The Minneapolis journal. [volume] (Minneapolis, Minn.) 1888-1939, 1905-06-07

"Colonel Barclays family life ap-
pears to have uniformly happy one.
Major Murphy, to whom I owe most of
my facts, assures me that he has never
heard Of any misunderstanding between
| the pair. On the whole, he thinks that
Barclays devotion to his wife was
greater than his wife's to Barclay. He
! was acutely uneasy if he were absent
from her for a day. She, on the other
hand, tho devoted and faithful, was less
obtrusively affectionate. But they
were regarded in the regiment as the
very model of a middle-aged couple.
There was absolutely nothing in their
mutual relations to prepare people for
the tragedy which was to follow.
"Colonel Barclay himself seems to
have had some singular traits in his
character. He was a dashing, iovial
old soldier in his usual mood, but there
were occasions on which he seemed to
show himself capable of considerable
violence and vindictiveness. This side
of his nature, however, appears never
to have been turned towards his wife.
Another fact, which had struck Major
Murphy and three out of five
of the other officers with whom
II conversed, was the singular
him at times. AS the major expressed
it, the smile had often been struck from
his mouth, as if by some invisible hand,
when he has been joining in the gay
cites and chaff of the mess-table. For
days Oh end, when the mood was on
him, he has been sunk in the deepest
gloom. This and q certain tinge Of
superstition were the only unusual traits
in his character which his brother Of
, ficers had observed. The latter pecu-
, liarity took the form Of dislike to be-
ing left alone, especially after dark.
, This puerile feature in nature which
was conspicuously manly had often given
rise to comment and conjecture.
! "The first battalion Of the Royal
, MINISTERS (Which is the old One Hun
dred and Seventeenth) has been sta
toned at Aldershot for some years. The
. married officers live out of barracks
and the colonel has during all this time
y occupied a villa called Lachine, about
e half mile from the north camp. The
: house stands in it's own grounds, but
: the west side of it is not more thar
: thirty yards from the high road.
coachman and two maids form the staff
. of servants. These with their master
: and mistress were the sole occupants Of
! Lachine, for the Barclays had no chill
= dren, nor was it usual for them to hav,
resident visitors.
. CHOW for the events at ,Lachine be
. tween and 10 on the evening of las
T Monday.
= member Of the Roman Catholic church
and had interested herself very much il
the establishment of the Guild Of ST
George, which was formed in connectio
. with the Watt Street chapel for the pun
q pose Of supplying the poor with cast-o1
= clothing. A meeting of the guild ha
4 been held that evening at 8, and Mrs
:. Barclay had hurried over her dinner i
u order to be present at it. When leavin
!. the house, she was heard by the coacl
man to make some commonplace II
mark to her husband, and to assure hi
N that she would be back before yer
" lone. She then called for Miss Morr
8: son, a young lady who lives in the nez
III villa, and the two went off together t
ii their meeting. 1t lasted forty minute
id and at a quarter past 8 Mrs. Barclay r.
ne turned home, having left Miss Morr
n son at her door as she passed
e. g There is a room which is used 3