The Sunday morning news. [volume] (Jersey City [N.J.]) 1886-1891, 1889-12-01


Thought Of puteing down my book after that,
and then changed my mind again and went
on. The next chapters we're not so interest
4 ing, they we're full OF learned accounts of why
4 we fall asleep. and what our brains do in
that state and such like 1t ended in my
falling asleep, too, in my armchair by the
iresde
Il don't know what O'Clock it was when
went 70 sleep. | don't know how long !
slept. OF whether | dreamed or not. The
| candle had burned out, and it was still dark
1 when woke. | can't even say why woke
unless it was the GOODNESS of the room.
There was spare candle on the chimney
! piece | found the matchbox and got a light
/ Then for the first time | turned round to
wards the bed and saw"---
The unfortunate creature tainted at the
bare remembrance Of that dreadful sight
her husband stretched dead on the bed with
knife in his heart The proceedings were
| adjourned. She received every possible care
/ and attention, the chaplain looking after her
welfare as well as the surgeon
! have said nothing of the evidence of the
landlady and the servants 1t was taken as
| mere fornality What little they knew
proved nothing against Mrs, Zebedee The
police, again. knew Of nothing that sup
master and mistress where she had been last
in service spoke of her in the highest terms,
| We were at a complete deadlock.
1t had been thought best not to surprise
Mr.. Deluc as yet by citing him as witness
The action OF the law was, however, hurried
in this case by private communication re-
ceived from the chaplain.
After twice seeing and speaking with Mrs.
Iebedee, the reverend gentleman was firmly
persuaded that she had no more to do than
himself with the murder of her husband. He
did not consider that he was justified in re-
peating a confidential communication-he
would only recommend that Mr. Deluc
should be summoned to appear at the next
examination. This advice was Immediately
followed
The police had no evidence against Mrs.
Iebedee when the inquiry was resumed. To
assist the ends Of justice she was now put into
the witness box. The discovery Of her muir
dered husband when she lit the candle in the
small hours of the morning was passed over
as rapidly as possible. Only three questions
of Importance were put to her.
First the knife was produced Had she
ever seen it in her husbands possession?
Never. Did she know anything about ita
Nothing whatever.
Secondly Did she or did her husband lock
tue bedroom door when they returned from
the theatre. No, Did she lock the door her,
self before she fell asleep in her chaira No.
Thirdly--Had she any sort Of reason TO
give for supposng that she had murdered
her husband in sleep walking dreams No
reason, except that she was beside herself at
the time, and the book put the thought into
her head.
81 al Al.
out of court. The motive for the chaplain's
communication now appeared. Mrs. Zebedee
was asked if anything unpleasant had &C.
CURED between Mr.. Dcluc and herselfa
Yes; he had caught her alone on the stairs
at the lodging house. had presumed to make
love to her, and had carried the insult still
further by attempting to kiss her She had
slapped his face, and had declared that her
husband should know of it, if his misconduct
was repeated. He was in furious rage at
having his face slapped, and be said to her,
MADAM, you will live to regret this. :"
After consultation and at the request Of
our inspector, it was decided to keep Mr.
Deluc in ignorance of Mrs. Zebedee's state
ment for the present When the witnesses
were recalled he gave the same evidence
which he had already given to the inspector,
and he was then asked if he knew anything
of the knife, He looked at it without any
guilty signs in his face and swore that he had
never seen it until that moment The re-
slmed inquiry ended, and still nothing had
been discovered
But we kept an eye on Mr.. Deluc Our
next effort was to. try If we could associate
him with the purchase of the knife.
Here again there really did seem to be
sort of fatality in this casel we reached no