Daily Kennebec journal. [microfilm reel] (Augusta, Me.) 1870-1975, 1874-09-17
NO. 2l5.
AN OLD LAWYERS STORY.

AN VuD len u 0IVhls
A great many years ago, while / was
comparatively young man, and still un-
married, I resided in a certain city of
Pennsylvania. and enjoyed the reputation
of being the cleverest lawyer ever known
there. 1t is not for me to say the praise
was merted, but certainly found myself
able to discover loop-holes of escape for
those whom / defended which surprised
even my fellow w-lawyers. possessed by
made an excellent detective, and was a
thorough student OF the law. There was
no mystery about it. but among the more
ignorant classes gained reputation for
more than human knowledge. Perhaps
it was not polite for them to say that the
devil helped me, but they did.
However, l 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 French
man, and so the title Madame had been
widow. and her daughter Gabrielle and
son Henri were her only living relatives.
Her income was but slender, and she eked
it out by taking a few boarders, generally
steady old people who had known her for
many years. These respected and liked
her; but the city generally had a prejudice
against her. There had been two sudden
deaths in her house. Each time the VIC
tim was stranger, who came at night,
and was found dead in the morning.
lieving that strangulation was the cause of
hat t1a h. &c.
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 that 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 very strange" in an odd tone. and
no one since that second death had visi-
ted Madame Matteau.
l myself-perhaps because I 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 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 published over the city that another
transient boarder had been found dead in
Madame Matteau's house, and that she
was arrested on suspicion of having mur-
dered him, his watch and chain having
been found in her possession.
Before | had recovered from the shock
S,t hves Ia Ia -E
came to me from 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 excite
ment, and had drawn her chair close to
the fire.
She shook violently from head to foot,
and her face was deadly pale as she turned
it toward me and held out her hand.
"Oh, thank heaven, you have come |"
she said: 81 know you can save me. Is
it not horrible ? How could kill man?
Why should 1? Why do people come to
my house to die? To die horribly. with
black faces and starting eyes. as if some
one had choked them Ughp and he was
a pretty young man, the night before.
Oh, good heavens how horrible ?"
l sat down beside her. l took her
hand. MADAME Matteau,"I said, .be
calm collect yourself. As your lawyer
must know all. Tell me, from first to
last, what happened-what was said, what
was done. If you-"
l paused; her black eyes had flashed
upon me. l could not ask her whether
she had any confession to make. I saw
that she had not, unless she was the best
actress who ever lived. Madame Mat
teau was innocent of any crime.
"if you have any suspicious" l added,
"tell them all to me-
There is no one to suspect" sobbed
the poor woman. I'm the house were
Gabrielle, my daughter, whom you have
seen; old Hannah, the cook; Mr.. and
Mrs. Beauchamp, friends ofmy poor, dear
husband in his boyhood-the best, kindest
people; Mr.. Gray, very old man, too
feeble to leave the house poor, deformed
Miss Norman, and the librarian, Mr..
Bassford. None of these would murder
mouse. See how kind they are; they re-
main in my house; they send me word
that they have no doubt of me. Oh. how
can anybody"
'And this man who" began.
Eyes" said Madame Matteau. IL
will tell you: he was fair, young hand.
somely 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. l could not bear to put
him there, but Mr.. Bassford laughed at
me. We had supper afterward. He
talked a long time to Gabrielle. Il was
late when l retired-late for quiet house.
hold. Hannah had made his fire. She
came and told us that she had done so.
He said good night.
after he had gone we found he had left
his watch on the table. He wore it with
bunch Of seals, and he had been setting Il
by the clock, and showing it to us a. some-
hing handsome. knocked at his door to
restore it to him. He had not left us but
fifteen minutes before but he must have