A Conflict of Evidence

Waihi Daily Telegraph, Volume V, Issue 1319, 6 May 1905, Page 4

A Conflict of Evidence

yßodrigues Ottolengui

'"/ CHBPTERXVII THE CONFBSSIOH / Assobn.os Virginia had departed, Mr. Barnes re-entered the secret chamber, passing, as before, through the ceiling of jheoloiet, , His first endeavour was to loam how this man had talion his life. This was ■ not difficult, A small charcoal furnace, and the strong odohr of gas permeating • the .-plane; for some time after he had open- : ed .the sky-light, which was the only .. means of ventilation and light, plaiily ' . suggested suicide. This point being set- : tied, he examihod the other things !y- ---■';■■,■'. ing about. The only articles ;of ; >. .furniture, were a table and a chair, ;'unless accounts be taken of a . small oloset nailed against the wall, in .":■;" which was a stock of provisions, He also .■■": foundasuitofClothes. Mr Barnes pon- . ..dered oyer : for a fow minutes, and ; thonthe idea occurred to him that it wbb to bring these, the garments which Lewis -■; :hadworhontheni»ht of the crime,and .for whioh, it will be remembered, Burrows had searched in vain, that the man had '■-'- : ,'.-.- entered the secret room on the night whon ';'.. Burrows was disturbed by his movement!!. It will also bo remembered that tho ■J younger detective had a theory which : '.would, in a measure, be substan- '■:" tfated; if these were fouDd to be perforated /.:. by a bullet, as that would tend to show '■:.." that the deceased had been shot, that ho . ..':had then undressed and retired to bis bed, ; ■:.■;■"■:. to ; be afterwards awakened and hilled by ..' ~ a Hecoad shot. Mr Barnes examined these : : articles with interest. If there were any .. ~ . bullet-hole it would not fit his own theory .-'■" oftheoaEO.. It was therefore with much ,v satiefaotion that he soon determined fiat ■■ ... theiewas none, Next he turned over tho '■■■:.- with which the.table was littered. ....,;: and.soon an ejaculation of surprise and : pleasure attested the fact that bo had . ;. made an important discovery. He held .; .in his hand atundle of manuscript bear- .' ■... :inglhe ominous heading—- -. v : : ''.My Confession," followed by the 1 .words: "for Mr Barnes, should he find ■■;:■..: this first."-. :.: With impatience and curiosity Mr . Barnes. sat'oa tbo.one ohair, and read tho following, occasionally emitting i grunt of satisfacuoi as point after point in the :.: .mystery 1 was explained, and all fitted in \"-' with his own theory, of the crimo. Tho ';■ ..confession is : here given verbatim—.. ' : "After years of preparation I find tint ■'my.'plan's have miscarried. However, I um ; si Fuiftlißt, and therefore bow to the inevi '.■■;■ table; I have been bitterly wronged, but in some degree I have had a revenge. .< Now lam forced by the immutable laws "-.': : of ciroumstohce to choose between my own > miserable lifo, and thktbfberwbonill love .. aiost .dearly, andl do not hesitate.to sacri- :. . ... fico mysolf that she may live aiid bo ..,.. happy, even though it be in tho,urm6 of a . : mau whom I should like to grind beneath : my heel.. Yet what has he done to mo 1 .... .Nothing 1- ho is one of the same.family as .the.villain, who wrecked and destroyed the ■life of my dearly beloved sister. Beyond that there is nothing. Strange that mother and daughter should both love the same : .; naael-lt is .the finger of fato, and yet yy .there ate many; who scoff at tho idea of .; predestination, ißutaslwishtobounder- ".;, 'Bloodby. the one who may find this paper : : . aud that oholani conndoi.t will be. Mr ... .Barnes, Imustho more explicit. There- ■".. fore it will be as well togivea detailod account of tho sequence of strange events . in my life. .f '-At the outset let me say that my : hameis John Lewis. Bur, as thatis only the. name under which I have passed . since the tragedy-of Sunday night, I will . add .that lam the man who is supposed 'to be dead, The corpse is that of Walter ■■.'. Marvel, the unole of the young man ■.'■" : .' i t";. present ■ accused of my . -■;.. murder. I will now go. back to my youth, and relate the events in the order of their '■.; '^occurrence.. ;/ . . ''l was: born in Richmond, Virginia, i ..'■:,.- and my.family was aristootatic, Of course, I ■-.. . when the Civil War began our sympathies . were, all with the Secessionists, My, father entered, tho Confederate service Bhd soon, by his gsllahtry. wOn distinction, being advanced several times on the .field, until.at length ho bad reached the /.position of Colonel. ' It was during his absence with bis regiment that, in the latter part of' 63, some prisoners of war were brought into Eiohmond, Some of theso ;■ were.wounded and sent to <the hospitals. ; It.is a curious faotthat however eager .. men may.be in,battle to destroy each .. other, after the fight is over they appear be just as anxious to Baye the lives of . those who may yet have a lingering spark within their veins, "Mysister,together with many other noble women, gave her entire time to ... nursing the wounded, and so spent all her ..; ..days amoDg the soldiers in the. hospitals. ."■ ; .Thus, when-these prisoners of war wero ';. . brought in,' 1 , and the sufferers placed ..in the kind care of these women, my Bister met and of them, Among the number was Walter Marvel an officer in the Union army. Atones , . she vyas attracted to him, How, or why, let those explain who disbelieve in Pate, for be was neituer handsome or pleasant, either in countenance or manners. She was one of the fairest danglers of the South, and it was not surprising that Marvel soon found himself fascinated by her charms. After a time he recovered sufficiently to bo removed fromthobospit.il, and, in . the natural. order d events would havo been taken to prison, but for the interest which my sitter cvinc- \ ed in him. Naturally sho possessed much influence with the officers, and she represented to them that, though well enough r to leave tho hospihl, he was still so weak, ; , that if confined in a cell he would probably not survive. Thus she succeeded in having him paroled, So theie was cppdrtnnity for them to meet and exchange loving vow?j although ihey conduoled matters so adroiily that I, who was present all the timo in the home, no\er suspected the truo state of affairs. " At l«st came the end of the war, and, stricken at heart by the outcome thereof ■'■' my father returned home. Moreover, he had been severely woimdod, and his wound not having received proper attention bad nover thoroughly hoaled. Great care was necessary to insure its not giving more

Author of" An Artist in Crime,"

trouble. Meanwhile, it subsequently transpired that during the lattor part of '64, Marvel had lured my sister into a secret marriage, a pitfall into which so ■Many innocent and inexperienced women Jail, forgetting that their parents havo their interests at heart, and therefore aro entitled, at least, to advise about so important'a step, Sho would hayo confessed to to my father on his arrival, were it not for his weakened physical condition, and the danger which any great excitement might entail. To be ctniinuei