The commonwealth. (Scotland Neck, N.C.) 1896-1929, 1913-09-18
A Mystery
of India
BY GROVER J. GRIFFIN

This story was told me by retired
colonel of the British army. l do not
vouch for it. but there are certain fea'
lures about it that assure me that 1t Is
not altogether improbable.
Edgar Oldershaw. a lieutenant in an
Irish regiment. went out to India WltE
his command. He was a great favor
ite with the Indian people and min.
glad with them as much as If not more
than with his own countrymen. Sc
great was his influence upon them that
before he was twenty five he was Civ
en- command Of a native battalion.
Oldershaw W fell in love with a Eura
sian girl. the daughter of an English
woman and an Indian nabob. She had
been brought up under Indian tnhu
ences; but. being of two races. 1t was
easy for her to incline to either. New
ertheless she was more Indian thar
European. One thing was certain
that she was Il very handsome girl,
q fascinating creature. combining Eu'
ropean manners with that peculiar
mysticism pervading all India.
Cldershiw married the girl, but
within a few weeks after the marriage
began to look pale and thin. The sur,
geons Of the British army could moi
make out what was the matter with
him. He was man Of excellent con
stitution, temperate in his habits. and
SO far as could be detected. each one
of his organs was in a healthy condi
ton Nevertheless he seemed to be
A. 80 of iCnO
Some of his European friends were
inclined to believe that his wife was
holding him under 4 spell But there
was no evidence Of this. Indeed. Mrs.
Oldershaw seemed to be very much
attached to her husband and greatly
troubled about his condition. The only
reason that his friends had for consid-
ering her to be possible cause foI
this condition was that her English
mother had died few months after
| the daughters birth. and her death
had never been satisfactorily explain
| ed This was no reason at all. IL
merely indicated that Europeans had
no faith in Indians.
Oldershaw was a long while aillng
! Some one noticed that whenever he
was ordered eff on some service where
I.:s w.ee ac... .ot go with him he
| gradually recovered his health and
! that when lie returned to her he re
lapsed into his former condition. rms
was talked about among Oldershaw's
| army associates. or, rather. their wives
but no one had the courage TO speak
| Of it to the colonel. y friend suggest
0d vi
bring the matter before him. but the
surgeon politely declined.
Colonel OldeiShaW lived year a1tel
his marriage. then died. having grad
ua,Iy succumbed to some influence
| weakness or mental trouble. NO ont
could give any definite cause TOT n1s
death. An autopsy was ordered. ant
tests were made for poison. but with
out throwing any light as to the Gauss
Of his death. This exonerated h1
wife. if indeed she needed exoneratior
for every one who knew her lntlmatei.
declared that she sincerely mournet
her husband and was especially anH
ious that the cause of his strange III
ness should be determined.
Two years after this the Widow
Oldersbaw married an American. on
Edmond Baxter. business man
Calcutta No one expected fhat sii
would long remain single. for she wa
, only twenty-o at the time or Oldel
shaw's death, and besides being beat
tiful she was rich.
A month after his marriage baxte
went to America on important Dus
ness. It was said. leaving his wire !
Calcutta. He never returned.
COURSE after awhile tongues began
wac. people wondering If he might nc
have discovered the secret OF his pre'
ecessor's death. Be this as IL ma,
he remained in America, "hlie
, wife lived in India. No one eVe
heard Of any divorce between the {"
hu+ Mrs. Baxter did noS take anotht
: husband till news came from Auneilo
nine years after her second Hl''rli"s
TINT her husband had died OF III
= binary disease.
& The widow was still handson
! woman. not much over thirty and rlc
I Time had somewhat erased the ear
| renorts of some malign influence upe
I the men she married. She took thll
I husband, this time an lnd1an.
! lived six years. when he died pc
fectly natural death-at least. so re;
I the certificate.
] It seems that a young aSslstant su
/ coon of a British regiment. nearing
! Tho case Of Colonel Oldershaw. resol
! ed to hunt up an explanation or u
] mystery. How be learned what ne q
I ron,d take too long to tell. When
] li;t1e girl, her mother having died. =
| subject Of this story fell to the care
] a woman who made poison girl
| hor-that is, she gave the child sm'
J doses Of poison. increasing them
cba could bear to take large qua
] titv and her breath was poisonous
another The outrage had been q
] covered and stopped. but not befo
Q the child had partially become 1n1ecte
= Each Of the cases pertaining TO l
brshords was then accounted II
,e when she became the wife of Color
70 ,1,dershaw the poison she had tax
,+ was effective. When she married
of second time it had largely pass
'. ,1,,u Quite likely. by the time s