The herald., 1893-12-24
THE DANCING GIRL.
Old John Hartlepool was dead.

That much was certain. 1t was evil
dent that he had died from a pistol
shot, for there was bullet wound in
his temple, and the doctors found the
bullet in his brain. A revolver with
one empty chamber, which the bullet
would have fitted before its shape had
been fattened by contact with the old
mans skull, was picked up in the court
directly under window of the room
where the chambermaid had found the
old gentleman lying dead, when she en-
tered the room with passkey at $50
in the morning. She also found that
the window was closed and fastened, and
this effectually disposed Of the sugges-
tion that the old man had shot himself
and thrown the pistol out of the win
dow, for while there was an infinitesimal
chance that he might have thrown the
pistol out after firing the shot into his
brain it was absolutely impossible that
he could then have closed the window
and fastened it. Moreover, the position
of the body and the pool of blood beside
anu never moved again. The most care
full search of the room disclosed no
weapon of any kind. Suicide was there
fore clearly out of the question. It was
a case of murder. So at least the police
argued, and it must be admitted with
good deal of reason. 4d
Who was the murderer? To aid in
solution of this question the police rea-
soned in this way: AS the dead man
was found in his apartments in the fifth
story of the apartment house, where he
had lived alone for Is years, it was evil
dent that the murderer must have had
some powerful motive to induce him to
take the risk attending such an act, or
else he must have been temporarily ex-
cited into a frenzy by something which
had passed between him and the de-
ceased. What could the motive have
been? 1t was not robbery, for a roll
of notes and a quantity of loose gold lay
on the table, just 81, 500, which amount
1t was quickly learned had been paid
the deceased by one of his tenants at
4:30 o 'clockthe afternoon before his dead
body was discovered by the chamber
maid.
No one could suggest that the old
nan had any enemies. His habit of
life was exceedingly simple. The worst
that could be said of him was that.
though very rich, he was very penuri-
GUS. He was not hard creditor, but
on the contrary, was inclined to be leni-
ent in his collections He was some
what proud of the fact that his mother
was the daughter Of an earl s daughter,
but the only one who used to consider
himself aggrieved by this was his hand
esme and high spirited nephew and
namesake. So murder for revenge
seemed out of the question.
Had any one an interest in his death?
On this point there was no doubt, for
John Hartlepool, Jr., was known to all
the community as his sole heir-at-law.
1t was also soon learned that on the very
morning before his death the old man
had instructed his solicitor to make a
will cutting off his nephew with pit
tance, which will was to be executed the
next day, II that young gentleman would
not in the meantime renounce his inten-
tion of marrying young lady who was
q member of popular opera troop and
took a role which was more conspicuous
because of the elegance Of her figure I
than OF the quality of her vocal powers ,
or the degree of her histrionic ability.
mot cent of my money shall go to
brat of a girl who makes a living by
dancing" said the old man to more
than score of people, for his nephew's
infatuation for the pretty chorus girl
was the one sore spot in his life.
| Not that Nellie Ethan (she had not
risen to the dignity of stage name) was
a brat. She was simply an honest little
girl, who, having to earn her living,
was doing it in way that nature had
eminently fitted her for. When Master
Jack, in moment of unintentional
frankness. had blurted out his uncle's
pet objection to their marriage. she first
grew red, and then as pale as snow, and
ended by bursting into tears, the out
break being SO long that it was good
hour before Jack felt safe in taking his
departure.
It was known that uncle and nephew