Helena weekly herald. [volume] (Helena, Mont.) 1867-1900, 1886-04-29

A. Yes.
Q. Your usual hour for doing so is eleven
A. Yes, but ON Monday night | was q
quarter OF an hour later
Sophie Mouton, aged 13 years, daughter
OF the janitor, stated that on the night OF
Monday she was alone in the janitor's room
from the time when her father went out until
his return. Interrogated as to whether she
had seen any one 60 along the passage,
besides the tenants who came in for their
keys, replied that she had. CHANGING to aris
her eyes for an instant from her needlework
and 20 look through the glazed door, she had
observed the figure Of a man glide swiftly
along the passage. 1t took but a second for
the figure to pass; but in that second she
remarked, or thought she remarked, that
the man was young, tallish, slenderly
built, and light of footstep. The man wore a
low-crowned hat, and, she thought, was
wrapped in cloak; but on this latter point
she could not speak with certainty lnterro-
gated as to tho time when this took place, she
could make no definite statement. Was it an
hour after her father went outs 1t might
have been an hour. Was it half an
hour after he went outs 1t might have
been that; she could not say. Had she heard
10 o'clock strikes Yes, she had heard it. Was
it before or after the hour struck that the
man went along the passage! She could not
remember; she had attached 60 Importance to
the incident; had thought that the man must
be friend Of one of the tenants, visiting him
by appointment Again pressed to say
whether it was before or after 10 that the
man passed her door, the child Sophie Mouton
burst into tears, protesting that she could not
remember; and SO her examination closed.
Jules Pernet, the tenant occupying thereon
adjoining that of Meissner, interrogated, gave
evidence: That on Monday night, while en-
gagged on his Work as copyist of manuscript,
he had heard dull sound, such as might he
caused by falling body of some weight, ap-
parently coming from Meissner's room. Had
thought that his neighbOr must have let fall
on the floor large and heavy book, or
overturned some article of furniture.
Thereafter had heard noise of foot
steps in the room, and had remarked
it as something unusual, his neigh
Der being always very quiet. Could not say
precisely at what time he had heard the
sound of the falling body, but thought it
must have been about ten. The noise i'll
Meissner's room had attracted his notice be-
cause it was unusual; the tolling of the bells
at ten clock, though much louder, had been
quite unmarked by him; he was accustomed
to it, and, busy over his mechanical work as
cOpyist, paid no attention to it. Pressed to
give con jectural answer, refused, repeating
that he was quite unable to say whether the
sound had beer heard by him before or after
the striking of ten o'clock.
The janitor Mouton, recalled and Te-exam-
ined, stated that the KEYS Of the tenants hung
ON a rack in his room, with the candlestick of
each above. The candles were brought down
from the upper roOms each morning; there
being no light in the staircase, the tenants
were accustomed to light them in his room
before going upstairs at night. During win
ter one candle would serve Meissner for two
nights; the one he took upstairs with him on
the night of Monday had lasted three. He,
Mouton, had remarked on this in handing
the candle to Meissner, making a joke about
it. There was enough left of the candle, he
thought, to burn for perhaps an hour and a
half-not more. Had been shown the long
dagger found beside the corpse; had never
seen any such weapon in the possession of the
deceased.
Auguste Kosinski, restaurant keeper, Rue
de Vaugirard, stated that he was proprietor
Of the restaurant at which the deceased Jo-
seph Meissner regularly dined. His hour Of
arrival was at 6:15, and he invariably left at
7:15. On the evening of Monday he had left
the restaurant at his usual hour.
Samuel Koch, waiter at the Cafe Voltaire,
stated that the deceased Joseph Meissner came
to that cafe every evening at about 7:3O, and
sat for above an hour over a cup of coffee,
reading the financial journals. On the even
ing of Monday Meissner had left the cafe at
about S:45, his usual hour.
Note by the judge of instruction: The jani-
tor, Mouton, may now be released from sur
veillance, there being nothing to connect him
IN any way with the crime.