The weekly Oskaloosa herald. [volume] (Oskaloosa, Iowa) 1855-1885, 1873-10-30

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he felt the wound produced by it.
Not much was to be gained from
this quarter, and the amatuer solver
Of criminal puzzles set himself Il
watch the inmates of the boarding
house. He soon decided that j
murder or suicide had been commit
ted, one of the four witnesses at thC
inquest who resided IN the house
ought to be able to throw more ligh
upon the matter. As for the rest o.
the boarders, he was convinced tha
none of them had no connection
however remote, with the tragedy
Being an intelligent, unmarried and
unbelieying person, he naturally de
cided that the apparently disconso
late widow was the most probable
eulprit, if Mr. Auderson's death was
the fault of no one but himself He
therefore made her the first subject
of his Investigations.
Mrs. Anderson was not over TWEEN
ty.three years of age, and was unde
niably very pretty woman. She
had been married about two years
when her husband died, and in the
opinion of their acquaintances al
Mrs. Burntash's, where they had re.
sided ever since their marriage, was
exceedingly devoted to him, while
he was passionately fond of her.
They had no children, and Mr. An.
derson was evidently in possession
of considerable fortune This will
| showed that it amounted to some
S80,000) Everybody spoke well OF
Mrs. Anderson as quiet, well-bred
woman, ofrather strict but scarcely
purltanical principles. Could this
woman have murdered her husband
Mr.. Pryor soon satisfied himself
that she had not directly driven the
dagger into his heart, for he had no
reason to doubt the alibi which she
had proved at the inquest. Had she
employed or instigated some one to
perpetrate the crime? There was no
motive perceptible which could have
led her TO play so Infamous and haz.
ardous game of hiring assassins. -
Her husband treated her with all the
| devotion that a woman could desire,
and his death could in no apparent
way improve her position Had she
lover, and was his the hand that
carried out her secret murderous de-
sire Not breath Of scandal at
tached to her name, even in large
boarding house. She knew but few
gentlemen, and never went out ex-
cept in company with her husband
or his brother. Mr.. Pryor sadly re-
linquished his hopes that this exemp-
larry women might be the murderess,
and contented himself with chasing
her under the head of "factors elm
mated from his problem"
! Next ne turned his attention to
Mr.. Banks, the man who had quar-.
relied with Mr.. Anderson. he was a
young broker, quite a handsome and
elegant young fellow, engaged in a
profitable business, and general IA
vorite among women. He was hot
tempered man. tond of billiards and
champagne He could hardly be
called a dissipated man, though he
was not by any means ''serious
minded" person. A very little study
OF this easily guaged character con.
vinced Mr.. Pryor that be was not
the sort of stuff of which murderers
are made, and he was about to class
him also as an eliminated quantity
when he accidentally learned from Q
communicative chambermaid that be
was not in the parlor at the time o
Mr.. Anderson's death, in spite of the
testimony of Mrs. Stein to that eff
feet. The chambermaid had enter
ed the parlor to search for something
she had mislaid, and found it unoc
cupied She told this, not to cas-
suspicion on the young man, but on
Of dislike to Mrs. Stein, whom sht
agreed in cordially hating, chief,
because of her pers s.stence III de
manding pitcher of ice water ever,
evening
Here was certainly clue at last
A witness at the inquest had commit
et1 perjury. What could be NOR
suspicious She evidently had som'
powerful motive in proving an alb
either for herself or Mr.. Banks.
either case there was reason TO sus
pect that one or the other was i
some way connected with the tragt
dy or murder, as the amatuer detec
tive was nearly ready to call it
greatly encouraged by this first trac
of the criminal or criminals, he i'm
mediately took pains to convert hi
slight acquaintance with Mrs. Stei
into as close an intimacy as possible
She was handsome accomplish
ed woman of the world, anywher
from twenty eight to ihirty-fve year
of age. She had no relations tha
ever made themselves visible, an,
was apparently quite alone in tn
world. 1t was not long ere Mr.. Pry
or came to the opinion that she wa
woman of unusual GOODNESS an,
nerve precisely the sort of perso
to play a dangerous and difficGl
game to a successful end. He gre'
much Interested in her as a natura
study, and while nothing was fnrtt
er from his thoughts than the leas
idea of sentiment in connection wit
, her, he paid her such close attention
: that the boarders one and all, settle
into conviction that he was despeI
ately in love.
She often showed rare ability
conversational fencing, and coul
ward off subject which she di
not wish to discuss, with infnit
: skill. Yet she never showed th
slightest hesitation in talking of NJ
Anderson's mysterious death an
she did not hesitate to express he
opinion that he had been murdered
This rather puzzled Mr.. Pryor. fla
she any guilty knowledge of th
affair, as her deliberate perjur
would seem to indicate, she woul
naturally be averse to discuss it, an
would at all events endeavor to fo
ter the idea that it was a case
suicide. With all his efforts
: could draw nothing from her whic
, in any way aided him in the task h
had assumed when he entered th
, honse. BY closely watching her b
had, however, learned something
: her capacities as intriguer. Latterl
I he had been attacked, so ne az
: nonnced, with insomnia, and in b
; restlessness frequently took tur
! ! Il Al l. Ill