Camas Prairie chronicle. [volume] (Cottonwood, Idaho) 1901-1917, 1915-01-22
Clrcunstantlal
By DONALD cfiAMBERLIN

and MacAliSter estates had been de-
cided in favor of Fergus MacAlisteI.
cousin to Alexander MacGregor. who
had been long lii possession of the es-
tate. Both were bachelors, and, mel
Their having children. the property
would have gone in any event to Mac
Alister had his cousin continued to live
single. But Fergus had heard that
Alex was about to be married, and,
since there was a doubt as to wheth.
er he or his cousin was legally entitled
to the estate, he had commenced SUR
to gain it.
MacGregor was too honorable to per-
nit Helen Cameron to become his wife
till 1t 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 to his cousin. and when all
was ready and he was about to leave
Fergus drove up to the homestead
alighted and went into the house.
Andrew Cummings, IA cobbler. was
passing that way at 6 o'clock in the
evening. He noticed MacAlister's
chaise before the gate, and ut the mo-
ment Alex MacGregor came out evil
IDENTITY in IA rage and passed down the
road. MacAlister did not return to his
home to dinner. and. since it was
known that he had gone to the home
stead during the evening. IA servant
was sent to find out if possible If he
WAS there. He found his master lying
on the floor Of the library dead His
skull had been fractured. apparently
with an iron poker that showed signs
of having inflicted the bow.
Alexander MacGregor was suspected,
but it was not till Andy Cummings
told of what he 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 cent
in the world and knew not where to go
for lodging. Fergus had taken out
a handful of gold pieces and offered
them to him. Alex had 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 We're
few but believed that he had killed his
cousin. Indeed. there was a special
motive for his putting Fergus out of
the way, for at Fergus death he came
again into possession of the estate he
had lost
For time Alex refused to permit
Helen to make the sacrifice of marry
ing man who had been convicted by
opinion If not by the courts. But when
1t was found that if 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 muir
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
1t not been for his wife not a human
being would have crossed his thresh-
old. Life to him was an intolerable
burden. He preferred death to such q
life.
One day his 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 clew to the real muir
derer. She made search of the room
where the corpse had been found and
under Dashboard caught a glimpse of
something yellow. Withdrawing the
object it proved to be a gold sover
eign.
MacGregor had told Of the offer of
the gold pieces by his cousin, but hao
no proof Of his story Helen. without
a word to her husband, took the SOY
ereign to her lawyer. He carried it
to the only bank in the vicinity. and
after an investigation it was learned
that they had received a considerable
number of sovereigns of the same coin
age QS4S) just before the date of the
murder and on the morning of the day
MacAlister was killed had paid him fif-
ty of them.
The piece Helen had found was tho
only one that was traced up to this
time. Andy Cummings some time aft
er the murder was remembered by one
of his neighbors to have offered gold
sovereign to be changed into silver
The attorney got out warrant to
search Andy's premises. and five sover-
eigns. coinage of 1913. were found in II
stocking hidden under the caves of his
cabin.
Andy was arrested. He at first ex-
planned having the sovereigns in his
possession by the statement that Mac
Alister had owed him money. but when
pressed for what the debt was for he
broke down and made confession.
On seeing MacGregor come out of the
homestead curiosity had moved him to
go in and investigate the cause of bis
| nroth In tho Ebra ha ho found M,