Atlanta Georgian. [volume] (Atlanta, Ga.) 1912-1939, 1912-11-05


Challoner, colby. But is it necessary
for you to give me the information you
mention tonight? If it is of such ma
ture that you can not afford me the priv
lege of sharing it as yet with others, why
not spare me until you can? / have gone
through much. Mr.. Brotherson''
You have" came in steady assent as
the man thus addressed stepped to the
door he had indicated and quietly closed
1t. But, he continued, as he crossed
back to his former position, would it be
easier fer you to go through the night
now In anticipation of what | have to
reveal than to hear it at once from my
lips while am in teh mood to speak,"
The answer was slow in coming The
courage which had upheld this rapidly
aging man through so many trying in
terviews seemed inadequate for the test
put so cruelty upon it, He faltered and
sank heavily into chair, while the stern
man watching him gave no signs of re-
sponsive sympathy or even interest, only
patient and cy-tempered resolve.
81 can not live in uncertainty such
We're finally Mr.. Challoner's words. What
you have to say concerns EDITH" The
pause he made was infnitesimal in length,
but 1t was long enough for quick dis
cialmer But no such disclaimer came.
l VIII hear it, came in reluctant finish.
MI Brotherson took step forward.
Ills manner was as cold as the heart
which lay like stone in his BOSOM
viii you pardon me if l ask you to
rise?' said he. 81 have my weaknesses
too. Gle gave no sign of them. u
can not speak down from such a height
to the man l am bound to hurt"
As if answering to the constrain of a
will quite outside his own, Mr. Chal-
loner rose. Their heads were now more
nearly on q level and Mr. Brotherson's
voice remained low, as he proceeded. with
quiet intensity:
There has been a time-and it may
exist yet, God knows!-when you thought
me in some unknown and secret way the
murderer of your daughter. | do not
quarrel with the suspicion it was justi-
fled, Mr. Challoner. l did kill your daugh-
ter. and with this hand 1 can no longer
deny it."
The wretched father swayed, following
the gesture of the hand thus held out;
but he did not fall, nor did sound leave
his lips
Brotherson went coldly on:
Il did 1t because | regarded her treat
ment of my suit as insolent | have no
mercy for any such display of intol-
erance on the part of the rich and the
fortunate. l hated her for it; hated her
class, herself and all she stood for To
strike the dealer of such hurt I felt
to be my right. Though a man of
small beginnings and of stock which
such as you call common, l have a pride
which few of your blood can equal
could not work, or sleep or eat with such
sting In my breast as she had planted
there. To rid myself of it, l determined
TO Kill her, and l did. How? On, that
was easy, though it has proved a great
stumbling block to the detectives. as l
knew 1t would! l shot her-but not with
an ordinary bullet My charge was a
small fcicle made deliberately for the
porpose. 1t had strength enough to pene-
trate, but it left no trace behind it. "A
bullet of Ice for heart of ice l had said
in the torment of my rage. But the word
was without knowledge, Mr.. Challoner. l
see 1t now; l have seen it for two whole
weeks. ] did not misiudge her condemna-
ton of me, but | misjudged it's cause
1t was not to the comparatively poor,
comparatively obscure man she sought to
show contempt, but to the brother of
Oswald whose claims she saw nsulted
A woman | should have respected, not
killed. A woman of no pride of station;
woman who loved man not only of NV
own class, but of my own blood-a wom-
an, to avenge whose unmerted death /
stand here before you self condemned
criminal That is but justice, Mr. ChaI-
Toner That is the way l look at things
Though no sentimentalist; and dead to
all beliefs save the eternal truths of
science, I have that In me which will not
let me profit now that 1 know myself
nv NV
earned, Hence this confession Mr. Chal-
loner 1t has not come easily, nor do
shut my eyes in the least to the
results which must follow. But l can
not do differently. Tomorrow, you may
telegraph to New York. Till then l de-
sire to be left undisturbed 1 have many
things to dispose of in the Interim
Mr. Challoner, very white by now,
pointed to the door before he sank again
into his chair. Brotherson took il for
dismissal and stepped slowly back Then
their eyes met again and Mr.. Challoner
spoke his first word:
There was another-a poor woman
she died suddenly-and her wound was
not unlike that inflicted upon Edith. Did
you"
81 did" The answer came without a
tremor. You may say and so may
others that was less justified in this at
tack than in the other; but do not see
it that way. A theory does not always
work in practice l wished to test the
unusual means 1 contemplated, and the
woman I saw before me across the court
was hard working and with nothing in
life to look forward to, So"
A cry of bitter eXecration from Mr..
Challoner cut him short. Turning with
shrug he was about to lift his hand 70
the door, when he gave a violent start
and fell hastily back before quickly en-
tering figure of such passion and fury as
neither of these men had ever seen be-
fore.
1t was Oswald oswald, the kindly!
Oswald, the lover OF men and the adorer
of womenl Oswald, with the words of the
dastardly confession he had partly over
heard soaring hot within his brain! Os-
wald raised in a moment from the de-
spending invalid to a terrifying minis
trant of retributive Justice.
Orlando could scarcely raise his hand
before the others was upon his throat.
Murderer! doubly-dye murderer OF
innocent women" was Kissed in the
rftl, AA 1ox-