The Stourbridge Observer, Cradley Heath, Halesowen & District Chronicle. — 1887-08-20 (Stourbridge, West Midlands, England)

TENNYSON. THERE was wild excitement in Hillford for a day or two after the arrest of Barney Grubb for the murder of Frank Hatherleigh, the announcement that the dreaded Girton's Hole was to be explored, if pos. sible, took hundreds of idlers to the wood, and brought down special reportets and artists from London, to sketch and write fancy sensational paragraphs for the paper in which the story was told in a dozen different ways, and &shed up with all sorts of impertinent bits of gossip about the missing man and his betrothal to Hel( n Ramsay. The family at Fern Bank were in too much trouble to be annoyed by these bits of scandal. Helen kept very much to her own room, except when she was with poor Madge, whose illness was rapidly assuming a serious character. Mrs. Churchill and Norah knew the truth now—Mr. Jarvis thought it best that they should. There was no need to enlighten the outside worid about the state of affairs, but the lawyer though A poseible that Madge might be able to tell something that would throw some light on the matter of Frank's disappearance. The slightest straw will some imes show which way the wind blows, and some trifling werd might have been dropped that might give a clue. Mr. Churchill was astonished, and at first mennee think that her daughter must have been very much to blame in the matter, but both the lawyer and Helen assured her that Madge had only suffered, poor chid, till Frank was free,:and that Helenherself bad brought them together. It was very sweet. to Madge to have her mother's sympathy, and to be able to cry her heart out in her sister's arms—and she had the truest end most loviug compassion from them both—but she had nothing to tell; and she had hardly seen Frank alone for a moment after he had declared his love for het:. lie had spoken to going to the person from whom he as going to receive the money, and across the river to 1.,0k at the dog, but nothing more; he would be back again in a day or two—he had told her so. Just what he had told everybody else. Madge held no clue. It seemed as if none would be found till the terrible hole in the wood was drained and explored. It had been full of water when Frank Hatherleigh first went a-missing, but now the water had sunk to about half the height it was at first, showing that there was an internal outlet, and making the probability of finding out anything extremely remote. More evidence of Barney Grubb's presence in the wood that evening was forthcoming presently. ; A woman who knew him well by sight, and who lived on the outs, ir f the wooden the other side, furthest away from Hileford, declared that she had seen Barney Grubb, whom she knew very wed as the ferryman, creeping round under the trees close by her house, as if he did not want to be seen. She, too, had spoken to him, and had been gruffly, an,wered. She did not know what the man bad said, but she knew it was him and no other person. She described his dress with the same exactness that Phil Donovan had done, and added another link t 3 the terrible chain of evidence that seemed to be lengthening and strengthening every hour—and Frank. had bliiethnesreetonthteoroe, hgaodi nbgeiennt on ot heevwi doeonde e tthoa show h ofatal thatn night. hhte. was over there at all except the fact that he was missing, and the testimony of the scrap of cloth. Now, two gentlemen—father and son—came forward and testified that they had spoken to Frank Hatherleigh on that same evening, almost at the same spot where the woman had seen Barney Grubb. If circumstantial evidence could hang poor Barney, surely his neck was in the hangman's noose already. In spite of all, I do not believe it,' Helen Ramsay said to Mr. Jarvis, when he told her all there was to tell. It was not Barney Grubb who killed our poor boy—if he is dead.' am afraid there is no if," my dear,' the lawyer said. I don't think we must hope any more on that score. We must find the murderer, Helen—aye, it is an ugly word, isn't it—and we must free Barney. That be is speaking the truth I am certair —all but one thing.' And what is that?' 'ln saying that he gave the boy the money. The lad either got it from Frank ,12blieete re. t,h„ m„, who