The San Angelo press. (San Angelo, Tex.) 1897-1907, 1905-03-23

posed. II has since leaked out that an
actual duel was fought at that time
between these two on the door of the
old library and that in this duel the
elder one was wounded. Some even
go so far as to affirm that the ladys
hand was to be the reward of him who
drew the first blood 1t is no longer
denied that The room tCdS in Drclt dis.
order rhCn the servants fra rushed in
at the sound he made in failing. Every.
thing movable had been pushed back
against the wall aud an open space
cleared, in the center Of which could he
seen one drop of blood. What is Ger.
tain Is that MIR. 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 Dist of January. ut
the American consulate In Rome, Italy,
Edward Moore OF Washington, ID. c.,
United States of America. to Antol.
nette Sloan. daughter OF Joseph Dewitt
DlOulls ulHO VI liluN Guy
With this notice my interest In the
book ceased, and | prepared TO step
down from the chair on which ! had
remained standing during the reading
OF the above passages.
As ! did so | spied n slip of paper
lying on the floor ut my feet AS 1t had
not been there ten minutes before there
Iva ttn lu 10
from the book whose leaves had been
turning over so rapidly. Fastening TO
recover it, | found 1t To be sheet of
ordinary note paper partly inscribed
with words In n neat and distinctive
handwriting. This was great find.
for the paper was 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
| transCribe 1t just as 1t read:
ave have here two separate accounts
of how death comes to those who
breathe their last on the ancestral
hearthstOne OF the Moore house library.
Certain facts are emphasized in
both
Each victim was alone when he fell.
Each death was preceded by scene
of alteration or violent controversy
| between the victim and the alleged
master of these premises.
I'm each case the master of the house
/ reapcd some benefit, real or fancicd,
! from the others 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-
sidered 1t 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.
ditcd the amazing words which follow.
ed. The only excuse | could find for
them was the difficulty which some
men feel in formulating their thoughts
otherwise than with pen ana paper,
they were 50 evidently intended for
the writer's eye and understanding
only, as witness;
Let me recall the words my father
was uttcrlng shen my brother rushed
in upon us with that account Of my
mlsdeeds which changed all my pros.
poets in life. 1t was my twenty.trst
birthday, and the Old man had Just in.
formed me that as the eldest son |
might expect the house In which we
stood to be mine one day and with 1t n
secret which has been handed down
from father to son ever since the
.Moores rose to eminence In the person
of Colonel Alpheus. Then he noted
that ! was now of age and Immediately
went on to say: This means that you
must be told certain facts, without the
knowledge of which you would be no
true Moore. These facts you must
hereafter relate to your son or whoever
mny be fortunate enough to inherit
from you. 1t Is the legacy which goes
with this house and one which no in
herltor as yet has refused either to re-
ceive or to transmit. Listen. You have
often noted the gold iiligree ball which
wear on my watch guard. This ball
Is the taisman of our house, of this
house. If in the course of your life
you find yourself in an extremity from
which no issue seems possible-mind
the strctness of the injunCtlon-an eX
tremity from which no issue seems
possible-Q have never been in such Il
case; the gold fillgree ball has never
been opened by me)-you will take this
trinket from its chain, press upon this
portion of 1t 80 and use what you vii
find inside, in connection with
ALAS, 1t was at this point John Jud
son came rushing In, and those dis
closures were made which lost me my
fathers regard and gave to the inform
or my rightful inheritance, tOgethe
, with the full secret of which l onl!
got a part. But that part must hell
me now to the whole. l have seen tn,
filigree ball many times. Veronica ha
II now But Its contents have neve
| been shown me. III knew what the!
| were and why the master of this 81
/ cret always left the library
? Here the memorandum ceased with