Willmar tribune. [volume] (Willmar, Minn.) 1895-1931, 1910-11-09
AHalf Solved Mystery
BY MARIA L. COOPER
d.. Association. f-

Portable. He would make an engage
ment to be with me during an evening,
break It and give no satisfactory ex-
PLANTATION. After he had done this
several times ! resolved the next time
to corner him by forcing him to tell
me where he had been. When that
next time came round he claimed that
between the hours Of and II he had
been at home. Without his knowledge
l asked his sister as to his where
abouts on the evening in question, and
she told me that he had not been at
home. but said he had been with me.
This convinced me that he was de-
ceiving me. and l told him he must
either make clean breast of the mat
ter or l would break our engagement.
He took a solemn oath that he never
left his home between 6 o'clock during
the evening he was supposed to be
with me and 9 o'clock the next morn
ing. When l asked how that could be
he told me that to tell would involve
others whose acts be had no right to
divulge.
Curiosity now became my dominant
motive. l would have broken with my
fiance had it not been that I believed
I could get his secret by remaining en-
gagged to him. whereas If 1 sent him
away i would never know it, l pre-
tended to be very much hurt at his
want of confidence in me. and he
seemed equally put out that I did not
feel assured his statement was true
and because should endeavor to
force him to reveal a secret which in
volved others.
The result of q half hours probing
gave me the impression that he was
connected with several persons of both
sexes who were united by some secret
bond. but that this bond was of any
especial Importance did not appear. 1t
did not in any way explain how Ed
ward could have been in the house for
three hours one evening when he was
supposed to be visiting me. And what
had the events of these three hours to
do with the persons whose secrets he
would betray by making an explana-
ton?
After a long, period of questioning
and waiting. questioning again and
waiting again, gave up trying to get
the secret. I. however, applied one
test before taking final action. l asked
to be admitted to this coterie Of which
Edward was supposed to be mem.
Der. He said that I must be elected
and the number was complete. By
this time knew that I should get nc
satisfaction, and, since was not mind
| ed to marry man who had secret
from me. broke the engagement.
All this was few months before thu
great earthquake when our city was
destroyed. Among those who did not
turn up after that dreadful calamity
was my former f1ance His house was
one that fell at the first shock. and
only one member of the family had
had time to escape. This person said
that Edward Illsley was not in the
house at the time of the quake. When
the debris was removed every body
was found except his. This indicated
that he had probably been killed else
where. But, though his friends kept
track Of all the bodies taken out. his
was never found-at least not identi
fed.
Very naturally l. connected his mys
ferrous disappearance with the reasons
for which l had broken my engage
| ment. II had been puzzled before
was more puzzled now. A new devel
opment was that one of Edwards
most intimate friends was among thu
missing. and his body was not found
There were other persons not &C
counted for. but the man mentioned
was the only. one happened to know
as one of his friends. This deepenet
the mystery for me, though for nj
alone, for l never revealed what Ed
ward had told me, or. rather, what b.
had not told me.
One morning took up newspape
and saw an explanation of the myster,
that was haunting me so PERSISTENT.
that l was beginning to break dow
under it. The paper contained an an
nouncement that the lot on which
knew had stood the Tlsley house hat
been purchased and the foundation
taken out to make way for new ones
A space had been walled up, evidentl.
by amateur masons, and covered wit
an arched brick roof. the entrance t
which was an iron door. The door be
ing forced. it's latch was found to hav
been wedged by the earthquake S
that it could not be opened. There ha
been entrance from without through
cellar door,.
Inside this Enclosure, which was ful
nished, were found five skeletons-thre
men and two women. On table la
a note addressed ITO Those Who Sha
Find Our Bodies" stating that the
were pinned in by what they suppose
to be an earthquake and were starvin
to death. The only information as t
the cause Of their being there were til
words. "Our secret dies with u.s."
/ l have alluded to this as an explans
ton. 1t was an explanation that tire,
me into far greater state of curiosit
than before. I am consumed day an