Northern Weekly Gazette. — 1907-10-19 (Stockton-on-Tees, Cleveland, England)

CHAPTER XIX. Trim MURDERER'S SUICIDE  Over a fortnight had passed since the law's awful •entenoe of death had been passed on Dugald Klior, the Ailasay piper, and only four days renamed before the day fixed for the execution. It was now Monday, and on Thursday Dugald would meet his doom. The past fortnight had been one of the deepest depression all over the beautiful Island of Allisay, for the shadow of the approach. ing tragedy already fell dark across it. Little was said by the islanders about Dugald's fate, but in the minds of all it was the one absorbing thought. He had been intensely popular with all, and in his capacity of Ailasay piper had Teen identified with their ishind life, and the sentence on Dugald seemed to be the condemnation of the island; his shame was their shame, and his suffering was their suffering. Although most of them in their own minds had a feeling that Dugald was guilty, they refused to allow themselves to dwell on this phase, and preferred to think only of "Dugald the Martyr —poor Dugald Aihor." Dugald's brothers and sisters lived on the island, and his poor bedridden mother had been one of those whose were now but a '  bomet; at  Crathiebeg  • • .1•-•7 • . „  at the door and to allow no one to pass pending the arrival of the doctor and the police, walked to the library. There he opened the letter and read as follows:  "Sir—When you get this I will be out of it all and no one can touch me. lam glad it is coming to an end, for no hell can be worse than the hell I have endured in the last two months ever since that night on the hillside. I killed Captain Gilroy! I picked up the Ailasay pipe's dirk when he dropped it. I had no thought of using it then. When we came back the captain made a discovery which meant ruin to me. He f9und that I. could not produce some jewellery entrusted to my care. I told him it was a bo% which I deposited with the bankers when we left Newmarket. It was not. I had pledged it to raise money to pay gambling debts. The captain was furious, and stormed at me for my carelessness, and I shuddered as I thought of what would be the consequence when he round out the truth, as he would soon do. Then we left the castle again to walk round the patrols, and the black thought first entered my mind as I felt that lost dirk in my pocket what if the captain was stabbed. I had no affection for him—he was an overbearing and tyrannical master, and I kneiv he would have no mercy when he discovered what I had done with his jewellery. I was walking behind him, and once or twice he cursed me for making a noise, and called me a useless fool. All at once I think the devil must have seized me, for I pulled Dugald Mhor's dirk from my pocket, and drove it into his back, and he dropped wtihout a groan. Then for the first time I realised what I had done, and I turned and ran, leaving the knife sticking in his body. I did not intend to, and, on the word of a man about to die, / had no thought of anyone being accused. I ex. on the apehcoteddy.thTehecrnimoeamtoe bteh eblaarmreeds t perpefter,nanads then—, but I need not go on; you know it all, and my brain is bursting. I have one murder on my soul already; that would have been two, but I cannot face the gallows. I know a quicker way.—R. Ilkley."  imam LI, 1.971,  Mr Gilroy read through this letter in a dazed way. Then he re-read it, and bit by bit the. lull import began to be impressed on his mind. Something must be done at once—but what? Mr Gilroy had been a man of action—clear and decisive action —all his life, but the worries of late had told on him, and he was gazing at the setter in a hopeless sort of fashion when Huna came into the room. The discovery in the servants' quarters had spread to the family, and Huna's face told her father that she knew of this fresh tragedy. Without wafting for her to speak, her father handed her Ilkley's letter, and stood watching her face as she read it. Of late he had been relying greatly on his eldest daughter's judgment in matters relating to the island and its troubles. She seemed to understand the question better than all the rest of his family. Finishing the reading of the letter handed it back to him. "Word will require to be sent to Ailasay House at once, daddie. There is no time to lose. You know what was to happen at Edinburgh on Thursday morning." quickly, she "Yes, dear, yes. All in good time, all in good time. Wait till the doctor and the police come: Then we will send over someone. I'll write and send over the letter."  (To be concluded.)