Port Royal commercial and Beaufort County Republican. [volume] (Port Royal, S.C.) 1873-1874, 1874-02-12

come to my house to die? To die hor-
ribly, with black faces and starting
eyes, as if some one had choked them
Ugh and he was a pretty young man
the night before. Oh, good Heaven,
how horrible ?"
I sat down beside her. I took heI
hand.
"Madame Matteau," I said, "be
calm collect yourself. As your law
yer, I must know all. Tell me from
first to last what happened-what was
said, what was done. If you"
Ipaused ; her black eyes had flashed
upon me. I could not ask her whether
she had any confession to make. 1 saw
she had not. Unless she was the best
actress who ever lived, Madame Mat
teau was innocent of any crime.
eff you have any suspicious"
added, "tell them all to me"
"There is no one to suspect, Sob
bed the poor woman.
SIN the house were Gabrielle, my
daughter, whom you have seen, old
Hannah, the cook, Mr.. and Mrs. Beau
champ, friends of my poor dear hus-
band in his bnyhood-the best, the
kindest people-Mr. Gray, very old
man, too feeble to leave the house, poor
deformed Miss Norman, and the libra
rian, Mr.. Bassford. None OF these
could or 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"
aAnd this man who" I began.
eyes" said Madame Matteau, 81
will tell you he was fair, young, hand,
somely dressed; he asked MIR. Bass
ford at the depot, if he knew of any one
who could accommodate him. Mr.. Bass.
ford 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 at me. We had supper after
ward. He talked long while to Ga
brielle. 1t was late when he retired
late for our quiet household. Hannah
had made his fire. She came and told
us that she had done so. He said
goodnight.
After he had gone, we found that he
had left his watch on the table. he
wore it only with bunch of seals, and
he had been setting it by the clock, and
showing 1t to us as something very
handsome. I knocked at his door to
restore it to him. He had not left 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 next
morning. AS I came down I met a
gentleman in the hall. He inquired
for Mr.. Glenn. That was the new
comer's mama. I sent Hannah to wake
him. She could not do so, and grew
alarmed. She had key that would
open the door, and used it. The next
thing knew we were all in the room,
and the windows were wide open, and
the doctor had been sent for; and the
young man who had called was scream
ing that his brother had been choked
to death and then there was the in
quest, and they arrested me. The
brother said the first thing he noticed
was that wore Mr.. Glenn's wrtch and
seals. had forgotten it in my terror.
$50 Hannah had key to the roomP'
I said.
eyes; at least it was key that
would open it. 1t was the key of Mr..
Bassford's door. She knocked the
other out with stick and put that in. VI
"The people who were there on that
night were your boarders when the
other two men were found dead ?" /
asked.
"Oh, yes |"
"And Hannah was there also ?"
"All my married life Hannah has
lived with me-"
"Your daughter oversees the house
hold in your absence ?"
eyes, poor child, with Hannah's
help"
Thought little while.
Madam" 1 said, there is some
strange mystery in this affair. 1 do
not despair of proving to all the world
your entire innocence. Meanwhile, be
as calm as possible, and endeavor to
remember everything connected with
the sudden deaths that have occurred
in your house. The incident that seems
the most nnimportant may really be Of
the most immense value.
So Ileft her and went home. Strange
ly enough, on the way met the doctor
who had been called in. He was dull,
heavy sort of person, considerably
given to beer. drinking, and my opinion
of his ability was not very great. How
ever, questioned him on the subject,
and he replied:
"Well, you see, I don't say the old
woman murdered him. II she did, I
should say it was by sitting on him, or
smothering him with the bolster. l
suppose the cause Of his death was as
phyxia. Well, then, what is asphyxia !?
Why, too little breath to keep on liv-
ing. He died because he was short of
breath. So we all do. I wash my
hands of the matter. Only there's the
watch; that looks dark"
1 had learned nothing from the doc
tor. The coroner lived near me. His
Jury had been twelve of the most igno.
rant men in town.
This is all he told me.
"He was smothered, that man was !;
so were the other two. Men don't
smother themselves. We made it in
scrutable Providence t'other time. We
made it murder. this. That there
watch, you know"
Thus, without any new light, went
home and formed my plans. There
was but one way in which to penetrate
the mystery. I must enter the house !;
1 must see the people there; I must
penetrate to the room in which these