Weekly commercial herald. (Vicksburg, Miss.) 1884-18??, 1885-12-25

perfectly connected II hisezplanaton breain
down, II will DO from no contradiction IN II,
but simply from its essential incredibiity.
"Girard declares that, swayed by a sudden
impulse, no went on Monday night 10 demand
money from his uncle; that he entered the
room by tic window, knowing that tho fam
itor had orders not to admit him; and, hay.
ing entered, found the corpse Of Meissner ly-
ing in a pool Of blood.
IF the story DO set aside, there Is but one
other explanation Of the circumstances
Girard and bis uncle have quarreled, and
quarrelcd violently; for a year they have not
met. Spurred Oh by tho want G. money ut
the very time when the need Of it was most
pressing, Girard resolves ON visiting his
misery relative, to demand q gift or a loan;
ho himself says, the repayment Of O debt.
He takes with him his dagger; If cntreaties
are unavailing, he win threaten; no will use
force.
''He enters the cabinet by the window, and
Meissner's room through the cabinet. The
marks IN the trellis-work on the window-siII
the fact that the door Of Meissner's room il
found locked, and the key hanging in its ac-
customed ~place-bear out Girard's own
statement.
"Opening the door Of the cabinet, he sees
his uncle seated before the w~riting-tablp.
What follows can only be conjectured. 1t
may be that the man who meant merely to
threaten was suddenly tempted to kill, and
smote his victim on the back without a word
being spoken. Or hot words may have passed
between uncle and nephew; there may have
been q refusal to lend money; taunts and in
suits; the young man, enraged and excited,
may have been reused to q burst of homi-
cidal fury, and in this state have dealt the
fatal blow. The former of these hypothesis
is borne out by the medical and police theory
that the deceased was struck suddenly from
behind, and SO fell dead or dyilg from his
chair.
SIN ascending the trellis-work Girard has
rent his coatsleeve and loosenGd the stud at
his wrist; the stud drops on the oor as he
raises his arm, and there remains. The dag
ger he lets fall beside the body Of his victim,
when it has served its purpose.
"When the room of the murdered man is
entered by the police all is found in confusion.
Drawers are pulled out, cabinets opened or
broken into, as if some one had rummaged
through them in haste; yet portable articles
Of great intrinsic value, such e.: jewels and
money, have been left behind. This is the
obscure point of the case; but the difficulty
here tells as forcibly against any theory Of
the crime as against the theory that Girard
is the guilty person. There is enc explanation
that may or may not be deeme1 satisfactory.
Mental excitement, accumulated by the horror
that follows crime, will account for the most
eccentric behavior. Themurderer, completely
~unnerved, almost out Of his senses for The
time, may have gone OIL overturning every
thing and yet taking nothing; Or, if he took
up the spoils of blood to remove them, The
thought that they might lead to detection
may have made him lay them down again.
There is sufficient evidence as to the tumult
Of mind in which Girard passed the day sub
sequent to the murder.
This is my theory of the crime, based on
the evidence takenat The preliminary inquiry.
"Signed) RoGUET,
"Judge Of instruction"