The Abbeville press and banner. [volume] (Abbeville, S.C.) 1869-1924, 1905-10-18

to entangle him, so that for her OwE
! purposes by and by she might make 1t
appear that he was her lover. Inc
unlucky gentleman was a sleep walker;
had been so from childhood, and it was
an infirmity he could not cure hlmself
of. Well, one night Mile. Rosaie hap
pened to see him in this state. What
did she do? Why, she slyly slipped
her pocket handkerchief into his pock-
ct; and on the next day, when he found
it there, he couldn't for the life of him
remember how it came upon him. That
was her first move.
"Her second move was the introduc-
ton Of her lover, Redwing, into the
temporary service of Mr.. Pardon. Only
one person knew that she was ac-
quainted with Redwing; that person
was Samuel Fleetwood. Correctly di-
vining that Fleetwood had communl-
Gated his suspicious to Mr.. Pardon, she;
sought that gentleman in his garden
in the dead of night, and worked SO
artfully upon his feelings that she sue
| ceeded in destroying the unfavorable
impressions which he had gained from
FIeetwood's account of Redwing. She
| informed Mr.. Pardon that Redwlng
| was her brother, and he believed her.
Chance played into her hands on that
night The interview, by her conniv-
ing, took place after midnight and IN
the dark. She was in deshabille, and
she and her master were surprised by
Samuel Fleetwood, who passed them
without speaking. Thus, in Fleet
woods eyes, Mr.. Pardon was seriously
compromised. There are other minor
details which I need not mention at
present; I will come at once to the
tragedy of the murder.
"There is no doubt that Mile. Rosalie
introduced Redwing into Mr.. Pardon's
house for the purpose of robbery; but
before the plan they were devising was
ripe, higher game presented itself. Mr.
Wilmot paid a visit to his nephew, Mr..
Pardon. He brought with him a sum
of five thousand pounds. Mile. Rosalie,
always on the watch, ascertained that
there was discord between the old
gentleman and her master with re-
spect to the marriage Of Miss Pardon,
who had fixed her affections upon one
gentleman, whereas Mr.. Wilmot wished
her to favor another. Mile. Rosalie
and Redwing decided to murder Mr..
| Wilmot and rob him. To reach the
bed chamber of Mr.. Wilmot they had
to pass through that Of Samuel Fleet
wood, upon whom they intended to cast
the suspicion of the murder; If he
awoke they resolved to kill him also.
In silence the deed was done. The old
man was weak, and with swift cruelty
he was strangled, and scarce a MUIR
muir came from his lips. He could not
have screamed if he had tried, because
Mile. Rosalie's hands were tightly fixed
upon his mouth the moment the cord
was pulled. There he lay dead, with
the cord round his neck.
"They found the keys of the dispatch
box in his pocket; unlocking 1t, they
took out the five thousand pounds, re-
locked the box, replaced the key in the
dead mans pocket, and were about to
leave the chamber when they were
startled by the sudden appearance Of
AR. Pardon. Certainly the devil was
on their side on that particular night,
for Mr.. Pardon was in one Of his sleep
walking frances. Quick as thought
they changed their plans, and resolved
to throw the suspicion of the murder
upon him. Mile. Rosalie slipped a .dia-
mond ring off the murdered gentle
mans finger and slid it into Mr.. Par
don's waistcoat pocket. Then she took
the cord from Mr.. Wilmot's neck, and
glided with it to Mr.. Pardon's bedroom
The door was ajar, his wife was asleep.
In a moment the cord was slipped un-
der the pillow of a sofa which was in
the room. The murderers reached
their own apartments in safety and
bided the issue of events.
Again did the devil proclaim him
self on their side. After they were
gone from Mr.. Wilmots room, leaving
Mr.. Pardon there, Samuel Fleetwood,
it appears, awoke, and, seeing his mas
ter standing b. the murdered man, in
stantly came to the conclusion that he
had committed the murder. This man
was suffering from heart disease, and
was aware that he. had but short
time to live; he was deeply, passion
ately devoted to his mistress and her
young daughter; he knew that the AZ
rest Of Mr.. Pardon would bring incred-
ible misery upon them, and he resolved
upon course which do not pretend
to justify, and which doubtless many
persons will admire. He fled, and thus
the suspicion Of the murder fell upon
himself. What afterward happened to
him have already related, and is pub
lie property"
The detective paused, and fixed his
eyes upon me. In breathless amaze
ment and gratitude had followed his
words. 1 was innocent-innocent!
Once more I could clasp my beloved
wife and child to my heart! Once
more, thank God! Once more could
kneel by their sides in prayer, and lift
up my voice in thankfulness to the
Giver of all good! In the silence that
ensued the terror was lifted from my
soul, and involuntarily 1 slid to my
knees and lifted my hands to Heaven,
while the tears rolled down my face
| and beard.
They did not interrupt me, but al
lowed the tears to flow unchecked.