The News-Herald. [volume] (Hillsboro, Highland Co., Ohio) 1886-1973, 1904-10-06

order Thcu the SERVANTS HrSf rUshcd ~
at The sound he made in fdiiing. Every
thing movable had been pushed back
AGAINST the wall and an open space
cleared. in the center of which could be
tain is that Mr.. Moore is held to the
house by something even more serious
than his deep grief, and that the young
lady who was the object of this fatal
dispute has left the city
Pasted under this was the following
short announcement:
Married. on the 21st of January, at
the American consulate in Rome, Italy,
Edward Moore of Washington. u. c.,
United States of America, to Antoi-
nette Sloan, daughter of Joseph Dewitt
Sloan. also of that city"
With this notice my interest in the
book ceased. and | prepared to step
down from the chair on which l had
remained standing during the reading
of the above passages.
As | did so | spied slip of paper
lying Oh the floor at my feet. AS it had
not been there ten minutes before there
could he no doubt that it had slipped
from the book whose leaves had been
turning over so rapidly. Fastening to
recover ii. found 1t to be sneet Of
ordinary note paper partly inscribed
with words in u neat and distinctive
handwriting. This was great find.
for the paper w&2 fresh and the hand
writing one which could be readily
identified. What ! saw written there
was still more remarkable. 1t had the
look of some of the memoranda | had
myself drawn up during the most per
picking moments of this strange case.
| trUnscribe 1t just as it read:
I'VE have here two separate accounts
Of how death comes TO those who
breathe their last on the ancestral
hearthstonc OF the Moore house library.
Certain facts are emphasized in
both:
Each victim was alone when he fell.
Each death was preceded by II scene
Of alteration or violent controversy
between the victim and the alleged
master of these premises.
lin each case the master of the house
reaped some benefit, real or fancied,
from the 90 cr's death"
A curious set Of paragraphs. Some
one besides myself was searching for
the very explanation | was at that mo-
ment intent upon. should have con-
sidcred it the work of our detectives if
the additional lines now came upon
could have been written by any one
but Moore But no one of any other
blood or associations could have in.
dited the amazing words which follow.
cd. The only excuse | could find for
them was the difficulty which some
men feel in formulating their thoughts
otherwise than with pen and paper
they We're so evidently intended for
the writer's eye and understanding
only, as witness:
Let me recall the words my father
was uttering when my brother rushed
In upon us with that account of my
misdeeds which changed all my pros
poets in life 1t was my twenty frs
birthday, anu the Old man had just in
formed me that as the eldest son
| might expect the house in which W.
stood TO be mine one day and with 1t {
secret which has been handed dowI
from father to son ever since tn,
Moores rose to eminence in the persol
! of Colonel Alpheus. Then he noted
that was now OF age and immediatel!
went on to say: This means that yol
must be told certain facts, without tn,
knowledge Of which you would be m
true Moore. These facts you mus
hereafter relate to your son or whoeve
may be fortunate enough to inheri
from you. 1t is the legacy which goe
with this house and one which no In
! heritor as yet has refused either to re
ceive or to transmit. Listen. You hav
often noted the gold filigree ball whicl
l wear on my watch guard. This bal
Is the talisman of our house, Of thl
house. II in the course Of your lif
you find yourself in an extremity frOn
which no issue seems possible-min,
the strictness OF the injunction-an eS
tremity from which no issue seem
possible-Q have never been in such
case; the gold tiligree ball has neve
been opened by me)-you will take thi
trinket from its chain. press upon thl
portion of it so and use what you Wi
find inside, in connection with
ALAS, it was at this point John Jut
son came rushing in, and those dis
closures were made which lost me IN
fathers regard ana gave TO the inform
or my rightful inheritance, togethe
with the full secret of which ! onl
got part. But that part must hel
me now to the whole. l have seen tn
liligree ball many times. Veronica hu
it now. But its contents haye neve
been shown me- If knew what the
We're and why the master Of this s,
cret always left the library
Here the memorandum ceased with
long line struggling from the letter ~
ms II the writer had been surprised {
his task.
The effect upon me of these remarl
able words was to heighten my inte
est and raise me into a state of r,
newed hope If not of active expects
ton.
Another mind than my own had bee
at work along the only groove whic
held out any promise of success. an
this mind, having at its command ce
tain family traditions, had let me I'M
most valuable secret. Another min'
Whose mindi That was a questio
easily answered. But one man coul
have written these words, the ma