The Owosso times. (Owosso, Mich.) 1897-1926, 1917-03-23

a great crash and then darkness, with
the noise Of an indiscriminate strug-
gle. Ford, his messenger, Frank and
myself were all In q grapple, while
Edgeworth, the object of our efforts,
eluded us in the room, which he knew
better than we did, and escaped by a
stairway to loft, from a window of
which he dropped into the yard. But
why had he fed?
The clew that helped us was the wet
clothes, for they suggested the canal.
We got lanterns and went out through
the yard at the rear Of Edgeworth's
store and came to the canals bank.
There was about half an inch Of ice
on the water, but at one point 1t was
broken for a distance Of ten feet out
ward, as If some one had plunged in.
A suicidal attempt? Then why had the
man come out again?
The riddle was not read until the next
day, when thorough examination of
this spot resulted in bringing up from
the bottom Of the canal a metal cigar
cutter such as one sees upon tobacco
nists' counters. The cigar is inserted
into little trap, and knife blade, ac-
tuated by spring, cuts off the end.
To this common contrivance Edge
worth had added q sort of syringe,
which his skill with tools enabled him
to make in manner that am tempted
to call admirable. This syringe injected
into the cigar u sufficient quantity Of a
tasteless deadly poison. Edgeworth
had doubtless kept this machine for
many days, waiting for Clifford to
come to his store alone.
The occasion served him well on this
particular evening. Clifford had fin
ished one of his nephew's little cigars
and was about to light the other when
he came abreast of Edgeworth's store
on his way to see the milliner. No one
else was present. The fatal contriv-
ance was cleverly put in the right place,
and the victims death resulted in the
manner described.
Esther's loud cry reached Edge
worth's ears, and he guessed its mean
ing. Momentarily panic stricken, he
ran to throw the cigar cutter into the
canal, but the ice was much thicker
than he supposed, and it upheld the ia
tai evidence for all mems sight. Edge
worth tried to crawl out on the ice and
crashed through. He succeeded In
sinking the box and regaiping the
shore, but he dared not show himself
In his wet clothes, so he ran home and
changed them and hazarded a return.
This we conjectured, and Edgeworth's
confession confirmed it. He was cap
tured week later in hospital In Will
mington, Del, where he died.
From Frank Clifford I obtained the
remainder of the story. Unknown to
me he had fallen i'm love with Miss War
rem and secretly married her. Then,
| with some wild idea Of permitting her
charms and virtues to be known in
Branford and thus winning his uncle's
consent to the marriage, he had bought
the little millinery store for her. But
Uncle Duncan proved hard man to
win over. He guessed a part of the
secret and would not hear Of an ALL
ance with "Mrs. Wilson" In this state
Of affairs the foolish young lovers de-
cided to, confess to me and seek my ad-
vice. and that was the reason why l
was summoned to Branford in time to
behold the catastrophe.
Duncan Clifford died without a will.
Ills death gave Frank control OF his
own property that had been In trust
and also nearly all of his uncles large
fortune.