Washington standard. [volume] (Olympia, Wash. Territory) 1860-1921, 1879-12-05
An Old Lawyers Story.

An Old Lawyers Story.
A great many years ago, while was
comparatively young man. and still
unmarried, l resided IN certain city
Of Pennsylvania, and enjoyed the repu-
tation of being the cleverest lawyer
ever known there. 1t is not for me
to say the praise was merited, but 1 GER
tainly found myself able to discover
loop-holes of escape for those whom 1
defended, which surprised even my
fellow lawyers. l possessed by nature
those qualities which would have made
an excellent detective, and was thor
ough student of the law. There was no
mystery about it, but among the more
ignorant classes had gained reputa-
ton 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
Madame Matteau.
She was an old lady, who owned
little house in the suburbs of the city.
She herself Vas of American birth, but
her husband had been Frenchman,
and 80 the title Madame had been be-
slowed upon her. She was now a
widow, and her daughter Gabrielle and
son Henri were her only living rela-
tives. Her income was but slender,
and she eked it out by taking few
boarders, generally steady old people
who had known her for many years.
These respected and liked her; but the
city generally had prejudice against
her. There had been two sudden
deaths in her house. Each time the
victim was stranger who came ct
night, and was found dead in his bed
in the morning. Each time the jury
was divided-some believing that
strang ulation was the cause of death,
some that the man had died in tit.
1t was 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 their trunks,
with no one knew what amount of
money and other valuable property, re-
NAMED in Madame's possession. No
one said she was amurderess, but every
one said it was Every strange" in an
odd tone, and no one had, since that
second death, visited Madame Matteau.
myself-perhaps because had ad-
mired her q great deal, and her daugh-
ter much more-had always insisted
that 1t was merely q coincidence, and
that in world in which apoplexy and
heart disease were 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 pub
lished over the city that another tran
sient boarder had been found dead in
Madame 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, a
message came to me from Madame
Matteau. She desired to see me. OF
course l went at once.
She had been taken to prison. and I
found her in little room with barred
window, and an insufficient fire on the
hearth: The log had burnt in two
upon the andirons, and the white ashes
were scattered over the hearth. Al.
most in them sat Madame Matteau. in
her widows dress of somber black.
She was chilly with grief and excite.
ment, and had drawn her chair close
to the fire. 'o
She shook violently from head IN
1oot, and her face was deadly pale as
she turned 1t toward me and held ont
her hand. '"'
ION. thank Heaven, you have comar,
sue sald; know you can save me. IA
1t not horrible? How could I xii, a
man! Why shouldI? Why do neo.
PIE come to my house to die? To die
horribly, with black faces and STARING
eyes, as if some one had choked then 3
ign ana ne was pretty young man
tne night before. Oh, good Heaven,
hand. ooA "e'
MADAME Matteau," 1 said "be
CAIN; collect yourself As your LAWYER.
must know all. Tell me. from first
10 last, what happened-wh was raid
what WAS done. II you
1Pan.ea; be. Black eyes had flashed
upon rue. could not ask her wbether
sne mad any confession to make s.w
tnat sue had not. Unless She wss
e oes. actress who ever lived.
MsdAme Maieau WAS innocent If suv
crime aHy
III, II you have any suspicious"
added, tell them al 70 ne"
a, There Is no one to suspect" sobbed
tue poor woman In the house were
SHAofieh-' ny daughter. whom You
nave seen; Ola Hannah. the cook; MIR.