features, which he had
seen only in the flush of life and beauty, even by a glance at her
merely mortal remains in their present condition.

Dr. Forsythe testified that he had attended the late Mrs. Pattmore in
her last illness, and that dysentery was the cause of her death. He was
corroborated by another physician who had been in consultation with Dr.
Forsythe during the last day or two of the patient's life. As no other
witnesses were called, the jury immediately returned a verdict that
Mrs. Pattmore's death had resulted from natural causes; namely,
dysentery.

I was watching Pattmore closely during the interval before the verdict
was delivered, and I saw plainly that, in spite of the farcical
character of the inquest, he was in a state of nervous dread lest
something unforeseen should occur to reveal his criminality. When the
verdict was read, an expression of relief and triumph came into his
face, and he received the congratulations of his friends like a man who
had just escaped a great danger. I had too little evidence to warrant me
in showing my hand at that time, by accusing him in person;
nevertheless, I was satisfied of his guilt, and I decided to use other
means to bring him to justice.

In about an hour, Sheriff Tomlinson returned from the graveyard, with
Mr. Wells and Mr. Green. They had made notes of the condition in which
they had found Mrs. Pattmore's grave, and they had written out a full
description of the other corpse found near by. The body was that of a
woman of about the same size, age, and general appearance as Mrs.
Pattmore.

I had heard of an eminent physician in Greenville, named Dr. Stuart. On
inquiring for him, Mr. Tomlinson took me to the doctor's office and
introduced me. He was a man of great ability, and he had a high
reputation throughout the West as a scientific analytical chemist.

I at once laid the facts in the Pattmore case before him, and said that
I wished him to analyze carefully the contents of the stomach and bowels
of the late Mrs. Pattmore, in order to determine whether she had been
poisoned. I said that it was a difficult case to undertake, owing to
Pattmore's political influence; but I felt sure that a thorough
investigation would establish his guilt beyond question.

The Doctor replied that, under most circumstances, he should hardly feel
inclined to comply with such a request, since he had no right to make
such an analysis, unless he had the consent of the relatives