Americus times-recorder. [volume] (Americus, Ga.) 1891-current, 1909-09-05
THE REAL MYSTERY
OF THE CASE,
BY GEORGE A. PARKER.

/
see further into human nature than
any class of men, except physicians,
and l am not sure but that our OPP
| portunities are superior to theirs. One
| of the strangest insights that were
| ever accorded me came through the
| Gilbert case. l was called one day
| to the house of Joseph Gilbert, whose
son Edgar had been taken suddenly
ill after smoking a cigar. 1t was one
Of a small package received anony-
mously. An analysis showed that the
| cigars had been STEPPED in deadly
| poison.
The young man was unconscious of
| having an enemy. | questioned him
closely, asking him to mention any
one who might have the slightest mo-
tive to injure him. I inquired as to
his relations with the softer sex, and
he told me that he had had several
| mild affairs of the heart, but none of
| them, at least on his part or so far
| as he could judge of the girls either,
| had ever amounted to anything Sc
| rlous
| l left the remaining cigars on a ia
BILE in the smoking room, establishing
watch upon them, thinking that if
| the enemy was member of the house
hold he or she would attempt to re
move them. But after they had been
| there a week I took them away.
| compared the handwriting on the
! package with that of every CORE
spondent Edgar Gilbert furnished me,
and those he did not have he procured
on some pretext. I could see no re-
| semblance in any of them to that of
| the address. None of the expedients
| tried afforded me the slightest clew.
| At last gave up the case, acknowl-
edging myself beaten.
| A year later / received a note from
| Mr.. Gilbert, Sr., informing me that
| his son was about to be married; that
| the young mans mother had all sorts
| Of vague apprehensions that some wo-
! jealousy and she desired l would keep
watch over him until the ceremony
/ had been performed and his safety
seemed to be assured.
| I called at the house and was ac-
| corded an interview with Edgar Gil
bert and his fiancee, Miss Withers,
| both happening to be there together
The moment the girl looked me in the
| eye a suspicion came over me that
had found the person who had tried
| to poison Edgar Gilbert. How or why
I OWNED this 1 cannot explain, even
to myself She knew what 1 was
| there for and seemed interested in my
| protecting her lover There was no
betrayal of emotion, no shrinking to-
ward me, no disposition to avoid my
| gaze.
But what a position l was in-my
| client about to marry q girl who l
felt sure had tried to poison him and
| not having a shadow of proof by
which to prevent him! The wedding
was to take place in three days: /
must make haste.
| Learning that sewing woman was
employed in the house of Miss With
| ers, I paid her well to secure me a
specimen of the handwriting Of every
/ woman in the house and those who
| were the brides bosom friends. There
were three of the former and two of
| the latter. In the handwriting of the
bride expectant's most intimate friend
found chirography identical with
the address on the package. Making
the lady's acquaintance, I satisfied
| myself that she had only addressed
the package as a favor and had no re-
membrance Of having done so. From
| her / learned that young Gilberts
fiancee had at the time the cigars were
sent received his attention, and he had
| Tilted her, causing her great unhap-
piness. At that period, too, she was
i'll.
I learned all this without giving up
any knowledge whatever. 1 was puz-
zled whether to stop the marriage or
let it go on. After reflection decided
| to shift the responsibility. Learning
the name Of Miss Witherss physician,
I told him the story. He was greatly
astonished, but soon recalled the fact
that during the period Of the attempt
ed murder he had attended Miss With
ers and had observed certain indica-
| lions of a temporary alteration of
mind. Indeed, for a brief season he
had kept her under a strict watch.
When the physical cause Of the trou-
BILE passed away the tendency to insan-
ity passed with it.
The doctor transmitted my report to
the father of the groom, and so late as
the day before the wedding was to
come off a consultation was held be-
tween the parent and the physician,
at which it was decided to call in the
young man and impart to him the sit
uation
He suffered terrible shock. He
was about to rush away to confront
the girl he was to marry the next
morning with the accusation when his
| father stopped him, and the doctor ex-
planned that she might possibly be
unconscious Of ever having committed
the crime. An accusation, especially
at such time, might be attended with
serious effects. Before the conference
was ended the young man decided,
with his fathers consent, that the mar
riage should take place without any
| postponement.
The doctor was to discover whether
the bride was conscious of her act and
promised to inform me of the result
Of his investigation. His report was
that she had no consciousness of it
whatever.
What was it that conveyed the in
formation Of it to me? That is q mys-
terry 1 have never solved.
TIGER RAID AT LEESBURG