Abbeville progress. (Abbeville, Vermilion Parish, La.) 1913-1944, 1921-03-26

~'ILtt Ilt lHl'I~. ~'dlI'I'' .''' 'i'
about rhn room and jumpcd ont of the
window
IF This had been ALL / should have
no client i'm This case. Eu, ID hi1 rage
Draladt. when hr Was throwing lhe
papers about had uucuu~,GuU~ly re
tanned one sheet i'm hi ,icuch"d inst.
He found il in his fist when lac came
out of his ScnSelrSS AMI iunrdlnate
rage later; and then. his natural GU
pidity and cunning rcaSSertcd. he real
lied that something was being guard
ed in the box; that something being
only papers. 1t must follow that the
papers were valuable. He rcprOaChed
himself that his anger had defeated
his judgment when II was possible for
him 10 take the entire contents of the
box. He did not dare go back; he had
stabbed Jed; the hOuS" might be
alarmed He had only a single sheet
Of the guarded manuscript II is a
copy of that sheet which Won find here.
II said | would give You my conjec-
lures. You will ask first why ! am
.
communication Of this nature. II is
because: first. | prefer Ia write II,
owing 10 Il physical timiduy in con
vrrSatiun and second. hut equally i'm
purlaur. because | know the last thing
Mr. Sidney or any trur friend of Mr..
S,dury's desires is to have the story,
Of which this is a page. made public.
Il de- not know what this story is,
but | know who does know what II is.
That person is the man Jcd-nOw, as
before, n servant of Mr.. Sidney. ]
have made sufficient inquiry as TO the
position of Jed in the household Of
Mr.. Sidney TO know that he retains
! the manuscript found in the box, or II
/ he does not retain it, knows It's con-
/ tents.
THE visit of Mr.. Sidney and his
/ family to Montevideo this winter be-
| trayed Jed's whereabouts to Dravada.
He came north after they had sailed.
His cupidity has determination. l
think your man Jed appreciates that.
| think from what Dravada has told
me. in his simple boosting fashion,
| that Jed was dismayed to see him
again in MontevideO.
MY clients first impulse, having fol-
lowed Jed TO the United States, was
to get at this secret by force or theft,
but he sees the physical difficulties in
the way; and being, except in his vio-
lent moments. a reasonable man, he
has had recourse TO an attorney TO
obtain such settlement as his knowl-
edge may be worth.
II do not wish to defend my course
In the atter----e suggest merely that
Mr.. Sidney and all concerned will fare
the better for having a man of con-
sideration and discretion, such as !
fatter myself | am, intervening be-
tween them and man of the moral
complexion indicated by my client. |
shall be at your disposal, doctor, with
in any reasonable time. | leave it to
your judgment to handle the matter
within Hartley house.
The copy of manuscript which ac-
| companied the letter was as follows:
would be fatal To the sue
/ cess of what | have done and intend
/ to do if this confession were to be
/ found. 1t might be asked, then. why
/ expose myself and my happiness to
! the chance of discovery of things
which / may lock forever by simply
| forgetting q is sufficient answer TO
/ that question to admit that for me |
! could not be content unless it were
| certain that what | have done should
! be known. | want the record of il
known. 1t increases my satisfaction
to know that ! shall cause moralists
to be indignant. | want to be known
as a criminal. | want my crime to be
talked about. l want ii remembered.
That is the SAVIOR of my life. 1t would
be impossible for me to obtain
sufficient satisfaction unless | made
/ it possible for the story of a crime to
/ be known some time. SO long as I
live, shall need and seek conceal
ment; but | should not be happv I'm
less | could anticipate disclosure. NV
| crime
! That was all
Several perSOns-twO at least; Ora
vada and Attorney BrOwn-knew as
much as | had read. Three persons
in the house, Mr.. Sidney, Mrs. Sidney
and Jed. knew the story completely
1t was this knowledge which had
given Jed his control in the house. Mrs.
! Sidney her unhappineSs and Mr.. Sid
ney some of his pleasures.
The search for a solvent of the Hart
ley house mysteries was insistent. AL
colts incidental remark came back IN
me: at might have been MOntovideo"
| felt uncomfortable to recall this
ashamed and abaShpd. as if in re-
calling it | had done something To low
er myself in my self-respect. had to
90 to Mrs, Sidney with the information
and insinuatiOns Attorney Philetus NJ
Brown had given me. My desire WAS
to protect her from precisely this kind
Of trouble; my necessity was 10 carry
the trouble to her. had to know how
( to act.
BY way of preliminary told her Of
the three appearances of the Spaniard
and then of the appearances of the
lawyer. When | offered her the sheet
of paper obtaining transcript Of q
page of Mr.. Sidney's diary. her hands
trembled, but she took the sheet reso-