The Denison review. [volume] (Denison, Iowa) 1867-current, 1915-02-03
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BY DONALD CHAMBERL,N

The lawsuit between, the MncGregor
and Mac.Alister estates had been de-
cided in favor of Fergus MacAlister.
cousin to Alexander AlucGregor. who
had been long in possession of the es.
tate. Both were bachelors. and. nei.
Their having children. the property
would have gone in any event to Mac.
Alistar had his cousin continued to live
single. But Fergus had heard that
Alex was about to be married. and.
since there was n doubt as to whetlI-
er he or his cousin was legally entitled
to the estate, he had commenced suit
to gain it.
MacGre.cr was too honorable to per-
init Helen Cameron to become his wife
till Il was decided whether he would
be rich or poor. and when the case
was decided against him he released
her. He made preparations to leave the
homestead tochis cousin. and when all
was ready and he was about to leave
Fergus droye~.up to the homestead.
alighted and went into the house.
Andrew Cummings, "a cobber. was
passing that way at @ O'clock in the
evening. He noticed ,,MacAlistcr's
chAise before the gate. and at the mo.
mens Alex MacGregor., came out eyi.
IDENTIFY in rage and passed down the
road. MacAtster did not return to his
home to dinner. and. since it was
known that he had gone to the home
stead during the evenlng.,sai servant
was sent to And out IL possible If he
was there. He found his master lying
on the floog OF. the library dead. His
skull had been fractured. apparently
with an iron, poker that showed signs
Of having inflicted the blow.
Alexander Mac Gregor was suspected
but 1t. was not till Andy Cummings
told Of what tie had seen that Alex
was arrested. His story was that just
before leaving the homestead his cous
in had come In. The meeting was q
trying one to Alex, who had just been
dispossessed. He had upbraided his
cousin. saying that he had not a cent
in the world and linew-not where to go
for lodging. Fergus had taken out
handful of gold pieces and offered
them to him. Alex bad scornfully de-
clined to take them and had left the
house in an excited state Of mind.
MacGregOr's misfortune was too
much for Helen Cameron, Who despite
her fathers commands, visited him in
Jail and sat beside him during the trial,
declaring that she would marry him.
whatever the verdict might be. Since
no one saw the murder committed her
lover was not convicted. but there were
few but believed that he had killed his
cousin. Indeed, there was special
motive for his putting Fergus out Of
the way, for at Fergus, death he came
agnin into possession Of the estate be
had lost.
For a time Alex refused to permit
Helen to make the sacrifice Of marry.
Ing man who had been convicted by
opinion II not by the courts. But when
1t was found that il she were not per.
mitted to bear her burden with him
her life would still be wrecked his par
ents begged Alex to withdraw his op-
position. The pair were married pri-
vately and lived, not where the lnur.
der had been committed. but at Hell.
ems home.
Alex dropped under the stigma of be-
ing considered his Cousins murderer.
He was cut by his old friends. and had
It not been for his wife not human
being would have crossed his thresh.
old. Life4to him was anSintolerable
burden. He preferred death to such
life.
One day bis wife went to the home
stead to examine the room where
her husband had told her he had had
an interview with Fergus with view
to discovering d clew to the real muir
derer. She made search of the room
where the corpse had been found and
under dashboard caught II glimpse of
something yellow. Withdrawing the
object it proved to be gold sover.
eign. ).
MacGregor had told Of the offer of
the gold pieces by his cousin. but had
no proof Of his story. Helen. without
word to her husband, took the SOW
ereign to her lawyer. He carried it
to the only baniA In the vicinity. and
after an iHvestisationsit was learned
that they had received a considerable
pumher; " s0vereigns of the same coin
age (1S4S) just before the date Of the
murder and0u the morning Of the day
MacAiister was killed had paid him If
u OF them.
The pjece Helen had found. was the
only one that was traced up to this
( time Andy Cummings some time aft.
er the murder was remembered by one
Of his neighborsi to have offered gold
sovereign to be changed into silver.
The attorney got out a warrant to
search Andy's premises. and five sover-
CiCns. coinage OF 1913. were found III u
!. stccking hidden under the caves OF his
cabin. @
Andy was arrested. He at 6rst ex-
planned having the sovereigns in his
possession by the statement that Mac
Alister had owed him money. bntwhen
pressed for what the debt was for he
broke down and made confession
y A.