The Abbeville press and banner. [volume] (Abbeville, S.C.) 1869-1924, 1905-09-27
CHAPTER XIII.
Continued.

CHAPTER XIII.
Continued.
When this reaches your nands
shall be dead,- lying in a .dishonored
grave. By man I shall be condemned,
and in mans eyes my name will be
infamoIs;T but the Supreme, I,hope and
believe, will forgive the sin it is my
intention to commit. This contemplate
ed sin will take the form Of cOnfes-
sion, in which T shall declare myself to
be guilty of the awful crime you COM
mitted. When you read these lines,
you alone, of all men living, will know
that am innocent.
1T was an hour past midnight when
I was awakened from my sleep by Mr..
Wilmot's voice. Thinking he needed
my services, went into his room and
found him in deep slumber talking to
himself. He was talking of you and
my hopored and beloved mistress and
daughter; and although, after / had
convinced myself that I was not re-
quired, I did not stop to listen, heard
enough to suspect that, unless you bent
yourself to Mr.. Wilmot's commands,
it was his purpose to ruin and beggar
you. Sad at heart, returned to my
room and sought my bed, and presently
fell asleep again. ! must have slept
about two hours, when started up in
bed with an impression that some per-
son besides myself was in Mr.. Wilmots
apartments. I arose, and was about to
ascertain whether this was so, when
the door between his room and mine
was softly opened, and you came forth.
II shrank out of sight, and could not
help seeing that your face was white
and convulsed, and that your limbs
were trembling violently. Stepping
very quietly, fearful Of attracting no
tice, you left my room. Waiting little
while to give you time to get clear
away, I once more entered Mr.. Will
mots apartment, and discovered, to my
horror, that he had been murdered
by you!
What was l to do? To give the
alarm and point to you as the muir
derer? In that case, indeed, your ruin
and disgrace would be complete; and
not alone yours, but that Of the beloved
mistress for whom / would cheerfully
have laid down my life. Overwhelmed
by this reflection, devoted few min
utes to thought. To all outward evil
dence / was the only witness Of your
awful crime; my evidence, and only
mine, would convict you. What
frightful repayment for all the angelic
kindness l and ny dead wife had re-
ceived from my beloved mistressl TO
condemn the man she loved to the
scaffold, and make all her future life
and that Of the daughter she loved so
deeply a life of agonizing shame and
sorrow! I saw them pointed at,
Stunned, or thrust aside in rags, beg
ging for a crust. Could I not avert
this terrible fate? I could.
From symptoms which were unmis-
taxable knew that had myself but
a short time to live-perhaps not more
than a few days. Twas, happily, with
out a relative in the world to whom
my death would bring a pang Of sor-
row. could give up my life for yours.
I could take you crime upon myself.
my resolution was made. All that
I desired to avoid was shameful end
upon the scaffold. Flight would fasten
suspicion upon me. I might me able
to conceal myself till was convinced
the end was near. Then I would give
myself into the hands Of justice, and
make confession Of the crime. Even If
I were taken, I should in all probabil-
ity die in prison. After all, the sacri-
fee would not be so great; few days
Of suffering-that was all; and when
we have done with mortal life it is by
God-not by man-that we are judged.
Doubtless you would keep your fearful
secret, and my beloved mistress would
never know that the hands of the hus-
band who held her happiness and honor
in his keeping were stained with blood.
II fed, and for some time have sue
eessfully evaded pursuit; but I feel
am sinking fast. 1t is time for me to
give myself up and make my false con-
fession. From newspapers which l
managed to obtain l learned all the
surroundings of the crime. read of
the money being missing from the
dispatch box, and of the stolen ring.
1t is by means Of this information
that shall be able to make the con-
fesSion SO circumstantiai that it can
not be doubted.
You are .ree; your secret is safely
hidden in my grave. What I have
done and shall do is for my beloved
mistress and her child. TO you say,
repent. Endeavor by good deeds to
atone for the crime which must weigh
heavily upon your soul. Pray, and
humble yourself before the Divine
throne; and not only for this deed Of
blood, but for your guilty intimacy with
Mile. Rosalie, may God pardon you!
Destroy the last visible traces of your
crime, and burn this paper. Farewell!
SAMUEL FLEETWOOD"
CHAPTER XIV.