Of LadySmith road
and into the main road leading to
kensal Rise station. Both pursued
and pursuer were winded by this time.
and the constable called out for assis
tance in the chase.
Finding himself corner din Hanover
road, Crossman suddenly stopped and
cut his throat with a razor. So
thoroughly did he Go his work that
the windpipe and blood-vesselS We're
served to the backbone, and he died
practically at once.
Crossman being dead, then came
the mystery OF the trunk. -Four police
men managed with great trouble to
lift the box into the van: While from
it oozed thick and evil-smeeliDg
liquid 1t was taken 10 the yard Of
the police station in Salisbury road