Essex County herald. [volume] (Guildhall, Vt.) 1873-1964, 1915-07-09
WITNESS TO
THE DEED
By M. QUAD
copyright. 1914, by the Mcclure
Newspaper Syndlcate.I

My mistress in GainSboro road had
lost rs note in the house. and the
thief was the parlor maid. | knew it
from her actions. and three months
after | left the house she was caught
in similar offense and owned up to
the first theft. However. the crime
was laid on me, and because | made
indignant and perhaps impudent pro-
test | was flung out of the house at
half an hours notice and refused a
character | was idle for the next
three months The first thing demand
ed when | applied for Il place was a
character. As soon as it was learned
that had none ii was useless to talk
further. 1t was for this reason that |
finally paid a fee to an intelligence
office in Margate street and was at
length sent for to take a place at gen
eral housework. 1t was an old man
named Dyson who wanted me. He
was willing to take me without
character because he would have to
pay less wages and because, as he
ing around loose in his house for me
to steal. As we sat face to face |
sized him up as mean and penurious,
but did net see any evil in him. He
had an aged and infirm wife, he told
me, and would be the only servant.
1t was not for me to pick and choose
| ! must have place and hold it long
enough to get a character again.
went with him miles and miles out on
| the HOlborn road. and we at last ar
rived at the cheaply built and cheap
| looking cottage he occupied. 1t was
| place devoid Of almost all conveniences
| and had been selected for it's cheap
rent. found the old wife deaf. almost
blind and pasied, and it was apparent
that she had no care whatever
| soon had evidence that he was in
love with widow in the neighborhood
or at least he desired to be free so that
he could marry her. My natural In
pulse on finding out how he felt toward
his wife was to flee the house. but
have explained how | was situated.
In the course of a couple of weeks
he declared that the cellar was full of
rats and gave me money and command.
ed me to buy arsenic He recommend.
ed me to go to store miles away and
to say that wanted it for my COM
plexion and to give my own name
went to drug store only two blocks
away and gave his name, and when he
discovered this he was highly indig-
nant for day, and l rather expected
to be thrown out. However, in the
course Of three or four days he devel.
oped another plan. After coaching the
old wife he left me alone with her for
the first time, and she begged me to
get her some laudanum for toothache
and not to mention the matter to him
1t was easy to tell that she had been
coached what to say. and refused to
buy the drug. A few days later as
was preparing her soup had to leave
the kitchen for a minute. When l re-
turned the soup was giving out a
strange odor. and being satisfied that
her husband had poisoned 1t |, of
course. threw it away. He scolded
about my waste, but when looked
him squarely in the eyes he dropped his
and had no more to gay.
| had been with the Dysons FIVE years
when the climax came. The old wo-
man was holding her own if not get.
ting better. and the husbands impa.
tience had savage edge to it. Their
bedroom was on the north side of the
house. All along on that side was o
deep excavation for factory.
At 10 o'clock one night lay wonder
ing If he really meant to take her life
and how he would finally accomplish
1t, when | heard half suppressed
scream from his room. | got softly out
of bed and went to the farther door,
and, looking through a crack, ! saw
that the window was up and that he
stood before it with his wife in his
arms. She was hanging on to him with
fingers of steel and making a great
struggle. | heard him breathing heav-.
lily and snarling and growing as be
tore her fingers loose. but did not
know what he planned to do till of a
sudden he. staggered to the open win
dow and flung her out. She screamed
as she went to her death, and in my
fright | echoed the scream. | remem
Der the man rushing across the room
at me, of his dashing open the door. OF
his striking me down. and then came
darkness which lasted for weeks. He
had struck me with piece of iron and
fractured my skull He then carried
my body downstairs and bore 1t o
quarter of a mile away and flung II
into another excavation. Before tax
ing me from the house he put on my
hat and cloak, and thus 1t appeared to
those who found M unconscious BODY
next morning that had been coming
the pit. AS to his wife. he gave the
alarm and brought the police and made
out that it was case Of suicide. while
he was fast asleep. as he claimed she
had stolen TO the window and leaped
to her death.
His story went, and 1t was several
months before there was any contra
diction. | had fractured skull, brain
fever and pneumonia and for weeks
and weeks lay ms one dead. When }
hended my memory was confused ana
1t was seven months before ! told my
story and put the police on the track.
Long before that Dyson had married
the widow and sailed for America.
and though efforts were made TO ind
him nothing came of them Never lid