The White Rose of Memphis

“When I entered the clerk’s office, I found Wallingford seated near a table, with his face buried in his hands; and when I spoke to him, he started up suddenly and endeavored to conceal the tears that he had been shedding.

“‘She is saved, Ed,’ he said in tone husky with emotion, ‘but she is lost to me forever! I have played such a contemptible part in this affair as to justify her in despising me, and to make me hate myself. I have deeply wronged her, and I must make up my mind to lose her.’

“‘Nonsense, Harry,’ said I; ‘she loves you as well as ever, and will be yours if you will only ask her; but come, Lottie sent me to bring you in, and she told me to caution you in regard to that unfortunate temper of yours.’

“‘I shall get along all right, unless Quillet offers me an insult; that, you know, I will not submit to, either in or out of court.’

“‘You and your case are both gone up the spout, Quillet,’ whispered Hogjaw as I entered the room, accompanied by Wallingford. ‘You are defeated, vanquished, quashed, conquered, overthrown, trampled under, ground up, and chopped into hash, all by a woman.’

“‘If that girl would agree to marry me,’ replied Quillet, ‘I think I could forgive her, and bear my defeat with becoming fortitude; but I tell you what it is, I mean to fight till the death, and die bravely in the last ditch, if die I must; and

“‘“Though I hope not hence unscathed to go,

Who conquers me shall find a stubborn foe.”’

“‘Proceed with the case, Mr. Rockland,’ said the judge, who began to show signs of impatience.

“‘Let Mr. Wallingford be sworn and placed under the rule until we examine Mr. Everson,’ said Mr. Rockland.

“That young man then took the stand. He was a sad-faced young man, whose features contained unmistakable evidence of untold sufferings endured.

“‘Mr. Everson,’ said Lottie, ‘were you ever acquainted with a young lady by the name of Victoria Totten?’

‘“Yes.’

“‘Where did you know her?’

“‘At Vicksburg, Mississippi.’

“‘Were you acquainted with Benjamin Bowles at Vicksburg?’

‘“Yes.’

“‘When did you last see Victoria Totten?’

“‘I saw her a few minutes ago – she is the woman who fainted when I came in.’

“‘Was she ever married to Mr. Bowles?’

“‘No.’

“‘If Miss Victoria Totten left Vicksburg in company with any one, please tell who it was, and under what circumstances she left.’

“‘She eloped with Benjamin Bowles, and they went to New Orleans, where they lived as husband and wife, though they never were married.’

“‘Were you acquainted with Victoria Totten’s mother?’

“‘Yes.’

“‘Where did she reside?’

“‘Near Vicksburg; and she is now living there.’

“‘Can it be possible that you are mistaken when you say that the woman who fainted on the stand is the same person you knew as Victoria Totten?’

“‘No, for I have been well acquainted with her for twenty years.’

“Mr. Quillet suffered Mr. Everson to stand aside without cross-examination.

“Harry Wallingford was then ordered to take the stand, which he did with a dignified and rather haughty mien, while his eyes glanced over the crowd with a careless look of indifference; I noticed that he was careful to avoid the gaze of Miss Bramlett, who had her eyes eagerly fixed on him. After gazing intently at him for a moment, her head sank down on the table that stood in front of her, and I saw tears begin to drop from her chin.

“‘Brother Harry,’ said Lottie, ‘if you are in possession of facts that would tend to throw any light on the case now on trial, please tell them in your own way.’

“‘I employed what I thought was an experienced detective, and set him to work on this case; he either would not, or could not, see or believe anything that pointed to any one else as the guilty party but Miss Bramlett. It is with feelings of the deepest shame and mortification that I am compelled to confess that he at one time managed to shake my confidence in the innocence of Miss Bramlett. After becoming convinced that it was folly to depend any longer on Mr. Dabbs, I concluded to take the matter into my own hands. In order to enable me to accomplish my purpose, I secured the services of a first-class locksmith, who undertook to manufacture for me such keys as I might require. About ten days ago I managed to enter the premises of Benjamin Bowles, disguised as a farmer, and after letting him win a small sum of money from me, I feigned intoxication, and was permitted by him to take a nap on a sofa in an adjoining room; but while he thought I was sound asleep, I was busy taking wax impressions of all the locks and keys of the apartments, as well as all trunks, bureaus, wardrobes, etc. Having accomplished the object of my visit, I hurried to my locksmith, and ordered him to make the keys necessary to enable me to open the locks, which he proceeded to do immediately. The next day I paid a visit to the residence of Mrs. Ragland, disguised as a gardener, and was so fortunate as to secure a job of work in her flower garden, which I managed to accomplish to her satisfaction. She went down town shopping, taking her maid with her, leaving no one on the premises except the cook and myself; I managed to enter the house through a back door, which was left unlocked. I proceeded to take wax impressions of every lock and key I could find on the premises, and gave them to my locksmith, and soon I was prepared with keys to fit them. Being armed with my false keys, I managed to enter the apartments of Mr. Bowles at a time when I knew he was away from home. I succeeded in making a thorough search of all his rooms, trunks, bureaus, dressing cases, wardrobes, etc., and carefully examined all of his papers. I spent three consecutive days and nights in Mr. Bowles’ establishment. In a bureau drawer that stood in his sleeping room I found a large gold locket containing the picture of Mrs. Ragland; on the back of the locket the words, “From Victoria to Benjamin” were plainly engraved. After I had finished my inspection of the apartments of Mr. Bowles, I turned my attention to the residence of Mrs. Ragland, where I found many curious things, among which were several letters from Benjamin Bowles. One of these letters mentioned strychnine as a good poison for rats.’

“‘Is this the letter to which you refer?’ said Lottie as she handed a paper to her brother.

“‘Yes, I found that letter in the pocket of a silk dress which belonged to Mrs. Ragland.’

“‘If you ever saw this boot before,’ said Lottie, as she handed it to him, ‘please tell when and where you saw it!’

“About five days ago I brought that boot from Mrs. Ragland’s sleeping room. While searching a trunk in Mrs. Ragland’s bedroom, I found several pictures of Benjamin Bowles, one of which was incased in a golden shell handsomely inlaid with pearls. I brought the picture away, and have it here now. This picture was wrapped up in a letter, which I have here.’

“‘Read it,’ said Mr. Rockland.

“‘DEAR V. – I herewith send you my picture, according to promise, which I had taken when you were so good as to give me the pretty image of your dear self. I tried to make the present more acceptable by putting it in a costly case, and if you knew how highly I prize the dear image of your sweet self which you condescended to give me, you would no doubt value my ugly picture more than you do. I am sorry indeed to be compelled to tell you that I am just now in a terrible strait for the want of funds. Luck has been giving me the cold shoulder for the last fortnight, and you must by all means try to wheedle Miss Bramlett out of another thousand for me, and I shall soon be able to make a rise with it. The little scheme that I have so often mentioned to you is a feasible one, which will insure us a great fortune, and richly reward us for any risk; though there can be no risk, if we exercise caution. When rats annoy us, why not destroy them?’

“‘Have you any other facts to communicate’ said Lottie; ‘if you have, please proceed.’

“‘One night, while I was concealed in a bathroom in the apartments of Mr. Bowles, he was visited by a woman whose face I did not see, but whose voice I readily recognized as that of Mrs. Ragland. She arrived there about nine o’clock, and remained until after the clock struck twelve, when she went away accompanied by Bowles. While they remained in the room adjacent to the one in which I was concealed, I could distinctly hear everything they said. When Mrs. Ragland first entered the house, she threw herself into the arms of Bowles, exclaiming:

“‘“Oh, Ben, let us fly before it is too late; for Suspicion has already begun to point her finger at me! What a fortunate thing it was that I happened to wear Miss Bramlett’s blue silk dress that night when Miss Tadpoddle was watching me! She thinks it was Miss Bramlett, and will swear in open court that it was she.”

“‘“Yes,” replied Bowles; “and that makes it necessary for us to swear the same thing.”

“‘“For Heaven’s sake, Ben,” replied Mrs. Ragland, “do not, I beseech you, ask me to add the awful sin of perjury to the long list of crimes that I have committed!”

“‘“Pshaw! Vick, we have crossed the dead line long ago, and it is too late to talk about retreating now; never will I move an inch toward the rear; I will win by boldness and audacity. If we were to attempt to fly now, it would insure our destruction, for we could not escape. Do as I tell you, dear Vick, and I will vouch for a favorable termination.”

“‘“Ah, Ben, you know too well how I love you; and you also know how much I would suffer and endure to serve and please you; but there is a mysterious influence, which I cannot describe, that constantly whispers strange words into my mind, telling me that my days are numbered, and that I shall soon be called to render an account of my sinful deeds.”

“‘“Come, Vick, don’t be so silly! I declare, you are continually talking about retribution and repentance!”

“‘“If all the wealth of the world belonged to me, I would willingly give it for a clear conscience! Oh, Ben, let us quit our wicked ways, ere it is forever too late, for I believe that I shall not live much longer – a sort of presentiment whispers of death to me continually!”

“‘“Stop, stop! Vick, I swear I will not listen another moment to this sentimental nonsense. Come, let us go in and take some champagne, and then you will feel better.”

“‘They then went into another room and remained until midnight, when Mrs. Ragland went home, accompanied by Bowles.’

“Wallingford was then turned over to Mr. Quillet for cross-examination.

“The usual smooth temper of the attorney-general had been considerably ruffled by the taunts and jeers that had been thrown at him by the other members of the bar, and notwithstanding he had lost all hopes of sustaining the prosecution, he had resolved to have his revenge, which he thought he could best secure by handling Harry Wallingford with gloveless hands. As soon as he commenced the cross-examination I could tell from his manner and the tone of his voice that he meant to cut deep; and I also knew that he was treading on very dangerous ground when he undertook the job.

“‘Mr. Wallingford,’ he said, in an imperative tone, ‘I should like you to tell us by what authority you ventured to enter the apartments of Mrs. Ragland, and, without her knowledge or consent, carry off private property belonging to her?’

“‘I did it, sir, by the authority which God gives to all men in order to enable them to protect innocence and expose guilt.’

“‘Are we to understand, sir, that you had a commission direct from God, empowering you to enter a lady’s private chamber by false keys, and, without her consent, carry off her private property?’

“‘The shape of your question, sir, carries with it an insult, and I think it would be advisable for you to modify it.’

“‘I ask your pardon,’ said Quillet, smiling sarcastically. ‘I assure you, sir, I did not think of insulting you; but really, I had a curiosity to know what prompted you to take the law into your own hands in such a presumptuous manner. As the shape of the question seems to displease you, and as I should dislike very much to incur your displeasure, I will take your advice, and change the shape of the question: What induced you to interest yourself in Miss Bramlett’s affairs, and why did you choose to spend so much money for her?’

“‘Because I loved her, sir, and because I believed she was innocent!’

“As Wallingford uttered those words his voice trembled slightly, while his proud soul seemed to be standing in his eyes.

“‘Was not Miss Bramlett at one time betrothed to you?’

“‘Yes!’

“‘Is she now betrothed to you?’

“‘No!’

“‘Did you cancel the engagement?’

“‘No!’

“‘Did she do it?’

“‘Yes!’

“‘Why did she do it?’

“‘Because she found me to be unworthy of her love and respect.’

“Miss Bramlett started as if she were going to rise from her seat, then dropped her head back on the table.

“‘Did you concur with her views in that respect?’

“‘Yes!’

“‘Why did you continue to work in her interest after she had discarded you?’

“‘To gratify my sister and win the approval of my conscience.’

“‘Is your conscience easy now?’

“‘No!’

“‘Why not?’

“‘Because I wronged an innocent lady by my unjust suspicions.’

“The excitement by this time had been wrought up to fever heat, and I could plainly see that an explosion was imminent, unless something was done to prevent it.

“‘Stand aside, Mr. Wallingford!’ exclaimed Flipout in a tone that convinced Quillet that no further trifling would be allowed.

CHAPTER XXXVI

“HARRY passed out of the witness box and left the court-room without looking toward Viola, which it was plain to see was a great disappointment to her, for she followed him with her eyes until he disappeared, and then gave vent to her feelings in tears.

“‘Who is your next witness?’

“‘We have sent for Mrs. Ragland’s maid, as we have just been informed by Mr. Wallingford that she is in possession of some important facts connected with the case.’

“Zuleka Zenobia was half French and half Spanish.

“‘How long have you been serving Mrs. Ragland?’ said Lottie.

“‘Six years.’

“‘Where did you first become acquainted with her?’

“‘At New Orleans.’

“‘Who was she living with then?’

“‘She was living with Mr. Bowles.’

“‘Were they living together as husband and wife?’

“‘Yes.’

“‘Were you at Mr. Ragland’s house on the night that Harry Bramlett died?’

“‘Yes.’

“‘If you saw Mrs. Ragland in Harry Bramlett’s room that night, tell all you know about it.’

“‘About eight o’clock Miss Bramlett came into the kitchen to get some tea for her little brother, and requested me to go after a cup and saucer that were in young Master Bramlett’s room. When I got to the head of the stairs I saw Mrs. Ragland in the room; she had one of the blue papers of medicine in her hand; she laid it down among the other papers and went out through Miss Bramlett’s room.’

“‘Did she see you on that occasion?’

“‘I don’t think she did.’

“‘Did you ever see Mrs. Ragland dressed in one of Miss Bramlett’s gowns?’

“‘Yes, very often; I assisted her to put on a blue silk dress which belonged to Miss Bramlett.’

“‘Where did your mistress go when she had on Miss Bramlett’s blue silk dress?’

“‘She went to meet Mr. Bowles at the summer-house and then accompanied him to his apartments.’

“‘What was Mrs. Ragland’s maiden name?’

“‘Victoria Totten.’

“The loud report of half a dozen pistol shots in rapid succession now came ringing through the court-room, causing a stampede among the spectators, who made a rush for the door.

“‘Go quick, Eddie!’ said Lottie, as she seized my arm, while her whole body trembled. ‘Run quick – it is Bowles and Harry fighting.’

“Policemen came running in from all directions, shouting:

“‘Stop the thief! Catch the murderer! Shoot the villain! Where is he?’

“‘What has happened, Mr. Quillet?’ demanded Flipout, who had rubbed his nose until it was as red as fire.

“‘Ben Bowles made an attempt to assassinate Harry Wallingford; but I am happy to inform your Honor that no serious harm has been done, though the scoundrel, Bowles, has succeeded in effecting his escape. He met Wallingford at the door, as he went out, and slapped him on the mouth; then both parties began to shoot at each other, and Wallingford received a slight flesh wound in the left arm, and Bowles fled. He knocked a man down in the streets, and took the horse that the man was holding, mounted and went north at full speed.’

“‘If your Honor please,’ said the prosecuting officer, ‘I think it is my duty (to perform which will afford me great pleasure) to enter a nolle prosequi in this case, being convinced that this young lady is innocent. She has suffered too much already, and I am unwilling to allow her to spend another night in prison.’

“‘I am much obliged,’ replied Mr. Rockland, ‘to my honorable friend for his kind offer, but we would prefer to have a verdict from the jury.’

“‘Very well, then,’ replied Mr. Quillet, let Miss Bramlett accompany her friends home, and she can return in the morning to hear the verdict – I consent to any plan that will be agreeable to her and her friends.’

“As soon as Mrs. Ragland recovered from the swoon into which she had fallen, the judge ordered the sheriff to remove her to her home, at the same time instructing that officer to have the premises securely guarded until her condition should be such as to justify her imprisonment.

“‘Edward,’ said Lottie, as she smiled through her tears, ‘I want you to assist Viola into the carriage – and you had better escort her home; and when you have done so you will return here as speedily as possible, in order to help me get Harry home. Let mother understand that Harry is not severely hurt, and that there is no cause whatever for alarm; go now and attend to these things as quickly as you can.’

“After escorting Miss Bramlett home, I hurried back to help bring Harry. We had to carry him to the carriage, as he was not able to walk without assistance. His face was as white as it could have been if he had been dead.

“‘Are you suffering very much, brother Harry?’ Lottie inquired as she drew his head down so as to let it rest on her bosom.

“‘Oh, no, not at all.’

“‘I want you to tell me why you did not look at, or speak to, Viola this evening, when you came in the court-room; did you not notice how your conduct distressed her?’

“‘My dear sister, don’t you know that I could not look in that dear girl’s face, if death was to be the penalty of the refusal? You certainly must know how deep is the feeling of contempt that she has for me.’

“‘I am convinced that you have entirely misjudged Miss Bramlett’s feelings toward you, for I happen to know that she is anxious for a reconciliation; and she would not hesitate to make the first advances, if she were not afraid of being repulsed.’

“‘Sister, you seem to have lost sight of the fact that I am a pauper, though I trust you do not expect me to be a beggar. Miss Bramlett’s great fortune has rendered any thought of a marriage between us impossible; beside this, I do not believe I could ever be to her such a husband as she deserves. I have lately received a letter from my attorney at San Francisco, informing me that he has discovered evidence which leads him to think that my Uncle Stanley made a later will, and that, after all, there is a probability that the property was left to me. He advises me to come there immediately, and it is my intention to do so as soon as I am able to endure the fatigues of the journey. If it should be my fortune to inherit my uncle’s estate, I will then be in a condition to sue for Miss Bramlett’s hand.’

“The carriage now drew up to the front gate, and Mrs. Rockland, who had been watching for us, seized Harry in her arms and burst into tears.

“Harry had been supported from the front gate to the house by Lottie and me, as we thought he was too weak to walk alone; but as soon as he came to the steps at the front portico, he suddenly disengaged himself from us, and briskly ran up into the hall. The exertion proved too heavy a tax on his strength, for I noticed that he began to reel.

“Miss Bramlett, who was watching him from the parlor door, sprang quickly forward and caught him in time to check the force of the fall, but her strength was not sufficient to entirely prevent it. When I got to him I discovered that he had fainted, but Miss Bramlett was sitting on the carpet holding his head on her bosom. By this time Lottie came running in, and snatching a bottle of hartshorn from the mantel, she directed Miss Bramlett to hold it to his nostrils; then she moistened her brother’s pale face with eau de Cologne, and in a few moments I saw signs of returning life appear. I was about to lift Wallingford in my arms, with a view of placing him on a bed, when Lottie suddenly seized me by the arm and pulled me into the nearest room.

“‘Come away, Edward,’ she whispered, as she hurried me along; ‘let them alone – don’t you see how tenderly she is nursing him?’

“We took up a position in the adjacent room, where we could observe them through an open window.

“Wallingford opened his eyes, and as they met those of Miss Bramlett, a convulsive shudder shook his body for a moment, then he closed them, and remained silent a long time. When he again opened his eyes I noticed that they were filled with tears.

“‘He is weeping,’ whispered Lottie, as she gave my arm a vigorous pinch; ‘thank Heaven,’ she continued, ‘all is safe.’

CHAPTER XXXVII

“SOON after the court opened next morning I was considerably surprised to see Zuleka Zenobia come hurriedly into the room and deliver a large yellow envelope to Mr. Rockland.

“‘My mistress requested me to deliver this paper to you immediately after the court met this morning,’ said Zuleka, as she put the envelope in Mr. Rockland’s hand.

“The iron lawyer deliberately commenced reading the contents of the letter. I imagined that his hands began to tremble slightly, and I thought I could see a perceptible deepening of the color on his face.

“‘If the court please,’ said he, ‘I hold in my hand a most extraordinary paper, which has just been handed to me by Mrs. Ragland’s maid. This document makes a most startling disclosure. I do not think the contents of this letter ought to be made public, until an officer shall have been sent to inquire about Mrs. Ragland.’

“‘Perhaps her maid can enlighten you as to the condition of her mistress’s health,’ observed Flipout.

“Mr. Rockland then asked the maid if she had seen her mistress that morning.

“‘No,’ said the maid, ‘I have not seen her since eleven o’clock last night. She rang for me at eleven, and gave me the envelope, and told me to deliver it to Mr. Rockland at ten o’clock this morning.’

“‘Mr. Sheriff,’ said Flipout, ‘send a deputy to Mrs. Ragland’s residence immediately and instruct him to report her condition to the court without delay.’

“At last a short, dumpy little deputy with a ponderous nose and bushy hair came dashing into the room, with a face very pale, and excited manner.

“‘If your Honor please, Mrs. Ragland is dead, sir. She has killed herself. The door was locked on the inside, and we had to break it open before we could get in. We found her lying on the bed cold and stiff!’

“‘With your Honor’s permission,’ said Mr. Rockland, ‘I will now read this letter, which will explain everything.’

“‘Read it,’ said the judge.

“‘MR. ROCKLAND:

‘“DEAR SIR – When you read these lines, the hand that wrote them will be cold in death, and my soul will have appeared before its Creator. Perhaps God will have mercy on my sinful soul; for He alone knows how I was tempted and betrayed; and He, I hope, will have pity on a poor, unfortunate wretch like me. There was a time when I was an innocent, artless, confiding girl, the petted child of doting parents. I was the only daughter of Alexander Totten, who died when I was thirteen, leaving a small fortune, though ample for the support of myself and my mother. It is useless to warn other giddy girls to avoid a fate like mine, because until men change their natures unsuspecting girls will continue to listen to the honeyed words of the libertine and the villain. My great fault – the one that led me to destruction – was a love of display, and a fondness for theatres, balls and all kinds of frivolous amusements. Mr. Bowles drove fast horses, and spent money freely – dressed in style, and took me with him to all the balls and other places of amusement within reach. It would be folly to undertake to describe the manner in which I went, step by step, from the temple of honor to the gulf of infamy. It would merely be a reiteration of the old story. I did not leap from the high temple of honor to the bottom of the infamous pit at a single bound, but I went down by slow degrees, until I was at the very bottom.