Weekly Trinity journal., 1874-08-08
AN OLD LAWYERS STORY.


found myself able to discover loop-holes
OF escape for those whom | defended
/ which surprised even my fellow lawyers
l possessed by nature those qualitie.
which would have made an excellent de-
tective, and | was a thorough student o
the law. There was no mystery about it,
but among the more ignorant classes
had gained reputation for more thar
human knowledge Perhaps it was not
polite for them to say that the devil help.
ed, but they did.
Macam Matteau was an old lady, wht
owned little house in the suburbs o
the city. She herself was of American
birth, but her husband had been French
man, and SO the tit,e madame had been
bestowed upon her. She was now n wild
ow, and her daughter Gabrielle and hen
son Henri We're her only living relatives
Her income was but slender, and she
eked it out by taking n few boarders, gen
orally 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 stranger who came
at night, and was found dead in his bed
in the morning Each time the jury was
divided-some believing that strangula-
tiAn thn - Il 4.
man had died in fit.
1t was terrible thing that two such
deaths should have occurred beneath her
root. Madame's friends pited 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 ma
danes possession. No one said she was
murderess, but but everyone said it was
"very strange" in an odd tone, and no
one since that second death had visited
Madame Matteau.
| myself-perhaps because had ad-
mired her a great deal--and her daughter
much more-had always insisted it was
merely coincidence, and that in world
where apopleXy and heart disease was 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 she hnd
been arrested on suspicion of having muir
dered 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 from Madame Matteau. She
desired to see me. or course | went to
her Mt once.
She had been taken to prison, and |
found her in little room with barred
window, and an insufficient fire on the
hearth. The logs had burned in two up
on 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 turn
ed it towards me and held out her hand
80, thank Heaven, you have come"
she said " know you can save me-
Is it not horrible =? How could | kill IL
man Why should /? Why do peo-
Pile come to my house to die2 TO die
horribly, with black faces and staring
eyes, as if some one had choked them ?
Ugh and it was n pretty young man the
night before. Oh, good heaven, how
horrible"
! sat down beside her and took her
hand.
Madame Matteau," said /, abe
calm, collect yourself. As your lawyer,
| must know all. Tell me, from first to
last, what has hopponed-what was said,
what was done. Ifyou-"
paused her black eyes had flashed
upon me. ! could not ask her whether
she had any confession 10 make. | saw
that She had not. Unless she was the
best actress that ever lived, Madame
Matteau was innocent Of crime.
"If you have any suspicious" added,
/" tell them all 10 me-"
"There is no one to suspect" sobbed
the poor woman. In the house were
Gabrielle, my daughter, whom you have
seen; old Hannah the cook; Mr.. and Mrs.
Beauchamp, friends Of my poor dear hus-
band in his boyhood 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 remain in my house they
send me word that they have no doubt of
me. Oh, how can anybody 9'
4" And this man who" / began.
Yes" said Madame Matteau, II
will tell you. He was fair, young, hand
somely dressed he asked Mr.. Bassford
a: 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. i could not bear to put
him there, but Mr.. Bassford laughed Mt
me. We had supper afterwards. He
talked long time to Gabrielle. 1t was
late when he retired-late for quiet
household. Hannah had made his fire.
She came and told us that she had done