The Republican. [volume] (Oakland, Md.) 1877-current, 1907-01-24

BURST INTO TIE ROOM.
small table Oil which Wer, tlo MAJ.
shGrs revolver ana lamp that was
the only light of the room. There was
great crash and then darkness. with
the noise of an indiscriminate strug-
gle. Ford, his messenger, Frank and
myself We're all in a grapple. while
Edgeworth, the object of our efforts,
eluded us in the room, which he knew
better than we did and escaped by a
stairway TO loft, from a window of
which he dropped into the yard. But
why had be fed?
The cleW that helped us was the wet
| clothes, for they suggested the canal.
| We got lanterns and went ont through
the yard at the rear of Edgeworth's
store and came to the canals bank.
There was about half an inch of ice
on the water, but at one point 1t was
broken for distance of ten feet out
ward, as IL some one had plunged in.
y suicidal attempt? Then why had the
man come out again
The riddle was not read until the
next day, when a thorough examina-
ton of this spot resulted in bringing
up from the bottom of the canal
metal cigar cutter such as one sees
upon tObacconists' counters. The cigar
is inserted into Il little trap, and Il
knife blade, actuated by spring, cuts
off the end
To this common contrivance Edge
worth had added sort of syringe
which his skill with tools enabled him
to make in Il manner that | am tempt
ed to call admirable. This syringe in
jected into the cigar Il sufficient guam
tity Of a tasteless, deadly poison.
Edgeworth had doubtless kept this ma
chine for many days, waiting for Cliff
ford to come to his store alone. Doubt
less also he bided the time when Cliff
ford should be lighting one Of his own
cigars bought in some other place.
The occasion served him we'll on this
particular evening. Clifford had finish
ed one of his nephew's little cigars and
was about to light the other when he
came abreast of Edgeworth's store on
his way to see the millner. No one
else was present The fatal contriv-
ance was cleverly put in the right
place, and the victims death resulted
in the manner described.
Esther's loud cry reached Edge
worth's ears, and he guessed its mean
ing. Momentarily panic stricken, he
ran to throw the cigar cutter into the
canal, but the ice was much thicker
than he supposed, and it upheld the
fatal evidence for all mems sight
Edgeworth tried to crawl out on the
ice and crashed through. He succeed
ed In sinking the box and regaining
the shore, but he dared not show him
self in his wet clothes, so he ran home
and changed them and hazarded a re
turn.
This we cOnjectured and Edge
worth's confession confirmed it. He
was captured a week later in hos
pital in Wilmington, Del where he
med Of pneumonia, resulting perhaps
from his wetting in the canal
From Frank Clifford I obtained the
remainder of the story. Unknown to
me, he had fallen in love with Miss
Warren and secretly married her
Then, with some wild idea of permit
ting her charms and virtues to be
known in Branford and thus winning
bis uncle's consent to The marriage, he
had bought the little millinery store
for her. But Uncle Duncan proved a
hard man TO win over. He guessed n
part Of the secret and would not hear
Of an alliance with Mrs. Wilson" In
this state of affairs the foolish young
lovers decided to confess TO me and
seek my advice, and that was the rea-
son why was summoned to Branford
IN time to behold the catastrophe.
Duncan Clifford died without will
His death gave Frank control of his
own property that had been in trust
and also nearly all of his uncle'S large
fortune.