The Mysteries of the Court of London, Vol. 7 — page 57: what you’re looking at

Machine-transcribed from the original scan — historical spelling and the odd misread are preserved.

SS ea eee ere D Se a Aa ET TI SE I SRO aS It I i TE OTE Ae EEE ES TOE nae 2 ae ay aig arg ge er gs TEA ETE 46 eee eee “Theo if it be go,” returned the Duke of Marchmont, in @ searvely audible voiea, “1 do know that the dagger was the property of —of my upfor ——my brother.” . “Whose Christian name is Bertram P” éaid the Coroner interragatively. The Duke of Marchmont bowed — groans? audi- bly ~and cuvered hin countenance with‘ tis hands, “When, my lord,” inquired the Coroner, after & pause, “did you last xee your brother?” “In the evening of the day betora yester- day,” responded the Duke,—“in the village of Ouklands.” “And in what state of mind was he at the time, my lord ?”’ asked the Coroner. “ Ho wae much excited,” reaponded the Duke: “for circumstances had orcurred But doubt- lesa the rumour has reached your ears? My poor brother protested his innocence " “ And did your Grace leave him in the village ?” asked the Coroner. “No,” returned Hugh. “TI sought to comfort and conanle him: but when he learnt that tha Duchess had loft the mansion, he burst away from mo ina sort of frenzy. Oh! [ foar that his brain was turned ~ that madness had seised upon 1b But still ~still I cannot bring myself to think for @ moment that ho would have been guilty of this crime !” The Duke of Marchmont rose from his seat— bowed to the asseroblage—and passed slowly from the room, followed by the sincerust sympathies of ; ali present. Tre landiord of the village inn wae next ex- ‘amined as a witness. He depoved to the fact of Bertram having passed about three bours at the tavern tn the afternoon and evening of the day preceding the night of the murder that he was viol utly excited the whole time - and that he had ‘pushed away in the frenzied atate of which his bro- ther had just apoken. Two of the houseinaids be- longing to the mansion, were neat examied mm succession; and their statement wacto the effect that while arranging the chamber occupied by Bertram during hie stuy at Ouklanela, thes had soon the dagyer lying amongst a few other curiosl- ties, whieh, as they understood, Bertram = lind brvaght with him from the Untied States. Thy! tman-servant who had specially attended upon Bertram during hia visit, was the next witness; and he deposed to the fact that Bertram had shown him the dagger, explaining at the time that it had been jong in the possession of some cele- brated Indinn Clnet who died a few months pre- vious to Bortram’s departure from Washington. | The dagger, we should observe, was of very pocu- har workmanship, and once seun, could not possibiy have been mistaken. * Witnesses were bow examined to relate the par- ticulars in respect to the dog. It had been found that Pluto was mortally wounded by a pistol- bullet: but the weapon itself had not been found, either in tho pond or if the neizhbourhood—so that it was tolerably evident the assassin Bad taken it away with bim. The eioth which the deg had brought in his mouth, was a frarment evidently tor trom the skirt of a surtout coat; and it was therefore supposed that the faithful animal had a ae te ee THE MYATYRIFS OF TRE COURT. eee, Per of Oe <¢+¢ Se *£ flown at the murderer of his maater—in doing which he had received the fatal bullet. It was farther shown that Bertram had on a black rure tunt coat when he left Ouklands after the scene with the Duke and Eliza. The evidence being now complete, the Coroner proceeded to sum up. In altuling to the cireum- stance of the digver, he said that it had been im conteatibly proved that the weapon belonged to . Bortraro ; and that the Jury, with this {act before them, would have to weigh well whether, ubder all the circumstances, it was Bertram'sa hand which cominitted the deed —or whether sc-ae other per- som had obtumed possession of thet dagger with the foulest of purposes. The Coroner remarked thué it was certainly extraordinary that Bortram should have had the dagger about him at the time when he was walking with the Duchess and when the incident occurred that compelled bim to fly from Oaklands. None of the witnesses had brea ‘able tc throw any light upon thie pint, —such for instance as proving that ube dagger was etill in Bertram’s rvom at the time of bia flight—or on the other hand, that they missed it fruis the room. Certain it was the dagger had deslt the murderous blow, and it was for the Jury to eay whether the hand vf Bertram or thas of an unknown asgassin had wielded the weapon. Having commented apon all other parts of the evidence, the Coroner left the “Wo shall not trouble your Grace any farther,” . eaid tho Coroner. | matter in the hands of the Jury. ‘ The deliboration was not long: and its unani- mous result was a verdict of “Wilful Murder againat Bertram Vivian, now Lord Clandon.” When the tragic circumstances which thus o0- -curred at Ouklands, became spread abroad over the Umted Kingdum by means of the public journals, the uaual excitement lasted for a tine— and then began to die away. Warrants were issued for Bertram’s apprehension —a reward wad offered by the Secretary of State —advertisements were Inserted in the newspapers~—but all to no effrer: the aceusrd was pot to be found. And Eliza? Nothing was heard of ber. The natural inference therefore was that Bertram and the Duchess of Marchmont had fled together to same fur distant chine -there to enjoy their illicit love and to eseape, the one from the odsamn, and the other frou the consequences of the tearful deed of turpitude which hed been commutied. PUCAL RECEPTIONS. FiaHreRs years (within a few months) hed Ce a eg EE AC ELC CO Ann ! alupsed mince the tragic occurrenecs at O&klande— * oighteen yeara, during which not the slighteat in- telligence had ever been received of the accused Bertram and the noissing Kitaa. ‘Hugh Duke of Marehinvut was vw in his forty. third vear: ami that interval bad necessarils made sone change in hig personal appearance His hair, ot auch jetty darkness when wa first intro. duced him to our readers, Was now undergoing its first change towards gray: harah strong passions and uf somewhat irregular pur. suits, were traced upon his turvbead aad in the NOG CO Rnos, telling of ) SS CO