The Pulaski citizen. [volume] (Pulaski, Tenn.) 1866-current, 1874-08-13
AN OLD LAWYERS STORY.

AN NAD LA W 4 ia - S1UhI.
A great many years ago, while I was
comparatively young man, and still
unmarried, l Csided in a certain CITY of
Pennsylvania, and enjoyed the reputa-
ton Of being the cleverest lawyer ever
known there. It is not for me to saw
the praise was merited, but certainly
found myself able to discover loon
holes of escape for those whom I de-
Tended, which surprised even nv
fellow lawyers. 1 possessed by nature
those qualities which would have made
an excellent detective, and 1 was a
thorough student of the law. There
was no mystery about it, but among
the more ignorant classes I had gained
a reputation for more than human
knowledge. Perhaps it was not polite
for them to say that the devil helped,
but they did.
However, began to tell you about
Mme Matteau.
She was an old lady, who owned a
little house in the suburbs of the CITY.
She herself was of American birth, but
her husband had been a Frenchman.
and so the title madame had been be-
slowed upon her. She was now a
widow, and her daughter Gabrielle and
her son Henri were her only living rel
atives. 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 victim
was a stranger who came at night and
was found dead in his bed In the morn
ing Each time the jury was divided
some believing that strangulation
had been the causes 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 pittied her.
The rest of the little world limited that
these were strangers, and their trunks,
with no one knew how muUh money and
other valuable property, remained in
madame's possession. No one said she
was a murderess, but every one said it
was livery strange" in an odd tone,
and no one since that second death had
visited Nine. Matteau.
myself-perhaps because I had ad-
mired her great deal, and her daugh-
ter much mOre-had always insisted
that in a world in which apoplexy and
heart disease were so common, it was
no such marvel that two men should
have met such sudden deaths in the
same house. But my faith in this theO-
ry was shaken when one morning it was
published over the city that another
transient boarder had been found dead
IN Nine. Matteau's house, and that she
was arrested on suspicion of having
murdered him, his watch and chain
having been found in her possession.
Before l had recovered from the
shock of this terrible piece of news,
message came to me from Nine. Mat
teau. She desired to see me. OF course
went to her at once.
She had been taken to prison and /
found her in a little room with a barred
window, and an insufficient fire upon
the hearth. The logs had burnt in two
upon the andirons, and the white ashes
we're scatie cred over the hearth. Almost
In them sat Nine. 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
where hand.
"Oh, thank heaven, you have comel"
she said 81 know you can save me.
Is 1t not horrible? How could kill
man Why should /? Why do peo-
pie come to my house to die? To die
horribly, with black faces and starting
eyes, as if somebody had choked them?
Ugh and he was pretty young man
the night before. Oh, good heaven,
how horriblel"
l sat down behind her. I took her
hand.
:. Nine. 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"
lpaused her black eyes had flashed
upon me. I could not ask her whether
she had any confession to make. l saw
mat she had not. Unless she was the
pest actress who ever lived, Nine. Mat
'eau was innocent of any crime.
II you have any suspicious, ad-
ded, tell them all to me.
There is no one to suspect, sobbed
me poor woman.
In the house were Gabrielle, my.
laughter, whom You have seen old
hannah, the cook Mr.. and Mrs. Beau
SSuamp, friends of my poor dear hus-
oand IN his bOyhood-the best, kindest
PEOPLE Mr.. Gray, a very old man, too
.eehle to leave the house poor, de-
formed Miss German, a, d the librarian.
AT. Bassford. None of these would
murder a mouse. See how kind they
are they remain in my house; they send
ne word that tbaxy bava no dOubt of me,
Oh, how can anybody ?"
And this man Who" began.
-, Yes, said Nine. Matteau. &" l 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.. Bass
lord brought him home. My only
Empty room was the one in which those
9ther two strangers died. I could not
sear to put him there, but Mr.. Bass
!Gtd laughed at me. We had supper
SG,'erward. He talked a long while to
"Sonelle. 1t was late when he retired
-late Tor a quiet household. Hannah
.'al made his fire. She can and void
night.
After he had gone we found that he
@ rau left his watch on the table. Ae
wore 1t only with a bunch of seals,
Sn9 he had been setting it by the clock,
@nu showing it to US as something
very handsome. knocked ct his door
W restore it to him. He had not lett
US but fifteen minutes before; but he
must have been asleep already, for he
made no answer. So I kept it for the
night, and wore it down to breakfast
AeAt morning. AS came down met a