Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1926-07-18

Of q mans hand on her cloak: the
blows had been struck by left.
handed man: there were splinters Of
oak in the wound. Claude Weir was
| left-handed; Claude Weir's hands were
in the shape of the marks: Claude
| Weir had an oak stick from which
| splinters had gone, and which was
stained with blood. That was my
| evidence"
1T was all a lie. She was killed
| by q train
why should / tell lies? L had
never heard OF Claude Weir or you or
Caroline Power. was only there to
find out the truth and see that justice
was DONE"
1t was your evidence that hanged
Claude. The lawyers said so. Every
one said so. Justicei You were paid
| to find somebody. to hang. You
wanted to find somebody to hang.
That's how you make your living.
That's how you are famous"
No. I'm on the side OF those who
are wronged. I'm for the weak" She
| laughed at him. That's why I'm
here now. You've tried to ruin me.
You've tried to kill me. And now
the police are at your door. Why
Il u
It's no use" she said.
For me. Reggie shrugged 81
can protect myself. Mrs. Weir. For
your children" She was silent. She
breathed quick. 60 back to the be
| ginning. You'd been married To
Claude Weir some years. You'd been
poor Then your father died and left
you his money. 1t was after that
CAroline Power came to live near
you. Why did she conner No, you
never knew that. But she was very
friendly with Claude Weir"
Don't say q word against my hus-
band. won't listen"
rs it you that's afraid OF the truth
On the day Caroline Power died she
had asked you to tea. She sent q mes
sage in the afternoon that she was
not well. and yon didn't go. Why
did she send that messenger" Reggie
took out bulky pocketbook and
chose from 1t an old letter. You
know Claude Weir's handwriting,
| Read this"
The dead man had written to Caro-.
| line Power on the morning OF the
| murder:
Dear Carlo: Keep the old girl over
/. the tea cups till after dark. Then
we shant be long. Claudius.
His widow puzzled over each word
Carlo He called her Carlo she
said family. And me- Her sal
low face flushed. Then she cried out
you didn't show this at the trial."
| 1T was hard enough for you and
1 the children. We didn't want to hurt
you any more Nowhere are the
children still. You see, Claude Wen
meant you to walk home in the darl
from Caroline Powers cottage. And
then-then something was to happen
But Caroline Power wouldn't let yol
come to her house at all. She went
out in the dark herself on that road
across the railway Where Claude
Weir expected you he found her
why should she?"
| Cant you guess? Reggie said
gently. She must have gone tomeet
him. To tell him that she couldn'i
bear him to murder you"
Murder me? Oh. this. Is horrible
He--he loved mel"
i why did he want you sent by thai
lonely road in the dark where he killet
lher? Do you remember the gray cloal
she was wearing? 1t was. like one d
YOURS"
II don't believe itr' she cried
i 'tClaude never killed her,
Did you ever see Claude Weir aftei
he was convicted?"
| All. YOU are torturing me!S
You want your children to know
the TRUTH" Reggie said sadly,
II never saw him again! They tolt
lme he didn't want to see me. He wa.
broken BY the shame of it. You-44
I you broke his heart,r
| No. His heart wasn't broken,
Reggie said. He wouldn't see you
Just before he died he wrote some
thing. He said 1t was to be sent Il
you. We didn't send 1t. We wanteC
to save you from this. Now you hav.
Ito know
LIE gave her q sheet of paper bear
ing oficials stamps and sigma.
lures, but most Of it was covered by
Claude Weir's writing
/ II want this sent to the woman
who calls herself my wife, Millicen'
Weir She has been the ruin of me
and she has got to know It. The foo
keeps writing to me saying she knows
am innocent. So am. did Kill
Caroline, but / never meant to XII
her. The woman I meant to kill was
Millicent. Caroline came along the
lane In her cursed gray cloak, ana
had her down and dying before
found she was nay Carlo. That Ii
what want Millicent to know wheK
I am gone. She has done for me, she
land her father, who would not give
Ius penny of his to live on till he
went to the grave and left his money
behind. That was all the use i had
for MiIIicent. and want her to know
Il. When the money came to her al
last, set about getting rid OF her.
should have done it safe enough, in
spite of Fortune. But when saw II
was my Carlo there on the ground
lost my head. meant to put the
body down on the rails and make
sure the trains cut 1t up. But
couldn't do 1t with Carlo. dropped
her on the line and ran OF. and the
next day had 10 come back to dear
Millicefit That was Fortune want
Millicent to know Tie last dying
speech and confession of me,
Is Claude Weir