Rock Island Argus. (Rock Island, Ill.) 1893-1920, 1910-08-22
The Argus Daily Short Story
Written Evidence-By Edith v. Ross.
Copyrighted. 1910. by Associated Literary Press.

able her TO inherit without him includ
ed. This he refused TO do, and his ac
ton called forth the scathing words
with which this story begins.
If they had not been spoken Cruik-
shank's sudden death would have
solved the problem for the lovers. and
they might have been united. the bride
inheriting the fortune bequeathed to
her AS it was. Dresser was put on
trial for his life. and that life depend
cd upon which had the greater in
genuity, the man who built upon the
theory that the accused was guilty or
the man who by his diagrams was try
ing to prove that the dead man shot
himself The result in this case was
that the theory of the prosecutor was
established 70 the satisfaction Of the
Jury. and he showed conclusively by
his opponents diagrams that shot
fred in accordance Herewith would
miss the mark by two and one-half
inches.
AS accessory to his theory counsel for
the defense proved that there was in
sanity in the family of the deceased
s,cd that his grandfather had shot him
of the death or the suicide had been
lowering, wild and blustery-just sucn
a day as would influence one with
suicidal intent to commit the act. But
all this crumbled before the mastery
handling OF the matter of the motive
for the crime. BY Cruikshank's death
Dresser would possess the girl he
loved and a fortune. If Cruikshank
lived Dresser would lose the fortune.
Nevertheless it was generally ad-
mitted that the conviction of Adrian
Dresser was due to the ability Of the
prosecutor, who tossed fact and fiction
up before the jury so rapidly that they
could not distinguish between them.
However this may be, he was con-
victed.
One day a few weeks after the con-
clusion of his trial Dresser received n
call from his counsel.
81 have good news for you" said the
attorney.
HAS your petition for a new trial
been granted?''
Better than that"
Dresser was then told that the real
murderer of Cruikshank had agreed to
make confession provided the matter
could be kept from the public and
light sentence imposed. The matter
had been arranged, the confessed muir
derer had gone before the court pri-
vately, had been sentenced and sent
to state prison for ten years. ORES
ser could not understand how this
could be done in private, but his coun-
sci finally convinced him that the state
had found a way by which it had been
accomplished.
As soon as the prisoner was freed
he sought the girl he loved, confident
that his vfndication would restore the
status that had existed between them
before his conviction What was his
distress to learn that she had gone
away. leaving word that her action
was to escape, so far as possible, the
horrors under which she had suffered.
She had left no address, stating that
she did not wish to be followed by any
communications. In short, she was in
tending to bury her identity in for
eign land.
Meanwhile the key to this compiled
ton of untruths. for thus far there had
been nothing true developed. remained
in hiding. Had it been endowed with
mind doubtless it would have long ago
come out from a little corner where
it was ensconced and show that,
though very insignificant in itself, it
was really Of far more Importance than
the brilliant Juggling of the state pros
ecutor or the diagrams of counsel for
the defense But it was waiting for
something's northeast wind with a
downward slant. one of those winds
that may be supposed TO blow nobody
any good. But at last it came and
from a corner of a chimney dislodged
a bit of paper and sent it whirling over
the floor. 1t had been blown up into
that chimney by north wind on the
day Cruikshank died and in the very
room In which he was supposed to
have been murdered. A maid came
into the room and, seeing the paper on
the floor. picked it up to throw it into !
a wastebasket; but. seeing writing on
it, she had the curiosity to read it.
MY goodness Rraciousw she ex- J