The Bloomfield times. [volume] (New Bloomfield, Pa.) 1867-187?, 1874-04-21
Was it Murder !?

IA was comparatively young man, and
still unmarried, / resided in 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 merited, but / certainly found myself
able to discover loop-holes of escape for
those whom defended, which surprised
even my fellow-lawyers. I possessed by
nature those qualities which would have
made me an excellent detective, and was
thorough student of the law. There was
no mystery about it, but among the more
ignorant classes had 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, began to tell you about Mad
anne Matteau.
She was an old lady who owned little
house in the suburbs of the city. She her.
self was of American birth, but her hus-
band had been Frenchman, and so the
She was now widow, and her daughter
| Gabrielle, and son named Henri were
her only living relatives. Her income was
but slender, and she eked it out by taking
a few boarders, generally steady old peo-
pie, 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 stran-
ger who came at night, and was found
dead in his bed in the morning. Each
time the jury was divided-some believing
that strangulation had been the cause of
death, some that the man had died in a
fit.
1t was a 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 Mad
ame's possession. No one said she was Q
murderess, 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 admired he
great deal, and her daughter much mor'
had always insisted that it was merely
coincidence, and that in world in which
l apoplexy and heart disease were so com
mon, it was no such marvel that two mel
should have met sudden deaths in tn,
house. But my faith in this theory wa
shaken when one morning it was published
! over the city that another transient boarde
!, had been found dead in Madame Matteau'
house, and that she was arrested on sus
a picion of having murdered him, his watcl
and chain having been found in her posses
sion.
Before had recovered from the shock o
this terrible piece of news, a message cam
to me from Madame Matteau. She desire,
to see me. OF course went to her a
once.
She had been taken to prison; and
found her in little room with barre
window, and an insufficient fire upon tn
hearth. The logs had burnt in two upo
9 the andirons, and the white ashes wer
e scattered over the hearth. Almost in ther
y sat Madame Matteau, in her widows dre'
of sombre black.
She was chilly with grief and excit'
rnent, and had drawn her chair close to I'll
fire.
She shook violently from head to foo
n n and her face was deadly pale as she turne
it toward me and held out her hand.
80, thank Heaven, you have come
she said, ~ know you can save me. Is
not -horribleP How could kill mar
Why should IP Why do people come in n
y house to die? To die horribly, with blaC
faces and starting eyes, as if some one hi
choked thems Ugh and he was a pret
young man the night before. Oh, go'
i'm Heaven, how horrible p
-. I sat down beside her. took h
hand.
"Madame Matteau," said, "be calr
collect yourself. AS your lawyer, mt
know all. Tell me from first to last wh
happened--what was said, what was dor
). If you"
mt paused; her black eyes flashed up
~ me. could not ask her whether she
any confession to make. l saw she h
a. not. Unless she was the best actress "