Phillipsburg herald. [volume] (Phillipsburg, Kan.) 1882-1905, 1892-04-14
CHAPTER VIII.

sergeant
CHAPTER VIII.
The faces of the audience, who had
listened 10 Pratts evidence, betrayed
the impression he had made.
Stuart was regarded in such a manner
that he was sure Pratt was believed by
the majority.
True, none of the stolen money had
been found in Stuart Harland's possess
sion, but this could not be regarded as
an evidence of his innocence, since he
had ample time TO secrete the proceeds
of the robbery.
Thus reflected the jurors.
There was little further evidence to
hear, and presently the Coroner sub
mitted the matter to the jury, who
thereupon rendered a verdict without
leaving their seats, that John Oakburn
came TO his death at the hands of some
person, whose positive identity was IN
known, but that the evidence was such
as TO fasten strong suspicion upon
Stuart Harland."
Thereupon, the Coroner directed that
! Stuart be held prisoner to await fur
Their developments.
Stuart retained his eomposure admir-
ably, as he listened to the verdict Of
the cOroner's jury, and heard the order
which condemned him to detention in
prison.
The officers were about to conduct the
unfortunate young man from the offlce,
when Jason Garrison came forward and
grasped his hand in warm greeting.
You will tell Edna that I am falsely
accused, said Stuart.
Yes, yes. She will never doubt you, &"
answered the broker.
Harland was moving to the door, be-
tween the two officers. when Marion
| Oakburn gained his side, and said TO him
In tone of the most positive conviction:
Take with you the assurance that you
will be saved"
Stuart was conducted TO Ludlow street
/ iHil forthwith, and his mind was in a
/ condition of doubt and trouble most
harassing. So many circumstances of
surprising nature had crowded them
selves into his life within the last few
/ hours, that he was dazed and confused.
In the midst of the confusion in his
mind, he saw constantly; however, like
a portrait which had been stamped in
/ delibly upon the camera of memory, the
horror-stricken face Of Marion 0akburn
/ as he had seen her when she left the
Office in which her father had been muir
/ dered. Her face haunted him like a
| ghost that would not be laid, and as he
/ reflected he thought:
When she came out of the office her
/ father must have been dead. Before I
saw her steal out of that apartment the
murder had been done.
Where was she when the awful crime
/ was cOnsummated?"
There was a horrible doubt in Stuart
Harland's mind then.
But, no, no; such a thing is so en-
| tirely inconsistent with Marion char
acter that the mOnstrous thought that
/ she may be implicated in the murder of
her own father cannot find a Judgment
/ in my mind. And yet what was she do
/ ing in the office at that hour, and why
was she in such a state of terror when
she left 1T"
These unanswerable questions natur-
ally suggested themselves. 10 Stuart s
mind.
Then he recollected how he had been
awakened by the loud noise, which he
could not account for, and he thought
now that it must have been the detOna-
ton of the pistol shot that had killed
John Oakburn that he had heard.
He did not know that Paxton advanced
| the theory that the assassins weapon
was an air-pistOl. But he had caught
enough of the police sergeant's mutter-
I ings to learn that the time of the MUIR
/ der had been fixed at twenty minutes of
one, and so he knew that John Oakburn
must have been dead when Marion left
the office.
Despite all his suspicious and conjec-
! turesi Harland had not mentioned the
/ incident of his having seen Marion leav-
ing the office, for he had always enter
tanned the most exalted opinions of her
character, and he had reasoned:
There is mystery inexplicable in
Marion Oakburn's conduct, but 1 can
not believe her guilty. There is some
explanation which will yet be made that
will clear up all this dark affair, and ]
shall not regret my silence"
The ignoble thought that he might di-
rect suspicion from himself by revealing
his knowledge of MariOn's secret visit
to the office never entered his mind.
Who can be the guilty one?" Stuart
asked himself, and although there was
no clue to guide his suspicious, by some
mental process which he could scarcely
have explained himself, his thoughts re-
verted to Levi Kredge, the janitor
Perhaps the vague suspicious of this
man, which entered his mind unbidden
were prompted by an opinion which he
had recently formed that Levi Kredge
was spy and a sneak.
Stuart had twice caught the fellow
with his ear at the key-hole of Jason
! GarrisOn's private office when cOnfiden.
tial transactions were taking place there
The second time Stuart's anger gained
the ascendency, and he kicked Kredgt
out of the office.
The young man had not forgotten that
Kredge had flashed upon him a look Of
feroclous hate as he skunk away without
resenting the assault.
The fellow had not uttered a word
but Stuart had read murder in the fierce
burning light Of his eyes, and from thai
moment he knew that the seemingly in
offensive and servile cripple was a dan
gerOus man.
The thought now occurred to Stuart
that it might have been the fellow pur.
pose in listening at key-hoIes and in spy.
ing about the office to obtain knowledge
which would enable him to commit rob
berry when there was money In the safe
So deeply impressed did Stuart be-
| come with the idea that Kredge was
concerned in the murder that he deter
mined to mention the matter to Mr. Gar
rison, to whom he had never mentioned
! Kredge's eavesdropping, simply because
he despised anything like tale-bearing
AS for himself, Stuart was sustained
/ by the consciousness of innocence.
Meanwhile, when Daniel Pratt was
making his statement before the eoro-
ner's jury, the elegant old gentleman
who had entered the office just behind
him seemed strangely excited. His
/ hands were clinched, his lips com.
pressed themselves into a rigid line, anC
his beautiful, luminous dark eyes blazeC
with dangerous light
Despite this evidence of his more thar
passing interest in the proceedings be.
fore the cOrOner's jury, he was, as We
have stated, an entire stranger to al
present.
Did he hold some secret knowledge o.
the actors in this life-drama which
! caused his emotion2
| When he hastily left the Office aftel