rview held that afternoon with the child of his
wayward daughter Ellice. "When witness asked: "Did not the great beauty
of the embassadress accomplish the pardon and restoration of the erring
mother?" General Darrington had struck his cane violently on the floor,
and exclaimed: "Don't talk such infernal nonsense! Did you ever hear of
my pardoning a wrong against my family name and honor? Does any man
live, idiotic enough to consider me so soft-hearted? No, no. On the
contrary, I was harsh to the girl; so harsh that she turned upon me,
savage as a strong cub defending a crippled helpless dam. They know now
that the last card has been played, and the game ended; for I gave her
distinctly to understand that at my death, Prince would inherit every
iota of my estate, and that my will had cut them off without a cent. I
meant it then, I mean it now. I swear that lowborn fiddler's brood
shall never darken these doors; but somehow, I am unable to get rid of
the strange, disagreeable sensation the girl left behind her, as a
farewell legacy. She stood there at that glass door, and raised her
hand like a prophetess. 'General Darrington, when you lie down to die,
may God have more mercy on your poor soul than you have shown to your
suffering child.'"

Witness advised him to go to bed, and sleep off the unpleasant
recollections of the day, but he said it was so oppressively hot, he
wanted to sit at the window, which was wide open. Witness having
secured the deed, which was on the table in the room, bade his client
good-night, and left the house.

He was riding toward town, and thought it was about ten o'clock, when
he saw the prisoner sitting under a pine tree near the road, and not
more than a half a mile from the bridge over the "Branch" that runs at
the foot of Elm Bluff. His horse had shied and plunged at sight of her,
and, the moonlight being bright as day, witness easily recognized her
as the same person he had seen earlier in the afternoon. Thinking her
appearance there at that hour was rather mysterious, he asked her if
she had lost her way; to which she replied "No, sir." On the following
morning, when the mournful news of the murder of General Darrington had
convulsed the entire community with grief and horror, witness had
smothered his reluctance to proceed against a woman, and a solemn sense
of duty forced him to bring these suspicious circumstances to the
knowledge of the District Solicitor.

While he gave his testim