The New Bloomfield, Pa. times. (New Bloomfield, Pa.) 1877-188?, May 25, 1880, Page 2, Image 2

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THE TIMES, NEW BL00MFIEL1), TA. MAY 25. 1880.
A WOMAN DETECTIVE
IT waa betweert the lights ou a gloomy
December afternoon, t was the oue
occupant of tho smoking-room of a
"Literary and Artlstlo Club" which
faces the Thames. I fluug fresh coal on
the gloomy ember?, and stirred them
till they sent up a Wae of light that
drove the ghosts out of the shadowy
.joiners, and then picked up a paper
haphazard from the table, to dawdle
over it till the waiter lighted the gas, or
some human being wandered In to keep
niecompany. It was an American paper.
Some visitor to the club had left It
behind hliu ac'cldtntally. I turned the
pages listlessly, until suddenly my at
teutlon was arrested by a paragraph
headed " Estraordtnary Clime." It was
the Btory of the robbery of the body of a
lady from Its grave. The whole affair
was shrouded in mystery. On the 14th
of the month there died iu an American
city the beautiful wife of an English
man tiavellug for pleasure. In the
same paper which coutalued this para
raph I found the heading of " Cradle,
Altar, Tomb," the following : " On the
1,4th Inst, In this city, Drusllla, the
beloved wife of Bllsset Emerton, of Lon
don, England, aged twenty-four." In
due course the poor lady was burled,
and during the night the church-yard
was entered and the coflln carried away.
.No motive is suggested in this American
paper for the crime. The husband is
interviewed at his hotel. He is incon
solable for the loss of his beautiful
young wife-mad with mingled rage
and horror at the desecration of her
remains. He tells his story to the
reporter. He had only been married a
few mouths. They were traveling for
pleasure in America. His poor wife
caught a cold a fortnight since, return
ing from the theater. He had medical
advice, but the cold increased and in
flammation of the lungs set in, and soon
nil wa3 over. He buries his head In his
bauds and weeps,and the reporter leaves
him uloue with his sacred sorrow. The
account in the paper I was reading by
tho firelight concludes thus: "Up to
the present no clue to this mysterious
affair has been obtained." I glanced at
the date of the paper, and flung it down
in disgust. It was two years old. I
liad grown Interested lu the affair, anil
here it was two years old already, and
probably forgotten. Where should I
tl nd out how it ended? The shadows
had grown darker and darker ; the fitful
tlare of the fire had died down into a
dull red glow, and the riverside lamps
-were being lighted. I fluug myself
back into the easy chalr, thrust my
.hands into my pockets, and half closed
my eyes. Suddenly I was aware that I
was not alone in the room. From the
darkest corner there was a long black
figure. It glided slowly toward me. I
had placed the paper where I had found
it, on the table, by my side. The figure
seemed to lie looking for something. It
, passed its hands over the tables and
. peered down among the papers. Pres--ently
it came to the table at my elbow.
In the gloom, as I sat in the deep arm
chair, I believe I was almost Invisible.
The figure came right up to me, and,
1 reaching out his hand, passed it over
. my table. Presently it seized some
thing, and glided away with it to the
window, on which the lamps without
flung a flicker of light. Then I saw
that it was a man, and that in his hand
he held the American paper in which I
had Just read the account of a mysteri
ous crime. He glanced at it, and mut
tered something that sounded like "how
careless of me 1" then folded the paper,
thrust it into Lis breast pocket, and
walked out of the room. Hardly had
'the door closed behind him when the
attendant came in with lights.
" Who is that gentleman who has
just gone out V" I said.
" Don't know bis name, sir. Ain't
neen him here often."
I remembered that at this club every
man bad to sign his name in a daily
book kept in the ball for that purpose. I
ran down stairs, and looked at the open
leaf to see if that would afford me any
clue. The first name that caught my
eye was that of Blissett Emerton.
No wonder fhe figure I had seen In
the darkness had been so anxious to
And that paper. I saw at once what
had happened. He had been in the
room reading, fancying himself alone.
He had laid the paper down thought
lessly and dropped otf to sleep. . I had
not noticed him in the gloom, and he
was quite unaware of my presence.
One thing more I did before I left.
I turned over the members' address
book, and looked under the E's. There
I found the, came of " Blissett Emer,
ton," and against it "No. 7 Blank Court,
Temple." ...
Boon afterward I found time to" dine
at the club, and there I met an old
friend of mine, a barrister, whom I had
not seen for a year, who, after ' dinner,
invited we to come to his chambers " for
an hour. ,
"BUlllu your old diggings then," I
tuld.
"Oh no," lie answered. "I've moved
since t saw you Inst into another set.
I've got capital chambers at No. 7
Blank Court." I asked hlui at once if
he knew Mr. Emerton.
"Only by sight," he answered. " He
has chambers on the same floor, and we
pacs on the landing. We never speak."
I stayed longer than I meant to, and it
was striking ten as we came out on the
landing. The outer door of Mr. Emer
ton's chamber was ajar. As we passed,
the inner door opened, and a man rush
ed out with a scared white fnce. It was
Blissett Emerton I
"Helpl" he cried, tearing at his collar
as thongh it choked him. "Help I
helpl" Then there was a strange
gurgling noise in his throat, and he fell
forward in a flt. I dragged hi in into
bis chambers, which were in total dark
ness, and laid him on the floor, bidding
my friend to run for a doctor at once.
The man babbled in his frenzy. "The
face," he cried, "the face it was her
face there in the. court below! flook
between the trees! I looked out into
the court.
The moon was up, and among the
trees near the fountain I could see the
figure of a woman. She was in deep
black, and as presently she stood w here
the trunk of the tree threw her white
face into relief, I could see that she was
looking towards the window. Probably
she mistook my figure blotted ngalnst
the window for that of Emerton'H, for
as I looked she raised her arms with a
strange menacing gesture and pointed
at me. Then she glided in among the
trees and was lost to sight. The doctor
came, examined Kuierton, and pre
scribed for him. "He's had a violent
fright," he said, " but he'll bo all right
by and by. It's more hysterical than
anything else. Where are his friends?"
If I wanted to learn something of this
man's strange story, what could I wish
for better thau a night alone with him.
The doctor gave me certain directions
and left.
We had carried Emerton to his bed
room and put him on the bed. Seeing
he was still, I went into the front room,
piled up the fire, lit my pipe, and pre
pared for the night. I had just turned
the burner down when I became aware
of s Boft grating sound at the outer door.
Some one was softly opening the outer
door with a key. The gas was low
down. Hurriedly I picked up my over
coat and other traces of my presence
and flung them under the large couch
at the end of the room. It was an old
fashioned sofa with a hanging valance
which reached to the floor. I then
crept underneath, and waited for the
curtain to rise on the drama. I had
hardly got Into a safe position when the
outer door yielded, and I heard a step
in the passage that intervened. Then
the outer door was gently closed, expect
ed to see the inner door open in its turn
and some one enter. The minutes went
by, and no one came. Whoever it
might be was in the passage. I could
hear a slight movement, every now and
then, and the rustle of a woman's dress.
It must have been quite ten minutes
since I heard the outer door opened
'when I noticed that the inner one was
swinging noiselessly back on its hinges,
and something was gliding Into the
room. Slowly It moved across the floor
till it stood right in the dim light of the
turned-down gas.
I shall never forget the terrible sight
that met my eyes. I would have scream
ed, but my tongue remained glued to
my mouth. I was looking at a dead
women risen from the grave. Her face
had been beautiful in life ; now it was
ashen gray. The eyes were sunken iu
their sockets, and her lips were pale aud
colorless. The figure was draped in a
long, white shroud, and I fancied the
room was heavy with the awful odor of
an open grave. Slowly the phantom
moved toward the next room, aud glided
in. For a moment all was Btill. Then
came a faint cry. The man was awake,
and alone with the apparition. "Dru
sllla !" he shrieked. "Mercy! Mercy!
Have mercy !"
I heard a hollow voice answer him,
" ltise and follow me."
" What would you have with me V"
"Confess."
"What shall I confess?" answered
the wretched man, his voice trembling
in an agony of fear.
" Confess the foul wrong you did me.
Confess where my poqr body lies, that
it way be burled in holy ground."
Again the man's trembling voice
wailed out, " I will confess all."
"Follow me."
The apparition gilded from the inner
room, and the man followed her.
"Write!" '"
I could see from a rent In the valance
the whole scene. The man, white with
terror, the beads of cold presprlatlon on
his brow, sat and wrote.
The apparition glided behind bim and
looked over his shoulder.
Once he paused In his task.
" Write att," said the write figure.
And again the man wrote.
The figure then, grasped the paper
with Its waxen fingers. " do !" it said,
pointing to the Inner room.
With his eyes fixed Upon Its livid face,
the man backed slowly for some paces.
With a violent effort and a llltlescream,
he seized the door, swung It to, and
bolted it on the Inside.
Then, for the first time, the dead'
woraau trembled.
She seemed strangely nervous and
agitated now. She clasped the paper
closely, then put it in her bosom and
glided from the room.
I had got over the sudden terror In
spired by such a strange light, and had
made up my mind that I had detected
some terrible Imposture. There was a
slight pause In the lobby, and the noise
of a garment being drawn off; then the
outer door opened and the visitant
passed out on to the staircase.
I followed as quickly as I could. The
staircase was lighted with gas. As I
trod on the second landing the ghost
heard the noise and looked up. She was
dressed in an ordinary black costume
now, and her face was a natural color.
To my Intense surprise she neither
screamed nor attempted to run away.
She stood still, and beckoned me to her
side.
"What are you going to do?" she
said.
" To give you into custody."
"Are you a friend of hist"
I answered " Yes," mechanically.
" Then let me go free if you value his
life."
"If I let you go I am your accom
plice," I murmured; "your accomplice
in some vile Imposture."
" No. If you are my accomplice to
night, you are an accomplice in the
holiest deed a woman ever wrought.
Pass me through the gates If you doubt
me; watch me; follow me home; give
me into custody If you like; I don't
care, I've got what I wanted."
I took her arm as though I had been
a policeman, and said : " Pas9 through
the gate then, and If you attempt to
get away from me I shall call for
help."
She nodded to the proposition. The
man at the gate was half asleep. I
roused him, and from Ills box pulled the
cord and let us pass through the wicket
door Into the Strand.
I then listened to the strangest story
that ever mortal lips had uttered, and
there was no doubt that every word of it
was true.
The confession which the trembling
wretch had written at her dictation as
he believed at the dictation of his dead
wife I had read. It was a plain state
ment of how he had poisoned the poor
girl whom he had married in a fit of
mad Jealousy, and how he had concealed
his crime ; how at the last moment he
had overheard a whisper that some one
suspected foul play ; and how, fearing
the body might be exhumed, he had,
with the assistance of an accomplice,
since dead, stolen the body that night
and re-burled it in the garden of a house
in a lonely part of the American town
where this accomplice lived.
This woman was his wife's sister, aud
she had suspected foul play from the
first. She was an actress, and was away
on a provincial tour when Blissett
Emerton wooed and won Drusllla and
took her abroad with him. Emerton
had never seen this sister. The marriage
had been secret and hurried, and he had
seemed Btrangely anxious to leave the
country. They were to be back in Ave
months.
Drusllla poor trusting fool ! idolized
the man and obeyed him. To her ho
was a knight without reproach.
But soon his conduct to her altered
strangely, and she began to Buspect that
all was not right He grew cold and
cruel, and she was miserable and un
happy. She wrote secretly to her sister, told
her troubles and how quickly her hus
band's conduct had altered. The Bister
urged her to leave him and come home.
She was expecting her to do so when
there came the news of her Illness and
death, and then of the mysterious dis
appearance of the body.. From . that
moment Drusllla Emerton'a sister made
up her mind to fathom the mystery and
bring the guilt home to the murderer.
She refused to accept the explanation of
her sister's death. She believed Blissett
Emerton to be quite capable of carrying
out a carefully matured plan to get . rid
of her. The disappearance of tho body
strengthened her suspicions. She con
cluded at once that he feared the corpse
might afterwards be exhumed, and as it
turned out her suspicions were correct.
When some time afterwards he arrived
in England, she commenced to put her
plans into execution. She would terrify
his secret from him. I have said Bhe
was an actress by profession. She was
also an exact counterpart in height and
feature of her dead sister. ' ' "
When Emerton went to live In cham
bers, she managed, by a clever artifice,
to get a duplicate set of keys. The place
is open night and day, and as there are
only one or two men in a residence, It
is easy to choose a time to step up the
stairs unnoticed. By getting into the
lnclosure before twelve, one would not
even bo seen by the gate porter.
The plan which had occurred to the
murdered woman's sister had been put
into execution for the first time that
night. Early in the evening she had
let him see her face among the trees. I
had been an unsuspected witness of the
success of her appearance as one from
the dead.
All this was told at the trial In Amer
ica. He wag extradlcted and I went
over as a witness. But not even on the
scaffold would he tell where reposed the
remains of his victim. The avenging
sister is now a member of Mr. 'a
dramatic company, and the story, al
though well-known In the States, is
now, perhaps, known for the first time
in England.
A MODEST MAN'S TROUBLES.
Trit. PRENTICE MULFOilD
thus
1Y1 writes from Vienna :
After a while I discovered that the
Viennese who did wash themselves
washed themselves all over at the great
public baths and not In the little pint
pitchers of water they kept in their bed
rooms. So I went to a public bath. I
did not know what to ask for, but I
knew German enough for water. I
went In and said, "wasser." They took
my meaning immediately, or they
might have seen that I needed washing.
I declare the ridiculous amount of water
they furnish one leads to dreadful
results. There are two passages leading
Into the great five storied bath barrlck
one for males, the other for females. Of
course I took the wrong one, and was
shoved back by a woman with a towel.
I didn't see that It made much (litter
ence, for the attendants on both Bides
were females. Marie showed me to my
bath room. Marie was a big, brown,
black-eyed Austrain maid, lu round
short skirts. She went ahead of me
with an armful of towels. She opened
my bath room door. I went In. She
came In after me. I was quite unpre
pared for this. But she wasn't. She
seemed used to it, and went to work
She spread a sheet ou the bottom of a
bath tub. I don't know what it was
for, but they always do it At all events
It take9 off the rough edge of the zinc for
one's skin. Then she turned on hot
water aud waited. I waited also. Out
of regard for the proprieties, I removed
only my hat. I would not even take
off my collar before Marie. The water
seemed a long time running In. It
generated a cloud of steam which gradu
ally filled the small bath room, and
through which vaporish atmosphere
Marie and I saw each other dimly.
Finally she gave me all tho hot water I
was entitled to and left. Relieved I
sprang to the door. There was no lock
upon It I hunted in vain for some
kind of a fastening. I sat down uneasy.
Then I removed my coat and collar.
Then Marie burst in again with another
towel. Then she went out. How was
I to bathe In peace with that confound
ed girl continually Intruding on me?
Then I tried to turn some cold water
and couldn't. By this time I had re- i
moved many of my garments, and bar
ricaded the door with my jackknife.
Instead of having sensible faucets, by
which a man could regulate his own
flow of water, these require the use of a
wrench to turn them. The wrench, I
suppose, was kept by the waiter outside.
I did not know any German for wrench,
and, If I had, dared not call for one
with the prospect of the young lady's
bringing it. So I sat down on the chair
which I had backed up against the door
as an additional security against Marie,
and waited for the water to cool. It
takes hot water a long time to cool In
Austria. Finally I got into the tub. I
think It could not have been much
below boiling temperature. I got out
again pretty quickly, blushing all over
and sympathizing more heartily than
ever with boiled lobsters. It was an
uncomfortable bath. I suffered exter
nally from the water and internally
from fear of that possible Marie. But
she never came again. She left a large
pile of linen for me. I examined it.
There was one towel about as large as a
napkin, and two long aprons, which
reaohed from my head to my heels. The
aprons puzzled me. I utilized them for
towels. A friend afterward told me
their une. They are to put on, on get
ting out of the hot bath, and you sit in
them and ring the bell for the attendant
to enter, turn off the water and let on
the cold. Marie all this time was wait
ing for my bell, to come and turn on
cold water. She never heard that bell.
I put on but one of these aprons the
forward one. It fitted me perfectly. It
would flt anybody, It was a splendid
dress for hot weather so easy to put on
aud off; so loose, cool and comfortable;
bo easy to slip out of, and if need be, fan
yourself with the skirt.
C3T He who indulges his sense in'any
excesses, renders himself obnoxious to
his own reason ; and to gratify the brute
in him, displeases the man, and sets his
two natures at variance
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WANTS TO BUY OUR
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J. H. Gravis
J. M. 6IRVIN & SON.,
FLOUR, GRAIN, SEED & PRODUCE
Commission Merchants
No. 64 South 6a j, St.,
BALTIMORE, ID. ;
We will pay strict attention to the sale ef all
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. J. M. GIRVm & BON.
SSTGNEE'S NOTICE. 7 T7
Notice Is hereby given that John A. Nesbit.ol
Madison township, Perry county. Pa., executed a
deed of voluntary assignment In trust for the ben
efit of oreditors of all his estate real and person
al and mixed, to theuudurttigned, on the !Mth day
of March, A. !., 1K8U. .
All persons knowing themselves Indebted to the
said Assignor will make payment and these hav
ing aooouuU will present them for settlement to
i in ,.ma ANUttKW AOAIB. Assignee.
Maroh 29,1880. Chas. 11. Broiler, Atfy.