Orleans County monitor. [volume] (Barton, Vt.) 1872-1953, 1913-11-05
A Mystery
Of India
By GROVER ]. GRIFFIN

This story was told me by retired
folonel of the British army. do not
vouch for it. but there are certain fea-
lures about it that assure me that 1T is
not altogether improbable.
Edgar Odershaw, lieutenant in an
Irish regiment. went out to India with
his command. He was a great favor
tie with the Indian people and min
gIed with them as much as it not more
than with his own countrymen. So
great was his influence upon them that
before he was twenty-five he was Civ
en- command of d native battalion.
Oldershaw 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 lnf1u-
enceS: but. being of two races. it was
easy for her to incline to either. New
ertheleSS she was more Indian than
European One thing was certain
that she was Il very handsome girl.
a fascinating creature. combining Eu-
rOpean manners with that peculiar
mysticism pervading all India.
Oldershaw married the girl, but
within Il few weeks after the marriage
began to look pale and thin. The sur
geons of the British army could not
make out what was the matter with
him. He was a 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
under the influence of some disease
Some of his European friends were
inclined to believe that his wife was
holding him under a 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-
aring her to be a possible cause for
this condition was that her English
mother had died a few months after
the daughters birth, and her death
had never been satisfactorily explain
ed. This was no reason at all. 1t
merely indicated that Europeans had
no faith in Indians.
OlderShaW was a long while ailing
Some one noticed that whenever he
was ordered off on some service where
his wife could not go with him be
gradually recovered his health and
that when he returned to her he re
lapSed into his former condition. This
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. A friend suggest
ed to the invalids medical adviser t
bring the matter before him. but tn,
surgeon politely declined.
Colonel OlderShaW lived year after
his marriage. then died. having grad
ualy succumbed to some influence
weakness or mental trouble No one
could give any definite cause for his
death. An autopsy was ordered an(
tests were made for poison. but with
out throwing any light as to the cause
of his death. This eXOnerated hi
wife. if indeed she needed eXoneratiOn
declared that she sincerely mourneC
her husband and was especially anX
ious that the cause of his strange i'll
ness should be determined.
Two years after this the Widow
OldershaW married an American. one
Edmond Baxter. a business man OF
Calcutta. No one expected that she
would long remain single. for she was
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