Staunton vindicator. [volume] (Staunton, Va.) 1860-1896, 1874-09-04
AN OLD LAWYERS STORY.

AAA'1--J ''s'S
comparatively a young man, and still I'M
married, Presided in a certain city of Penn
sylvania, and enjoyed the reputation Of
being the cleverest lawyer ever known
there 1t is not for me to say the praise
was merited, but certainly found myself
able to discover loop-holes of escape for
those whom defended, which surprised
even my fellow lawyers. was possessed by
nature those qualities which would have
made an excellent detective, and l was a
thorough student of the law. There was
no mystery about it, but among the more
ignorant classes [ had gained a reputation
for more than human knowledge. Per-
hs.ps it was not polite for them to say that
the devil helped, but they did.
However, I began to tell you about
Madame Matteau..
She was an old lady, who owned little
honse in the suburbs of the city. She her.
self was of American birth, but her hus-
band had been Frenchman, and so the
title Madame had been bestowed upon her.
She was now a widow, and her daughter
Gabrielle and son Henri were her only liy-
ing relatives. Her income was but slen-
der, and she eked it out by taking few
boarders, generally steady old people who
had known her for many years. These re-
spected and liked her bnt the city gener-
ally had prejudice against her. There
had been two sudden deaths in her house.
Each time the victim was stranger who
came at night, and was found dead in his
bed in the morning. Each time the jury
was divided-some believing that strangu-
lation had been the cause of death, some
that the man had died in fit.
1t was terrible thing that two such
deaths should have occurred beneath her
roof. Madame's friends pitied her. The
rest of the little world limited that. these
were strangers, and their trunks, with no
one knew what amountof money and other
valuable property, remained in Madame IS
possession. No one said she was muir
deress, but every one said it was every
strange" in an odd tone, and no one since
that second death had visited Madame
Matteau.
myself-perhaps because I had admir-
ed her great deal, and her daughter much
more-had always insisted that it was
merely coincidence, and that in world
in which apopleXy and heart disease were
SO common, it was no such marvel that two
men should have met sudden deaths in the
same house. But my faith in this theory
was shaken when one morning it was pub
lished over the city that another transient
| boarder had been found dead in Madame
Matteau's house, and that she was arrest
ed on suspicion of having murdered him
his watch and chain having been found in
her possession.
Before I had recovered from the shock
Of this terrible piece of news, message
came to me from Madame Matteau. She
at once.
She had been taken to prison, and ]
found her in little room with barred
| window, and an insufficient fire upon the
hearth. The logs had burnt in two upol
the andirons, and the white ashes were
scattered over the hearth. Almost in then
sat Madame Matteau, in her Widows dress
( of sombre black.
She was chilly with grief and excite
ment, and had drawn her chair close tt
the fire.
She shook violently from head to foot
and her face was deadly pale as she turnet
it toward me and held out her hand.
% thank Heaven, you have come!' sh
said I know you can save me. Is it no
horrible How could kill man? VIII.
should I ? Why do people come to m.
house to die? To die horribly, with blacl
faces and startling eyes, as if some one ha
choked them? Ugh! and he was a prett
young man the night before. Oh, goo
Heaven, how horrible! =
I sat down beside her, I took her hano
Madame Matteau,' I said, 'be calm
collect yourself. AS your lawyer I mus
know all. Tell me, from first to last, wha
happened-what was said, what was done
If you,
Ipaused; her black eyes had flashed VI
on me. I could not ask her whether sf
had any confession to make. l saw tina
she had not. Unless she was the best az
: ress who ever lived. Madame Mattea1
was innocent Of any crime.
IF you have any suspicious l addet
tell them all to me-
There is no one to suspect sobbed tt
kpoor woman,