Jasper County Democrat, Volume 17, Number 66, Rensselaer, Jasper County, 25 November 1914 — Circumstantial [ARTICLE]

Circumstantial

By DONALD CHAMBERLIN

The lawsuit between the MacGregor and MacAlLster estates bad been decided in favor of Fergus Mac Alister, cousin to Alexander MacGregor, who had been long In possession of the estate. Both were bachelors, and, neither having children, the property would have gone In any event to MacAlister had his cousin continued to live single. But Fergus had heard that Alex was about to be married, and, since there was a doubt as to whether he or his cousin was legally entitled to the estate, he bad commenced suit to gain It MacGregor was too honorable to permit Helen Cameron to become his wife till It was decided whether he would be rich or poor, and when the case was decided against him he released her. He made preparations to leave the liomestead to his cousin, and when all was ready and he was about to leave Fergus drove np to the homestead, alighted aud went Into the house. Andrew Cummings, a cobbler, was passing that way at G o’clock in the evening. He noticed Mac Alister’s chaise before the gate, and at the moment Alex MacGregor came out evidently In a rage and passed down the road. Mac Alister did not return to his home to dinner, and, since it was known that be bad gone to the homestead during the evening, a servant was scut to lind out if possible if he was there. He found his master lying on the floor of the library dead. His skull had been fractured, apparently with an iron poker that showed signs of having inflicted the blow. Alexander MacGregor was suspected, but it was not till Andy Cummings told of what he had seen that Alex was arrested. His story was that just before leaving the homestead his cous in had come in. The meeting was a trying one to Alex, who had just been dispossessed He had upbraided his cousin, saying that he had not a cent in the world and knew not where to go for a lodging. Fergus had taken out a ha Dd ful of gold pieces and offered them to him. Alex tiad scornfully declined to take them and bad left the house in an excited state of mind MacGregor’s misfortune was too much for Helen Cameron, who, despite her father’s commands, visited him In jail and sat lieslde him during the trial, declaring that she would marry him. whatever the verdict might be. Since no one saw the murder committed her lover was not convicted, but there were few but believed that he had killed his cousin. Indeed, there was a special for Ids putting Fergus out of theVvay, for at Fergus’ death he came agaiu into possession of the estate he had lost.

For a time Alex refused to permit Helen to make the sacrifice of marryinc a man who had been convicted hr opinion if not by the courts. But when it was found that if she were not per niitted to bear her burden with him her life would still be wrecked his parents begged Alex to withdraw his opposition. The pair were married privately and lived, uot where the minder had been committed, but at Hel en’s borne. Alex drooped under the stigma of lie ing considered his cousin’s murderer He was cut by his old friends, and liad it m»t been for his wife not a human being would have crossed bisthresh old. Life to him was an intolerable burden. He preferred death t<> such a life. <>ne day his wife went to the homestead to examine the room where her husband had told her he had had an interview with Fergus with a view to discovering a clew to the real mur derer. She made a search of the room where the corpse had been found and under a baseboard caught a glimpse of something yellow. Withdrawing the object it proved to be a gold sever eign. MacGregor had told of the offer of the gold pieces by his cousin, but had no proof of his story Helen, without a word to her husband, took the sovereign to her lawyer. He earned it to t!ie only bank in the vicinity, and after an investigation it was learned that they had received a considerable number of sovereigns of the sa mc'coln age (IS4S) just before the date of the murder and on the morning of the day Mac Alister was killed had paid him lif ty of them. The piece Helen had found was the only one that was traced up to this time. Andy Cummings some time aft er the murder was remembered by one of bis neighbors to have offered a gold sovereign to be changed into silver The attorney got out a warrant to search Andy’s premises, and five sover eigns, ertnage of 1848, were found in a stocking hidden under the eaves of his cabin. • 1 Andy was arrested. He at first ex plained having the sovereigns in his possession by the statement that Mac Allster had owed him money, but when pressed for What the debt was for he broke down and made a confession. . Ou seeing MacGregor come out of the homestead curiosity had moved him to go in and investigate the cause of his wrath. In the library he had found ou a table the gold 4 Fergus had offered Alex. Cupidity seized him. He was gathering them In when Fergus appeared. A struggle followed. Andy seized the poker by the flrepiaee, struck his opponent on the head and killed him. To divert suspicion from himself be had told what be had seen.