Bridgeton pioneer., 1917-02-22

ed that at 10 Elm street there was
no telephone.
My next move was TO put some old
newspapers in pasteboard box with
Edgar Washburn's name on it and
send it to 10 Elm street by messenger.
He was to ask if it belonged there and
in any event ask if Mr.. Washburn did
not live there who did. He came back
with the information that the person
who had answered the bell had said
that Mr.. Washburn did not live there
and when he asked the name of the
resident the door was shut in his face.
Every afternoon at about o'clock /
showed myself at my window, looking
for another message and having a card
ready on which had written in large
letters, "What nameT One evening
the card with Help on it appeared
again, and at once displayed my own,
but for very brief period. l got no
reply at the time, but the next morn
ing before going out, as l stood at the
window, card was dropped between
the Stats with agnes Howe" on it.
Here at least was a beginning. The
person requiring help was a woman,
and possessed her name. ! felt sure
that l could pull on this thread and get
hold of something more consulted
the directory and made a list of all the
Howes listed there. No Agnes Howe
appeared. 1 selected several Howes
who might be of the better class and
investigated them. One-the Howe es-
tate--interested me. and, going to the
office laid down, l asked for the names
of the owners.
was Informed that the owner of the
estate, James Howe, who had made q
fortune in cotton, had recently died,
leaving the estate in trust to his broth
er's widow, Ellen Howe, for James
Howe's only child, Agnes Howe.
l had struck bonanza, and struck
it all at once. l refrained, however,
from displaying the interest l felt in
the matter, asking how l could collect
claim against Agnes Howe. 1 was
told to file it at the Office where I then
was. Further information was given
me that Agnes Howe was in poor
health. She was living with her aunt,
who was her guardian.
The next question for me to solve
was what poor health in this case
meant. Judging from the call for help,
she was either a mental invalid or was
being confined as such for some espe-
cial purpose. l had heard of cases
where heiresses had been confined as
lunatics or persons of feeble mind that
their property, and it occurred to me
that this might be one of these cases.
l concluded to act on this theory,
and, assuming to be Agnes Howe's at
torney, l drew up papers that would
require her guardian to bring her into
court. This led to an item in a news
paper stating that Miss Howe, heiress
to the estate of her late father. James
Howe, the multimillionaire, would be
brought to court on certain day by
her aunt and guardian, whose the
legal documents had it-was keeping
her in duress. for what purpose it was
not known.
l was in for it and must see the
matter through. In case my theory
was wrong l would make myself
laughingstock. Nevertheless the ap-
peal for help, the fact that the pris-
oner was an heiress, that she was
supposed to be in bad health, all con-
spired to convince me that l was on
the right track. Nevertheless trem-
bled, working on theory as was, and
with no actual proof of the correctness
of my theory. Moreover, was claim
ing to be Agnes Howe's counsel, while
l had no other commission from her
than momentary sight of card on
which was written the word Help"
When the day came round for the
production of the body of Agnes Howe
in court found it necessary to sum-
me. / was in the courtroom when my
assumed client entered in company
with her aunt and guardian. an elderly
lady, richly attired and with cold,
heartless expression of countenance.
Miss Howe was very pretty girl and
evidently in robust health.
Near me at the lawyers table was
Samuel Graves, an attorney whom /
knew. I wondered what he was doing
there. l was not long in finding out
l was endeavoring to improvise some
way of opening my case when this at
torney arose and said
May it please the court, represent
the interests of Robert Ainsworth in
this case, the husband Of Agnes Howe"
There was a hum of astonishment in
the court, Miss Howe's guardian being
as much amazed as any one else.
Robert Ainsworth being suitor for
the hand of Agnes Howe. she was re-
moved from him and the world and
has been kept in seclusiOn. 1t was not
known to the guardian that he had
secretly married her ward, and he has
been ignorant of the place Of his wifes
detention. Learning that she was to
be brought into court-for what reason
is not apparent-he retained me to gain