Yorkville enquirer. [volume] (Yorkville, S.C.) 1855-2006, 1908-05-19

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his daughter and myself knew"
"Wait!" cried Prier; you say you
had never seen Miss Barron. Did she
never come to the bank?"
Never Never during business
hours, at least"
"And yet she knew how to open the
lsafe?"
Yes"
"Why?"
Because her father was foolishly
sentimental about her, and felt that
she must be intrusted with all that
lother and wiser men would have kept
to themselves. Yes, Mr.. Prier, only
we three knew how to open the safe.
You do not think Mr. Barron opened
it, do you?"
Il don't know what to think. No,
l think he didn't"
| Nor that I did,"
II know you didn't"
THANK you," said Sem, who noticed
the change in the word; land now,
| saw a woman leave the bank, hide
the money, and go home to Barron's
own home;' and then, the morning she
came to the bank she wore the very
dress she had on the night Of the rob-
berry. did not see her face that night,
for she had her veil down; but l am
certain about the dress. | am willing
to take oath to that. Ale You salts
fied?"
1T seems like the height Of stupid
stubbornness not to be, but"
But you are not?"
mo, Gilbert Sem, am not"
DO you see any clew to anything
else?"
mo, not yet But let us go back to
the murder. Let us find the connec-
ton between that and the later event
if we can"
agreed. What shall l tell you?"
The evidence given at your trial
was it substantially true?"
LAS regards myself, yes
| You were a tramp"
| II suppose l should have been called
one. l had been sick and unfortunate.
had lost the position l had held.
had no money-none Of any account
and yet l was homesick for a sight of
the green hills around my boyhood's
home. l had no friends-and yet l
could not try for more work, daytimes,
because the old home was drawing me
toward itself could not sleep nights,
for my sleep was haunted with dreams
of that lost heaven Of my childhood's
days. And so 1 turned my face that
way one weary, wretched day, and
started. 1 can never tell how long the
journey took; how l scorched and froze
by turns; how l wearied by the way
side; how l starved: II cannot bear
it, Mr. Prier, so let us leave all that
out. Yes, was tramp"
1.-The statement regarding your ring,
the borrowed money, your going out
into the country away from the rail-
road suppose they were all true?"
They were"
will you tell me why you went into
the country?"
Because 1 had almost given up the
Idea of getting home without help.
felt that l must find work again. And
expected to find more charity there
than in the little towns along the
IrOad."
when was the murder committed?'
1.-The night of the storm; one night
earlier than was assumed at my trial;
early enough to still leave me under
suspicion, if you-and the world
please"
But l don't please. l know you are
Innocent"
Matilda Webb must have been alb
sent two nights"
Yes, she was"
And the murder occurred the first
lone of the two"
Il see. How did you happen TO be
there?"
We'll, lost my ring
Lost your ring?"
"Yes. And l almost felt that in do
ing so had lost my luck poor as that
luck had been. 1 was down on my
knees, in a sheltered nook through
(which l remembered to have passed
mot long before 1 missed the ring
searching, in the darkness, when the
woman passed me. l did not see hel
face, but something in her every mo-
ton impressed me. l felt that she
meditated evil Of some kind. l fol-
lowed her."
You saw her enter Mrs. Craig's
house,"
II saw her enter the house which
now know was Mrs. Craig's.
What them"
Il saw, by her light, that she was
searching the rooms. l came nearer
and nearer. l knew when she went
into the last room Of ALL"
And them"
Il climbed up upon the balcony be-
meath the window. 1t was perilous, ir
many respects; l had no business tt
be there: it would go hard with me
to be caught there: but those were moi
the only dangers. l ran the risk OF
my life, climbing there in the thick
darkness: sometimes my foot slipped
my weak hold gave way, and I was
Ialmost gone. But l was successful a.
last, and drew myself, tired and pant
ling, up to the very edge of the bal.
cony. 1 think that even then l should
lhave given up, and have fallen bach
To the ground again, had not what
, saw nerved me to fresh eXertions."
"Merciful God" groaned Prier;
what did you see?"
II saw 1t all
/ "All?"
, "All. The windows. opened almost t'
the floor; 1 fought with slippery rail-
ings and trailing vines, with weakness
f and darkness and horror, for my OWL
) life, while your sister fought vainl!
with her assailant for hers. / saw al
t all. all, from the moment when the
sleeper awoke from the trusting slum
, Der of innocence to the moment wher
t the devil who had slain her lifted thu