Five Mile Beach weekly journal., 1915-03-19

that 1t was the duty of some one else
than themselves to bring forth the in-
formation. There was no certainty
that Mrs. Hackstaff had been murder
ed. and no one cared to be the finder
of a mares nest Meanwhile Hack
staff began to show worriment. When
asked about what was troubling him
he said TINT his wife was absent and
he had not heard from her since her
departure. Then he was asked where
she had gone. and at this he baked.
Turning. he walked away without re-
plying to the question.
One day he went to the bank with a
check for $500 payable to himself. 1t
had been written in his own handwrit-
ing and bore his wife's signature. The
paying teller had heard the whisper
ings about Mrs. Hackstaff's suspicious
disappearance and. asking Hackstaff
to wait a moment. took the check to
the cashier. who carried it to the pres
ident. After a conference it was de-
cided to pay it, but this had no sooner
been done than a message was sent to
an expert. who came, examined the
check and pronounced it a forgery.
A match had been touched to these
various items of kindling, and a brisk
blaze started. A suspicion of forgery
other experts disagreed with the first
brought out the story of the buried
dress. which brought out the fact that
no one could be found who had seen
Mrs. Hackstaff leave Atherton, that
Hackstaff had looked quite rs uneasy
as if he had committed murder, and
various other incidents, all Of which
combined warranted a grand jury in
finding IN indictment against him,
though the preponderance of evidence
of the experts being that the signature
to the check was genuine caused the
charge of forgery to be dropped.
Hackstaff told his story as it has
been told here. with a few additions
not bearing on the case. This was
that his wife was a cotton speculator
and used, with his occasional assist
ance, to examine the crops in the south,
where they were grown. A condition
of the cotton market had occasioned
a visit to Bombay, and she had gone
there. expecting to buy largely. What
had worried him was that the steamer
on which she had sailed had not been
reported since issuing from the Red
sea into the gulf of Alden.
There were several missing links in
his explanations. His wife's dress,
which had been exhumed had become
deodorized; the ticket agent at Ather-
ton, who knew Mrs. Hackstaf well. had
no remembrance of having sold her a
ticket on the date claimed, and owing
to her catching the steamer at the last
moment her name did not appear on
the passenger list.
Opinion which had long been grow
ing against the accused and the fact
that the prosecuting attorney was
showing great energy in convicting
criminals previous to a campaign he
was about to make for an important
judgeship prevailed over this fimsy
evidence. and Hackstaff was given a
death sentence.
Mrs. Hackstaff, meanwhile having
crossed the Atlantic and .traversed the
Mediterranean n the Red sea, was
wrecked on the Persian coast. She
reached the shore with no money and.
being penniless In a strange land, went
through various adventures before
meeting a fellow countryman who
helped her out and enabled her to
reach Bombay.
All this took time.
A few days before Hackstaf was to
be hanged a cablegram was handed
him from his wife. Presenting that he
had heard of the wreck. she
her safety and that she had arrived at
Bombay. The information contained
the cablegram was limited, but it
was enough to save her husband from
swinging at a ropes end. He was
not set at liberty. however, till the
court was satisfied that the cablegram
was genuine and then only after he
had been pardoned by the governor.
which was the simplest way out Of the
difficulty.