The Halifax Comet. — 1893-06-10 (Halifax, West Yorkshire, England)

THE COMET.  "The police do not require your evidence, and you are not bound to incriminate yourself, so I warn you to be careful of what you say.,, "But, kind gentlemans," whined the brute, "I shall, of my own free will, tell you all the truth, and then I hope you will be merciful to a poor foreign man." All this time I had not spoken, but stood there looking sternly at Thorwaldsen. He shook his list at me, and almost danced in his rage, and then suddenly calming down began to whine out his tale. "I want to tell you, gentlemans, the whole truth. Mr. Abele speaks the whole truth, same as I do, when he says there was no murder. It was all that devil there, and I hope he'll be hanged, gentlemans. He come to me, and, says he, a man got more money than he wants. I give it to you if you do what I ask.' I answer, I will not do nothing wrong." Of course not,' he says, and se I think he tells me the whole truth, because, gentlemans, I know nothing of your good laws, and so I say, Go ahead.' So he comes to me disguised like that "—and here he pointed to me—" and calls himself Mr. Soames, and says he is Mr. Abel's cousin, which is all lies.  "By-and-by Mr. Abel he comes to see him, and one night Mr. Abel stays late. When he had gone the devil Fergusson, he says to me, Now we will commit a murder,' and he laughs. I was very frightened until he explained he would pretend the old man—which was himself—was murdered. I beg him not to say this, but he threatened to murder me if I didn't help him, and I am a poor foreign man, and so I agree," and the brute whined more than ever. "So he send me to buy pailful of bullock's blood, and we throw it on the floor of my nice room, and on my beautiful bed, and then he bring down a skeleton which he kept upstairs, and we saw it up and choy it up and throw it on the fire, and make believe it was murder."  Everyone was now intently listening, for such a disclosure at a murder trial was probably unprecedented. The coroner spoke a few words to the police-officer, who left the room as Thorwaldsen continued:  "Next morning, Mr. Abel, he comes with the devil Fergusson, and he is told he is a murderer. I. entreat Fergusson after, but he will not let me say toMr. Abel The old gentleman is not murdered.' Fergusson wants to marry the rich, young, beautiful lady Mr. Abel is to marry, and so he hates him ; and then he runs away with the young lady and gets me into trouble, because I am a poor, foreign Swedish man in a strange country. And now I give my evidence, so that you see lam penitent. I could not help my self, it is all that devil there—that Fergusson "—and he pointed to me. I pulled off my wig and grey beard, and disclosed myself then, while the Swede started back with an oath. " Trapped !" I could hear him mutter, and then he saw that the q was up, and was as stolid as passible. "This gentleman is the private detective," said Mr. Abel, "who is now prepared to tell you what he has done before causing that man to confess so much."  At this minute the inspector camehurrying in.  "The other prisoner has escaped," he said. "I have sent men in pursuit, and hope to find him to-day," . I knew what a clever rogue the man was,  one of the many methods of  Jinni 10, 1893.  and doubted this, and I may ment ion that at the moment of writing he has not caught. The foreman of the juiT rose. "We don't want any more evidence." 11,. said • "we are convinced that there web 1,.. murder, and consequently we find th.• prisoners +we gusty.lt was a splendid triumph, and Ili,. Frickers, whom waiting outside the court, came in, and never shall I forget the meeting between the two lovers.  Thorwaldsen was re-arrested on the chant • of blackmailing, but committed suicide in th• cell that night. In conclusion, I beg to thank the pro=of the Oomzr for their very generous ent, and am pleased that the first cat.. entrusted to me has ended so satisfactorily.