The Mount Holly news. [volume] (Mount Holly, Burlington Co., N.J.) 1891-1942, 1912-06-25

would elude me by getting off the
train. never let her out Of my sight a
moment. In fact, l did not close my
eyes during the night of the journey.
The $4,000 | was to earn was quite
enough to keep them open.
Our train should have reached Phil
adelphia early in the morning. but a
delay had thrown us three hours be-
hind time. Between two cities at the
eastern part Of our journey the train
made no stop for more than an hour
We were running very fast to make
up time. and, not being able to think
Of any way Miss Vane could get off
the train, even If she wished to, and
l being very sleepy after my nights
vigil, l permitted myself to drop into
a doze
From a doze I must have sunk to
sleep, for when l awoke forty min
utes had elapsed. Naturally l looked
to make sure my quarry was still
present.
She was not in the car
l went at once to the saloon and
tried the door 1t was unlocked No
one was within. l went through the
train, looking into every seat, every
corner Miss vane was not to be
found. 1 asked the conductor If we
had made any stop during the period
l had been asleep. He replied in the
negative.
l shuddered. The woman, driven to
despair, must have jumped off the
train.
That was the last l saw of Miss
Vane, at least for more than a year.
| watched the newspapers with
view to finding information Of body
Of a woman having been found on
the line of the railroad l had Travelled
on, but never saw any such mention.
1 did not stop at Philadelphia, going
right on to New York, where l re-
ported the strange case to my chief
he was very cool to me, blaming me
for having gone to sleep and saying
that the train had doubtless slowed
up going IT, ,ugh town and the wo
man had jumped off.
Some fourteen months after this
mysterious disappearance l saw a no
tice in the society columns of a news
paper that Henry Gregory Of Chicago
would the next day marry Hiss Edith
Vinton, New York heiress Curiosi-
ty led me to the church where the
ceremony was performed, and VINO
should the bride be but my quarry.
l was not long in getting an explana-
ton. The party who had given US the
case was an uncle of the lady He
had succeeded in having her placed In
retreat as feeble minded in order to
retain possession of her fortune, he
being the administrator of her estate.
She had escaped and in order to dodge
those he employed to catch her had
passed under various names The chief
was deceived in the premises by the
administrator taking the case without
the proper information.
AS to the lady's disappearance from
the train, it was done in this wise:
Passing through a town, our train
steamed at good rate of speed be
side another going the same way
Miss Vinton, confident that was after
her to return her to the retreat she
dreaded, went to the rear door of the
car without being observed and passed
out on to the platform. At the mo-
ment the two trains were moving at
equal speed Then her own train be
gan to gain on the other, but very
slowly. When two platforms came to-
gether she bravely stepped aboard the
other train.
This information got from the lady
herself, for I-called on her husband and
told him of my efforts to make an ar
rest of Miss Vincent before she be
came Mrs. Gregory under a misappre-
hension Of the facts. l apologized
through him and begged him to permit
me to apologize directly to his wife
He promised to secure me this permits
sion, If possible. and after time sent
me an invitation. After ! had explain
ed my connection with the matter !
asked her how she had escaped and
received the explanation given above
Il could never have done it, she
said, Except that / was sure you wer,
intending to take me back to thai
dreadful Imprisonment
She was then In possession Of a large
fortune.