The Anderson intelligencer. [volume] (Anderson Court House, S.C.) 1860-1914, 1874-07-09
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AN OLD Law WYER'S STORY ;.

AN OLD LAWYERS STORY. :.
A., great many years ago, while was COM
paratirely young man, and still unmarried, /
resided in certain city of Pennsylvania, and
enioyed the reputation of being the cleverest
LAWYER ever known there. Lt is not for me to
saw the praise was merited, but certainly
found myself able to discover loop holes OF
escape for those whom / defended, which sur
prised even my fellow lawyers. possessed oy
nature those qualities which would have mace
an excellent detective, and was tnorougn
student of the law. There was mo. mystery
about it. but among the more ignorant classes l
had Gained a reputation for more than human
EnoVledre. Perhaps it was not polite for them
TO saw the devil helped, but they did.
However, began to tell you about Madame
Matteau. ,..,;
She was an old lady, who owned little house
in the suburbs of the city. She herself was OF
American birth, but her husband had been q
Frenchman, and so the title Madame had been
bestowed upon her. She was now widow, and
her daughter Gabrielle and son Henri were her
only living relatives. Her income was butslen-
der. and she eked it out by taking few board
ers, generally steady old people who had known
her for many years. These respected and liked
her; but the city generally had preudlce
against her. There had been two sudden deaths
in her house. Each time the victim was a
stranger who came at night, and was found
dead in his bed in the morning. Each time
the iury was divided-some believing that
strangulation had been the cause of death,
some that the man had died in fit.
It was a terrible thing that two such deaths
should have occurred beneath her roof
Wadame's friends pitied her. The rest of the
little world hinted that these were strangers,
and their trunks, with no one knew what
amount of money and other valuable property,
remained in Madame's possession. NO one SAID
she was murderess, but every one said it was
tsyery strange in an odd tone, and no one
since that second death had visited Madame
Matteau.
myself-perhaps because had admired her
a great deal, and her daughter much more-had
always insisted that it was merely a coincidence,
and that in world in which apoplexy and heart
disease were so common, it was no such mar
vel that two men should have met sudden
deaths in the same house. But my faith IN this
theory was shaken when one morning 1t was
nnblished over the CITY that another transient
boaftIer had been found dead in Madame Mat
teau's house. and that she was arrested on
suspicion of having murdered him, his watch
and chain having been found in her possession.
Before had recovered from the shock OF this
terrible piece of news, a message came to me
ftom Madame Matteau. She desired to see me.
Of course went to her at once.
She had been taken to prison, and l found
her in little room with barrel window, and
an insufficient fire upon the hearth. The logs
had burnt in two upon the andirons and the
white ashes were scattered over the hearth
Almost in them sat Madame Matteau, IN her
widows dress of sombre black.
She was chilly with grief and excitement,
and had drawn her chair close to the hre.
She shook violently from head to foot, and
her face was deadly pale as she turned it to-
ward me and held out her hand.
so, thank Heaven, you have come j. she
said esI know you can save me. Is it not hor-
.,ible? How could kill man Why should
I? Why do people come to my house to die {?
To die horribly, with black faces and startling
ewes. as if some one had choked them ? Ug n
and he was pretty young man the night be-
fore. Oh, good Heaven, how horrible I"
Isat down beside her. took her hand.
'eMadame Matteau," said, "be calm collect
vonrself AS your lawyer I must know all.
TelI me. from first to last what happened
what was said, what was dcne. If you.
Ipaused; her black eyes had flashed upon
me. Il could not ask her whether she had any
confession to make. saw that she had not.
Unless she was the best actress who ever lived,
Madame Matteau was innocent OF any crime
eff you have any suspicious" l added, tell
them all to me-" -,
"There is no one to suspect" sobbed the
poor woman. ,-,.o-
whom Won have seen old. Hannah, the cook (;
Mr.. and Mrs. Beaachamp, friends of my poor,
dear husband in his boyhood-the best, kindest
neople: Mr.. Gray, very old man, too feeble
10 leave the house; poor, deformed Miss Nor
man, and the librarian, Mr.. Bassford: None
of these would murder mouse. See how
kind they are; they remain in my, house, they
send me word that they have no doubt OF me.
Oh, how can anybodyW
"And this man who" began.
eyes" said Madame Matteau. II will tell
zou: he was fair, young, handsomely dressed !;
he asked Mr.. Bassford at the depot if he knew OF
any one who could accommodate him. Mr.
Bassford brought him home. My only empty
room was the one in which those other Two
strangers died. could not bear to put him
there; but Mr.. Bassford laughed at me. w, we
had supper afterward. He talked long wnlie
to Gabrielle. It was late when he retired
late for q quiet household. Hannah had made
his fre. She came and told us that she had
done so. He said good night.
aAfter he had gone we found that he had
Left his watch on the table. He wore it only
with a bunch of seals, and he had been setting
it by the clock, and showing it to us as some
thing very handsome. I knocked at his door
to restore it to him. He had not left US but
Sfteen minutes before; but he must have been
asleep already, for he made no answer. So l
kept it for the night, and wore it down to
breakfast next morning. AS | came down l
met gentleman in the hall. He inquired Tor
Mr. Glen. That was the new comer's name. L
sent Hannah to wake him. She could not do
so, and grew alarmed She had key that
would open the door, and used it. The next
thing knew we were all in the room and the
windows were wide open, and the doctor had