The Wheeling daily intelligencer. [volume] (Wheeling, W. Va.) 1865-1903, 1876-01-19
GheGntslligetteer:
An Old Lawyers Story.

IeuubylNhHIut AhA N"JVINA sAA9 ASHuto
ton Of being the clevereSt lawyer eve
known there. Il Is not for me to say tn
praise was merited, but / certainly foun,
myself able to discover loop holes Of es.
cape for those whom / defended, which
surprised even my fellow lawyers.
possessed those qualities which woulC
have made an excellent detective, and
was a thorough student Of the law. Their
was no mystery about it, but among tn,
most Ignorant classes l gained a reputa
ton for more than human knowledge
Perhaps It was not polite for them Il
say that the devil helped me, but theI
did.
However, I began to tell you abou
Madame Matteah. She was an old lady
who owned little house in the suburb
Of the city. She herself was OF American
birth, but her husband had been French
man, and so the title Madame had beer
bestowed upon her. She was now wild
ow, and her daughter Gabrielle and heI
son Henri were her only living relatives
Her income was but slender, and shC
eked 1t out by taking few boarders, gen
orally steady old people who had known
her for many years. These respected and
liked her. There had been two sudden
deaths at her house. Each time the vic
tim was a stranger who came at night
and was dead in his bed the next morn
ing. Each time the jury was divided
some believing that strangulation was the
cause OF death, some that the man had
died in a fit.
1t was terrible thing that two such
deaths should have occurred beneath hel
roof. Madame's friends pitied her. Til {
rest Of the little world limited that these
were strangers, and their trunks, which
contained no one knew what amount o.
money and other valuable property, re.
manned in Madame's possession. No one
said she was 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-perhapa because l admired
her great deal, and her daughter much
more-had always insisted that It was
merely coincidence, and that in n world
in which apoplexy and heart disease were
80 common, it was no such marvel that two
men should have met sudden deaths in the
same house. But my faith in the 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
had been arrested on suspicion Of having
murdered him, his watch and chain hay
ing been found in her possession.
Before l had recovered from the shock
oithis terrible piece Of news, messenger
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 m n little room with barred
window, and insufficient fire upon the
hearth, The logs had been burnt in two
upon the irons, and the white ashes were
scattered over the hearth. Almost in
them sat Madame Matteau, in her widows
dress ofsOmber 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 at she turn.
ed toward me and held out her hand.
"Oh, thank heaven, you have come"
she said; II know you can save me. Ia it
not horrible? How could | kill man
Why should 1? To die horribly, with
black faces and staring eyes, as II some
o" n. n"" U no,,U" mnstbo n;ghi l,oforo oh
hd rT horI;bio I; ~
Tsat down beside her. | took her hand
nNtoJom n Nt,,,o,n y I soid .be cSIm.coI'
loo, Hn,rsoIf As vonr Iawvnr mat
isno Ill ToIi mo from irsi n Iost
,rho' hos h nnorsJNwLat wos ss;J wb,i
w w"S lone Is yon-n - = S
nonscd. hsr block eves had flashed
rnoI P ,"o copIJ not nj ber wIo,bcr
~" IpoT III m', .r1 oonicssion ~ maLo T s"~
,Eo, H aSo S"3 not nnIoss sbo wos tho hoo,
a ,,S. 9"S ,,ho ovor IivoJ MnJ,rHo Niottoom
%ss i ;"no " ~ onv crime
% ore iH non LnSn ony snan;c;ors added
moiI W., ~ 80 M ~ '''''' "NN
erS '"en IL ~ mn me- On. 10 susncct - sobbod
,ho noor w No .1N III" bonso werc
Gsbr;OIlo NV daughter. whom Won have
soon. oid Hannah the cook. Mr. and
9 ~. Roorcamn friends Of nv Moor dear
Lnsh,nJ IN bia bovbood@tbc hast hind.
"st noonlc. Mr. GRAY n yery old man ion
fssbHI SV r. leave the house, poor deformed
Wiss Norman nnd The librarian, Mr..
Rr"osford None Of these would murder
= mo',So SEQ how kind thew are. thew
somoin IN nv house. thew send them
rorJ hat ,bsy have M donbt If mo Oh,
how com onvbody P0
I'd WAnJ Tina man vbo-"I bevon
0Yos y aid Madame Mattesr ar will
al, ~. %o WA fair Young Handsomely
w., soI' %o nSIeJ IL BrSSaiord NJ tho
J LIE, bo knsw Of any ono who conld
"opVT M W % him Mr. BrSsSiord brouUht
Nm homc Nv only emnty room was
,%o onN in which those other two stran.
ans AZ J;oJ could not bcar IN mt him
n tbSrS. Int Mr. Brassiord laughed Mt
mo Wa had sumner afterwnrd. He
t.Itod a lone time 10 Gabriella. Il was
s"tS when he rctired-late for n ouiet
Soussbold. Hannah had made fire.
SSC came and told ia that sbe Ind done
:" I HeSaid rood.niSbt' to- ''' w ''
'' "a ftsr bc 6ad gone We found be had
Ief. bis watch on Tho table. He wore il
onIv with n bnnch of seals. and he had
been setting il by the clock, and showing
bouh SSbsAH6 - -, 'N 49,