Yorkville enquirer. [volume] (Yorkville, S.C.) 1855-2006, 1908-05-19
CHAPTER XVIII.
Senn's Evidence.

back TO Mr. HTler anu IllpeiI SNA-'
Let us repeat what these two gentle
men had just said when we left them.
WHO killed Constance Craig" had
been Mr.. Prier's question.
Elsie Barron Semi" had been her
husbands answer.
Prier gazed at the young man as
though he believed him suddenly De-
reft of his reason.
"I-I-Tn be blamed if l don't hang
some one" he muttered.
mo, Mr.. Prier," said Sem, sharply
81 don't think you will. Remember
your promise-my condition. She is
my wife"
SHE never did it,"
She did"
You are mistaken"
81 am not"
81 tell you she did not do it. 1t is
impossible"
And II tell you that 1 saw her do
it,"
You saw her do it,"
He was thinking of the confession
If so it may be called, which Jasper
Jahnway had sent him. He was
thinking of the almost incoherent
words of madness with which some
one-and that some one guilty-had
written of the man outside"
Yes. 1 saw her do it. l said that
before. and l am not in the habit OF
saying what 1 do not mean. You be-
leve me, do you not
II believe that you believe what you
have told me?"
Which is the same as saying
(Which is the same as saying that
there is some terrible error to be un-
tangled here. For l know that Elsie
Sem is innocent"
You do? How do you know? l say
l know she is guilty"
Read that" and Prier took from his
pocket the letter which Jahnway had
sent him, and handed it to Sem.
"To what event does that refer?"
asked Mr.. Prier, when Sem had fin
ished.
of course don't know" said Sem,
guardedly, but there is room for only
one opinion. 1t refers to the murder
Of Constance Craig"
1T must. There were never two
events of so strange and horrible ma
ture as murder so near alike as these
two would be if the murder OF Con-
stance Craig were one, and this anoth-
er. You grant that, do you not?'
Sem clasped his hands over his
eyes, as though to shut out the horror
OF something which stood out before
him in the galleries Of memory.
Grant it? God help me, 1 must
grant it. There never can have been
two such devils as the one who did
this awful deed. And l." lowering his
voice to an awed whisper, '1-you
know. l was the man Outside!"
Yes. Well. Now tell me this; Is
the handwriting of this document dis
guised or natural?"
Sem took up the letter again.
Il am no expert" he began.
And l am" interrupted Prier; Il
know all that But l want to know
whether our opinions are the same.
What do you Think"
Il do not think the handwriting is
disguised"
No? Good. Nor do l. You are
familiar with the handwriting Of Mrs.
Sem, are you not?"
Not very. have seen several spe-
cimens of it,"
Exactly. And were the specimens
you have seen written in her ordinary
style?'
Undoubtedly"
And were they like this?"
Not in the least"
And yet-the murderer Of Con-
stance Craig wrote this?"
A sudden terrible thought smote
the brain of Gilbert Sem with awful
force. He remembered. all at once
where he had seen the same hand
writing as had puzzled and baff1ed him
as he gaZed upon its beauties and pc
culiarities on the pages Of the fearful
confession he had but just read. II
was the same hand that had written
him the strange letter he had received
when in confinement before his trial
the writer Of the two was none Other
than the lifelong friend and cOmpan-
ion of the woman he had welded
the woman he had shut from the venge-
ance Of Mr.. Prier behind the shelter
o; the promise he had eXacted-bu'
none the less the woman he had ac'
cused.
Senn's pity went out to Lurline Ban
hottie. 1t must be so terrible to know
OF such a crime, and to find-Or believe
it duty to conceal it. How long haC
he known of Elsie's guilt? 1t seemed
a long. long time. And yet-cOunted ir
mOnths-it had been very, very short
And Lurline Bannottie poor Lurline
BannOttie had she known it all these
years which had drearily drifted over
her and the guilty woman since its
commission. He pitied her!
How much she must love Elsie Sem.
SO much that she would have let ar
innocent man go To the gallOwS in hel
place; nay more, so much that she
would have helped in a plot to sent
him there perforce. for had she no
tried to do that very thing? Was no
her letter to him designed to keep hin
from accepting Aldrich's services
Would not Aldrich, had he not beef
engaged in the trial have been likel!
to have hidden himself, and the wounds
mis- love and pride had received, IL
some distant place until it was al
over? Was it not possible that Mrs
SENIOR Miss BannOttie-or both
might have made it necessary or con
venient for him to be away, perhaps ol
some errand they made him believ
was their service? And without Aid
rich's presence-well he could no
quite bring himself to think calmly
even yet, of what that would hav
meant for him. But-how much Lur
line Bannottie must love Elsie Sem
And how much he pitied her!