Weekly Mail

f FAMOUS TRIALS. !IAltTHA ALDEN FOR THE JI-URDER OF HER HUSBAND. 'H ',3 I ^rild and atrocious*' were the words j ■the 0„ "be judge to express his opinion of W»Klm £ wl,ioh seri^ Samuel -Al<ien, of Atfcle- ^T°rfoIk, to an early grave. The °nly ereatet» the greatest excitement, not ^ie little liamlet m which it was The* but also throughout the country. dmcovlrcunist4Ulces were so mysterious, rive «rreat body so tragic, and the ] ^sio if ^le ™'e 80 unexpected. Con- puj)jj11 "7 the guilty woman alone eased the Aiden 111 a great burden. Samuel of jjj atK' his wife were in a humble station Uajj^h e" He was a labouring individual, a'Qd h'1" nw' worse than his associates, | or 118 Wlf\, ,ya.s never noted for any virtues j Wo ^hey jogged along as happily as be Pers°ns of indifferent dispositions may hot-tJ^f0^ *'°. d°- He was a good-natured, t\ lant ?ere<i individual; his wife a petu- 0ae' times violently-disposed, creature. tak&rT rc^ay night Aiden appears to have t}le" .°re beer than was good for Jiiin at had to^8 White Horse public-house, and Uajy.gj be taken home by a companion them draper. There Mrs. Aiden received his > e,XPreSN6tl neither joy nor sorrow at! s] i/^on' but conducted him upstairs. itw.-e la'*l never know what really pa-ssed be- thTL2*><>- before her execution tiiev j1Ul'ieie"ss. st'a,ted that on getting to bed to b<rt i a vi°'e;|t quarrel; Aiden threatened the r rer.' anti at that instant she formed in»ly fe^ution of destroying him. Accord- turnl] ran into the adjoining room, re- | Ix,^ with a bill-hook, which she aeld in f&rej hands, and, striking liim on the i too distantly killed him. Aiden was fa.ll' swpefied by drink to prevent the cxow &> and thus died in this awful c(;- di- Tl Tl Wa-S no sleep for the murderess That Upon' |i^ ?ier thoughts were concentrated rtip.), disposal of the. body, by which ftilW- *^le hoped to bide her crime. The is li lsaes'i with which she set about her work a vvful' faofc of this fearful cripxe. HSiC(,f^ Hdl had that morning to visit a I at hting village. He started his journey Paw"'62 °'0'°ck in the morning, and when <lilS Aiden's door was startled to see iy ,qu; Aiden. No doubt, Mrs. Alden was ^0 tl but she did not show it. ok;»J contrary, -with great gaiety she ex.- ed, ''Well, I could not think v hat Co a.lt YOUII" man it was coming down the a,!} 111011 •" Hill, being very suspicious that Krj w'as not right, replied, "Martha, of i, ^he. devil are you up to at .this aime hj,^8 niQraing ?" And, being totally unpre- •Wl''b any connected story which would ii?4 ,1Qv6t,tigation later, the woman said she sou,. n down to the pit in her garden for a.frav W8*er> and that her husband had gone 'la4' ,fUe nc>^ know where. As Hill f lie ^v' e^ no question about her husband, F not satisfied, and, being a 'cute indi- go j remained a little longer. He did not tbe house, but, the door being °fctli' 116 saw on hearth a heap of slie Pa asking what was under these, said that her little boy was husk? ,™ere, a ad then, reverting to her to Jv -Saif' ^bat he had a brother going him 8tX' aQtl i'a(^ &Avorn he would go with to ila All Hill knew that Alden had agrsed ta,rYGs.t in Attleborough his fears that c-ll 110^ ri8;b/fc increased. He, however, E^eo/ i/'e*nai'ied that if he had gone to V' "I tn would not come back to harvest. Vro^ will never come back," was the UUiQ 1 °n^v comment- t, „ bere left, but the conversation made .wipr&ssion upon him, and his nar- hajLl it at the trial did much to put the rouild the neck of the accused. The beQaJ' of disposing of the body at once Strailo,e absolute, and with this object this yolln°e woman sought the assistance of a <Joa;iK Sirl named Mary Orrioe. The perfect Ofta .wliich this" gjir"! showed is the extraordi-nary features feS «»«• K.e Hot if ■ axLy poiver over her or vi-ag ls impossible to say. but her conduct evicj °P6a to much speculation. When giving bad }fe 111 the trial she stated that she gOod acquainted with the prisoner a ho|Vs 'ile, and had frequently been at her Mti, i Sunday prisoner asked her to go the' ^'be house. Whsn she got there ^(jPnsoaer said, "I have killed my has- sh0l' ahd. taking her into the bedroom, ^e&d ^-be body lying on the bed quite She three great wounds on the head. 11) 'I'risQj,80 a book on the floor, all bloody, »ad a+e^ ^ien produced a common corn sack, tlin ber request the witness held it, whilst l,ri^n?f0I)ier Pu^ ^be body into it.. The ^len carried the body from the 'nit J1?' tbrough the passage and kitchen, Sllfroii >•' bouse across the road to the -'itch Hft-ep iu& .the garden, and left it there, »"itu»- i?w*n £ some mould over it. 'lhe t^11- the prisoner, and went to prisoner slept that night at wit- ^ght ^ber's house. On the following ^twe^n nine and te<n o'clock, the ^,as again ;ili company with the pri- 8aw her remove the body of her was a small man, from the r^rdeoa to the pit on the common, ^cR. herself alo-ng the ground in tke S°I3er si t ^le arrived ait the pit the pri- s5°t the bo;dy into it out of the i-ack, •+ le tipvf6 a^erwards carried away with her. ■ the > lnf)i'nin,g (Tuesday) witness went ?n?Qner'e house and assisted in clean-j taking- some warm water, and i.11 ^Ci'^ping the wall next the bed. 'fit-n 801116 loose straw, and told vJ'0j:v s^be would carry and tlirow it li in -tso'n's ditoh, because it was f ^be prisoner bade the witness to ^r, jf sav aj word about the matter, (the witness) would cer- ft will oufc. and. de^pite- ihe pre- pfir stran murdieress and the silence of °r> ac^omplice, the body was' dis- J;^ does pot appear that, up to .•«'fVf ii^uvies':&jbe(«i'iu»d« about:

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MY COUSIN. My cousin Elsa had, I am sorry to say, grown into a provocative woman, with a dirty complexion and a. tendency to hint on insufficient evidence that men whom she met were in love with her. She gave these hints to a confidante, and the con- fidante always told the men, and the men as a rule were very Angry. Sometimes they complained to roe. She was just pretty enough to make her story probable, and this was exasperating..1 pointed out to them that Elsa was the kind of girl that had to do something to make her mother suffer, that there was no authentic instance of anyone who knew her well having taken her seriously, and that it was best to bear cuietly with the ways of women. I did what I could. I told her tlijlt it was vulgar to pose as the car of Juggernaut, but although she is quite vulgar enough to consciously avoid vulgarity, she would not see it. I came upon her late one night at one of her mother's parties when nearly everyone had gone. She was wearing the most affected clothes, liquid eyes, and a small pout. "Poor little me she said- in her favourite girl of four manner, "what have I done? I feel positively certain that Mr. Wysloup will kill me." "Yes?" "Indeed, yes and yes and yes! He would take me into supper, and ever since if I said a. word to any other man he has scowled at me in a positively murderous way." "Elsa," I said, "I will give you six lessons in the art of implication for a shilling. It is cheap, but I hate to see you doing things inartistically. It is all right with me, of course, but I fancy that you had better not tell other people that Wysloup is in love with yon-" 'T never said he was. And why mustn't I tell?" "Because Wysloup is dangerous." "Oh! Why dangerous? Then I think I" will." She did, and Wysloup heard of it. He is connected with the proprietor of the Wysloup multiplex sock. The multiplex sock is, if one may trust the advertisement, an added luxury to life and cannot wear out. It has certainly conferred more fortune than honour, upon the nephew of the proprietor. If in your ignorance you cheerily ask Wysloup if he is connected with the multi- plex sock, he will tell you frankly that he is its nephew. But when once he knows that you are aware of the connection he does sot permit any further reference to it. For instance, Denner happened once to be talking at the club about the possibility that he might have to leave the house., A cer- tain, railway tod a great envy t<> go tlirpugh I his front garden. Someone asked him if he felt anxious about it. his front garden. Someone asked him if he felt anxious about it. "Yes," said Denner, "I am in a state of the most awful suspense, like my multiplex socks." Wysloup was present and heard this, but he said nothing. Later, at whist, Major Birdmount-who is all liver and sus- picions—was coupled with Wysloup against Drisfield and Denner. The major is quite unable to believe in extraordinary luck at whist unless it happens to come to himself. He would distrust his own mother if she had seven trumps. Consequently, it was unfor- tunate that Denner commenced by dealing himself the whole of. the thirteen. With great difficultv the major held, his tongue • and spoke nothing, but his face darkened. Denner was greatly surprised. Wysloup smiled a faint ghost of a smile. Pre- sently Denner noticed that the major was watching him intently. As Denner is; a. perfectly ordinary and honest man he i was naturally annoyed. But in spite of; his honesty when it came to Denner's turn! to deal again he dealt himself eleven trumps with the ace and king- of another suit. He could hardly believe his eyes. He flung down his cards and won the rubber. As the major rose to go he said, "My chi'l- dren had been meaning to take me to the Egyptian-hall to-night, but whist's good enough for me." No man probably likes to have it implied that he is cheating for the sake of shilling points at whist. Denner was furious and losit no time in making the major very much less vague and very much more humble, j but be was, nevertheless, exceedingly annoyed about it. Of course it may not have been Wysloup that- was responsible, but I have noticed that those who vex him genera,lb- get punished, and he can do anything with the cards. Besides\. Wysloup was very busy losing money to the major at ecarte on the fcl- lowing day. Now, the major cannot play ecarte, and Wysloup cnn. This was: uie only occasion on which it had occurred to me that Wysloup had the battered relics of a con- science. I was curious to see how he would take n-v cousin Elsa's audacity. She had hinted at Wysloup's dewotion in aconversatiqnwith young Cecil Banks. Banks is a. repeater. He told Wysloup all about it. Further, he told jve that he had told Wysloup. Now, I thought, Wysloup wiU cut her dead and make no secret why he does it, or he will set some scandal afloat about her. He did nothing of- the kind. He treated her with the n'.ost delicate and ce- Spectful attention. He took every eharce of meeting her. He seemed at first to desire nothing more than to be for ever her humble and silent worshipper. Once or twice as she stepped from the car- riage up the strip of carpet, to SOlne party to which Wysloup had not been invited she saw him standing in the crowd, half in shadow, cloaked, watching her with raptured eyes and a romantic, air/as impressive as the advertise- ments of the niultiplex sock. On the occasions When he did meet her he by no means mono- polised her. He took with humble gratitude as much of her society as she vouchsafed to him. He remembered and showed her that he remembered every word she said and every preference that she expressed. He was reve- rent and chivalrous witn her. His manner was perfect, He was splendid. He was Eliza- bethan. v I do not think Elsa. had been treated with abnormal reverence before. She luxuriated in it. She ceased to say anything that could imply that Wysloup was fond of her, yet she talked a good deal of him. She told me one night that he was the only man she knew. who had a really noble nature. I said "All right, but let it stop at that. Don't marry him." She said ecstatically that one would not marry Sir Galahad. I said that I had never tried. Then she told nie that I was vulgar, which was fairly true. Of course, a week or two afterwards she Came to me with a letter in her hand. "You know," she began, "that poor. dear mamma does not like Mr. Wysloup. She asks him to do things sometimes because I make her, but she hates him." "Yes ?" "Well, I'm in great trouble.^ He's written to m»—a proposal, and 1 have accepted him. .Oh! oh! I hadn't expected it, and I'm not worthy, and I never called anyone Algernon, I qii before" in my life. I want you to break it to mamma, and tell her it's all right." "You won't like it. He's going abroad to look after the Colonial interests of the multi- plex sock. You had better write and say that you've changed your mind. What's that letter yau've got; there?" "It's .'his. ? It's the letter. I Can't Mar to let it get out of my hands." "The address on the envelope," I said, "is not in Wysloup's writing." "Well, it is the satne as the writing in the inside and the same as the acceptances }» wrote to our invitations, I WMh we hadn't' destroyed them." ,¡ I went to a drawer and pulled out a sheet of. notepaper. "There,' I said, "I saw Wysloup; write that and sign it. Compare it with the, letter. I hare known Wyaloup's handwriting.: for years. I It took me time to convince her, but I did, it. She became illogical. She said that Wysloup ou^life to be ashaiaed of himself* anil} that it obviously was not he who had played her the trick and that I was much to blame for introducing him to her—which, by the way, I never did. She also said that it would kill her. but it didn't. This is the reply she received to her accep-, Stance in Wysloup's own handwriting:- Dear Miss Harding-I gather from your letter that some person has been writing to you a proposal in my name, and that you have been a victim of a vulgar practical joke. I must thank you for the very warm and flat- tering expressions that you used about me, and I am indeed sorry that I cannot plead a right to them. But I shall hope to be always a brother to you. It came to my knowledge a few months ago that you had coupled my name' with yours in a very unjustifiable way. I shall therefore retain your letter as a host- age-. As Ion? a.s you refrain from taking such liberties in the future no one will see that letter but. myself. Again apologising for my inability to he to you all that you would wish, I remain vours respectfully, ALGERNON WYSLOUP." Elisa .spent a. vast amount of tears, gasps, and torn handkerchiefs over this letter. "How dare a, man. say that he will be mv brother?" she exol.aimèd.. Then she once more referred to the probability of her immediate decease. Wysloup left England a few days after- ward, and we never found cut whom lie had got to write the letters for him. For all we knew he may have disguised his own hand- writing. When Elsa. married Sir Peter a year after- ward Wysloup sent her as a wedding present a gold bonbonniere with her love letter folded inside it. He once more showed the relics of a conscience. A few weeks afterward I caught E-sa speak- ing of Wysloup to a dear friend. "Yes," said Elsa. sweetly, "there was some- thing between us, but it could never be., He left England, yon know, directly afterward. I do so hope that his life is not quite spoiled." n So Elsa, after this was never hampered even by the relics of a conscience.—"Sketch."

A TALE OF THE CES ARE WITCH, A Pilot hailing from the Theobald's road, having had too much Brandy, that caused him to have Red Eyes, met and insulted Molly Morgan in Bushey Park. A Red Ei)r.igui having witnessed the scene, told him that he was not a Nobleman to strike a female. He then turned round and .stig- matised him as a Son of a Gun, for which he was made a. Pris,nuer and ordered by King Charles to be taken to the Neweourt. Amandier, who was guarding him, slung some Old Boots at him and made him think there had been an Earthquake. He told Ra.Iph Neville, who was there with him, that he served with Bitrna by in the Vanguard. His story not being believed somebody struck him on the head with' a. lump of Concrete, aad lie was unceremoniously told to go to the Luminous Casbleblaney, where he could study Euclid and eat Watercress. He asked that Lady might be appealed to with a view to getting a reprieve for him, but she replied lie ought to have a Golden Drop. Seeing there was no hope, for him, he laid down.to sleep. That night he had a strange dteam. He thought that lie was dead, 3.11d his wife, Helen Ware, had drawn his Insu- rance money.

ASTONISHING VANITY. Vain people sometimes do extraordinary things to obtain the notice without which life is a desert. •■' One Sunday, Baudelaire, the eccentric French poet, painted his haii green, and in that state went to see Maxime du Camp. The latter, .knowing the poet's insane vanity, pretended not to notice his strange condition. Baudelaire thereupon stood and looked a.t himself in front of mirror, stroked his hair with his hand, and did his best to attract Du Camp's attention. At last, unable any longer to control him- self, lie said: "Do you see nothing extra- ordinary in my appearance?" "No." 'But my hair is dyed greeen^and that is unusual." "Everybody's hair is more o-r less green," Du Oamp replied coolly "now, if your hair was sky Hue,. ,1 might, perhaps, be as- tonished. But one may see green hair iinder many a hat in Pan's' Baudelaire, Utterly bewildered by this unusjial treatment, took his departure very: stoon afterward3,. and meeting, a friend in the courtyard, said to him: "I recommend you not to goaindseeDu Camp t<M§ay; he is in a vile temper!"

Young Lady: Öh, papa, you must let me go to the concert! You know 1,. am so fond of music 1 ( Juvenile Brother: Theii why don't you let me play on my banjo ? "No, Mr. Brouson, I cannot consent to your marrying my daughter." "But wha-t isyourobjection to me, Mr. Twemhlow ?" "I: haven't, ahy, but my daughter has, and iHe revested nue io wllypú so/1

II USE FRYfS PURE CONCENTRATED COCOA. Heal,th says .—"FRY'S PURE CoNCENfBATBB COCOA is remarkable for its absolute purity, its nutritive value, its pleasant taste, and its pro* perty of ready assimilation." The Medical Annual says:—"There is no,' beverage which can so confidently be recoup mended." 72 PRIZE MEDALS AWARDED T4 J. S. FRY AND SONS, BRISTOL, LONDON, AND SYDNEY.'

THE SEVEN OF CLUBS, i Colonel Judson was a. poker player in every sense of the term, and he played at times for some very high stakes. During the last eleven years, however, Colonl Jud< son lias never had a card in his hand. Ia the last game he played he had an experience which knocked all the love of the game oul of him. The Colonel, at the time the mci< dent to which allusion has been made oci. curred, was in Washington, D.C., and then a.mong the nation s representatives, he foum} many congenial spirits and many good pokes players. The Colonel was in his element; for all these gentleme.n were heavy players, and the limit could never be set too high for Colonel Judson. One night, just eleven years ago this month, a party was formed and a great game ensued. There were five players en- gaged, and for the first two hours' nothing of moment tiransipirod. The game moved smoothily along, the Colonel, however, seem. ing to be exceptionally lucky, particularly in drawing to his hand. It had ever been a principle with Colonel Judteon on such seasons to press it to the limit, and he felt that, this night his lucky star was shining with more than ordinary brilliancy. The smallest chip was worth a 'cool hun- dred dollars, and the game was two call five. A jack pot was in progress and tha betting had bee en pretty large before th| draw; there was close to 20,000 dollars in the pot. All five players had stayed in and contributed to make it that amount, and, <11 may be easily surmised, there were soma excellent hands around the table to draw to. Two of the players stood pat, one of them having an eight high straight flush in hearts, and the other a full hand, three tens and a pair of jacks. Two others each drew two cards, and one made four three's, and the other a flush. Colonel Judson held the five, six, eight, and nine of clubs, and the five, of diamonds, On the draw he discarded his diamond, hoping for a seven spot, and with of diamonds, On the draw lie discarded his diamond, hoping for a seven spot, and with the luck he had been having at the draw he felt that he might reasonably hope for the seven of clubs. He held his four e.ubs in his right he neI, awl picking up his draw with his left he placed it on the bot- tom of the others. He then separated hia hand the veriest trifle, skinned it over, as the old player says, and could hardly re- strain a momentary gleam of satisfaction as he caught sight of a small seven and & club on the margin of the last ca-rd. It was his kt and he added a single chip to the pile in front. The man with the straight heart flush bet next, and he raised the Colonel 500 dollars. It was raised sue- cessively all around to the Colonel ag.1111. He saw the others, and made a raise of 1,000 dollars. The Colonel's formidable op- ponent next him chipped in a thousand and 5,000 dollar's besides. This seared the player with the flush out, and lie threw down his hand. The full hand and the four three's called, but the Colonel saw the five thousand, and raked the same amount. Back again came the next man, feeeling safe with his straight flush, and lie raised the Colonel 10,000 dollars.- Out of the game went the other two, the. man with the four doing so with misgivings, but he felt that three's were not big enough figures to meet those on the table. Then began a wary struggle for soma minutes between the Colon! and the re- maining player, until an enc-imous amount of chips and mony were piled up. Finally, the Colonel, whose stock seemed unamrted, sized up his opponent's pile, and he began to feel like a robber. After a heavy bet on the part of the other man, he called, and it almost, raised his hair on end to see him lay down his straight flush. "Pretty good hand." he exclaimed, "1 don't wonder you bet it heavy; it ain't good e.nough,t.lwugh; my straight flush just tops it one figure," and the Colonel spread out his hand on the table while he readied for th great heap of wealth before him. "Hold on tihere. Colonel," said the other man; "that ain't your pot; you haven't a straight nush; "four clubs and one spade don't make it." Colonel Judson looked at his hand as i-a lay there spread out on the table and he saw he had lost. His seven was the seven of spados, but by some unaccountable mis- print the marginal indicator made it tile seven of clubs. The loss was- very heavy, Jaut it did not break Colonel Judson so far "as money went. But it broke his heart for the game, however, and lie lias never played since. Had the stake been our portfolio of photo- graphs, the loss would liavee been very heavy though in our game the ante and the limit is so trifling it cannot worry anyone. These views a,re very valuable, eilther, as a feature I of entrtainment or instruction. There are sixteen in each porfolio. The series is worth £5. And yet we give them for six penny postage stamps. See our offer on another page and then cut out the coupon.

ANYTHING BUT AN "ADONIS." It is no sin not to be well up in the das- sics. ie Dutton was nofe But h. loved a fair girl in the country. In fact, he loved two of them. These two felt emo. tions of love ttowairds Charlie, and they quart-relied about- him like two Kilkenny Gats. The consequence was, all three were brought into court. Charlie, being the causa, of the struggle, was thus addressed by tha beak: "And so these women were fighting about. y&u?" "I hdievjs so, sir." "Yon are a sort of Adonis, then?" "Sir?" -in- quired Charlie, his eyes protuding, and a shade of pallor creeping into his face. "You are an Adonis," the. magistrate repeated. "Oh, no, sir—never as had as that But I've been in WInson Green OBOe, for stealing a, dDg. • ■

Mrs. Newed: Henry, the new coc-k of ours is some relation. to the one we just dis- charged. Mr. Newed: Great Caesar! how you know? Mrs; Newed Well, the polioemEUi on thif 'beat I? her cousin, too.- J i .4

the murdered man. Sarah Leader, a widow woman, was the person who brought the crime to light. On Tuesday night follow- ing the crime she went out of her house upon the common to look ff)" come ducks she had missed. She found them on a small pit. Near this pit there was another of a larger size, and in this greater pit, or pond, she saw sc-mething lying which attracted her atten- tion. She went to the edge of the pond and touched it with a stick, upon which it sunk and rose again. But the plac-s being shaded, she could not discover what it was, and went home for the night. The next morning, however, she returned to the spot, and again touched with a stick the substance, which still lay almost covered with water. She then, to her great terror, saw the two hands of a maai appear, with the arms of a shirt stained with blood. She instantly con- cluded that a man had been thrown in there murdered, and, calling to a lad to go and acquaint the neighbourhood with the circum- stance, went ba ck in great alarm to her own house. In a quarter of an hour she returned I again to the pond, and found that in her absence the body had-been taken out. She then knew it to be the body of Samuel Aiden. His face was dreadfully chopped, and his head cut very nearly off. The body was put. | into a cart and carried to the house of the deceased. After hea,ring this and other testimony, the jury returned a verdict of guilty, and I the death sentence was duly passed. The behaviour of the wretched woman during her trial, as well as before it, appeared m a lamentable degree to be influenced by a hardened and remorseless spirit. After- wards, however, she confessed the crime for which she was to suffer, and she, further acknowledged that the girl Orvice had no concerllwhateverin the murder, and only assisted at her request in putting the body of her husband into the sack. This unhaowy female was executed in the presence of an immense concourse of spectators, and her conduct at the last moment was becoming her awful situation.