The Mount Holly news. [volume] (Mount Holly, Burlington Co., N.J.) 1891-1942, 1910-02-22


with Jean lie Verian, Partisan, and
a Miss Clark of Philadelphia While
l was permitting people to tell me
about what 1 knew much more than
they, LIE Verian passed me. He looked
very somber. as one might be expected
to appear who had witnessed the trag-
edy he had reported. l tried to de-
jtect the look Of villain in his face,
but failed. Either he was not guilty.
as I supposed, or he carried the con-
seriousness of his guilt SO well that it
would not betray him.
The next morning joined the party
that set out to find Wallace's body, my
object being to follow, If possible, the
route he would be forced over and to
determine whether he could have es-
capped with his life Having reached
the bottom of the cliff, the party were
surprised to find no traces of the body,
and we all followed the incline to the
point where 1t had disappeared from
my view. A short distance beyond
this there was a fork in the possible
route, one branch leading to a gradual
rise, upon attaining which he would
have soon stopped; the other leading
to the edge of a crevasse into which
he would have fallen to an unknown
depth.
Every member of the party agreed
that Wallace must have slid into the
s.,
thinking the chances either way were
even. We returned to Interlaken, and
the party reported the result of their
Investigations, with the opinion that
the body, being in the crevasse, could
not easily be recovered. | resolved to
await developments. If Wallace had
escaped we should hear from him with
In a reasonable time
A few days later an old gentleman
came up to me while was standing
beside my telescope and asked me if
the place from which the American
had fallen was visible from where we
stood. l assured him that it was and
directed my telescope toward it. He
put his eye to the glass and since it
was in the center of the field of view
seemed to recognize 1t at once.
IF any one had been looking through
your glass at the time the accident
occurred, would he have seen it?" he
asked
Certainly" l replied.
Can figures and faces be distin-
guished up there through your tele-
scope so as to know them?"
mot surely
"Could you see an act in which two
figures were involvedT
Not very clearly"
Something In the mans voice was
familiar to me. AS he turned and
faced me l saw that he was made
up" as the theatrical people say. Then
something suddenly burst upon me.
Was it a droop of one shoulder? Was
it the interest he had manifested in
the tragedy? l could not tell, but l
knew the old man was young Wallace
disguised.
Il was loking through my glass, -
l said, when that tragedy occurred"
l felt a grip on my arm. and the man
was fairly glazing at me.
Were you? What did you seer he
said, trying to master his emotion.
l told him what l had seen as l have
told it here. He would not permit me
to leave out the slightest detail. When
had finished l added:
"You are Mr.. Wallace, and you were
pushed over that cliff l saw enough
to convince me that what l witnessed
was an attempted murder. Now tell
me of the mans motive"
He told me that Miss Clark was an
American millionairess; that he had
known her at home and they had re-
Gently become engaged. In Paris LIE
Verian had been introduced to the
girl, had joined the party with whom
she was travelling and had been trying
to win her. Doubtless recognizing that
Wallace was the main obstacle in the
way of getting her and her millions,
he had attempted to put him out of
the way.
Wallace had landed where l sup
posed he would land, being only shak-
en- up by the glance he had made at
the bottom of the cliff Realizing that
If he accused lie Verian of trying to
murder him he would have no evil
dence of the fact, he had disguised
himself and returned with view to
watching his rival without being
known to him. He had not yet made
himself known to Miss Clark, being
DESTROYS to discover how she felt to-
ward his would be murderer From
what he had observed he feared that
lie Verian was making some Roadway
in his suit, but could not tell. His
fancee had been apparently much
shocked
Having learned that | would be able
to testify. Mr.. Wallace resolved tc
make himself known to lie Veriar
and Miss Clark. He came to see me
the next day and desc ribed the scene
as it occurred at the j. hotel. He had
taken private parlor and sent mes
sage to lie Yerian and Miss Clark thai
IL they would come to the apartment
they would learn something of George
Wallace.
They came. the girl looking hopeful
ly anxious, the man very much agi
tated. Wallace. who was dressed as
an old man. threw off his disguise and
stood before them as himself. The
girl started toward him with cry and
fell in a swoon in his arms. The mai
stood looking like serpent about t.
strike final blow for life.
Wallace put out his hand and touch
ed a bell. lie Verian stood trembling
like a leaf. A waiter entered. ant
Wallace told him to call the proprietor
He came. and Wallace declared him
self to be the missing American ant
denounced lie Verian as his would b.
murderer.
At that moment Miss Clark came t.
herself and heard his accusation.
| never learned what became of IL
Verian. | heard nothing about tria
and inferred that Mr.. Wallace and hi!
fiancee shrank from prosecuting him
But the next summer while ! wa
showing the Jungfrau to some tour
lists heard a familiar voice say:
"Can you show me the cliff from
which Wallace, the American, fell?"
| turned. There stood Mr.. Wallac,
himself with the American girl on hi
arm.
"Mrs. Wallace and | would like t.
see the place." he added
But the lady shrank away with
shudder, and her husband failed to in
duce her to take even a glance.
Yes: made something out of II
Wallace had given me money befor
he left Interlaken and gave me NOR
when he returned. | invested 1t II