Courier Democrat. (Langdon, N.D.) 1891-1920, 1895-04-04
A VITAL CLUE.

pCIs IL IL CituuOU UG 1Ollllus AASAiSAA> Az
Is impossible to prove my innocence.
The facts are dead against me-"
Colbert, l am so confident that you
are innocent and all that you have said
Is true, that I will not rest until the
paper is found"
He took her in his arms and I'M
pressed a passionate kiss on her brow.
Gilbert Stanton was under arrest
on suspicion of having caused the
death of Raymond Wild. The facts of
the case were, as he said, dead
against him"
Stanton lived in chambers in Whites
Inn and was reading for the bar.
Wild, who justified his name. was an
old college acquaintance, who had at
tempted several things IN life and fail
ed in ALL Gilbert had not seen him
for several years, when Wild sudden
ly turned up at his chambers and an
nounced that he was ''stone broke
The man who had no claim what
ever on Gilbert Stanton, who told him
so, and also gave him the benefit OF
some candid opinions as to his past
career. Raymond Wild was hot-blood-
ed, and high words resulted. The
quarrel was at its height when Mrs.
Morton, Gilhert's old laundress, who
had been completing her morning du-
ties in another closed the door of the
chambers and passed out.
Shortly afterwards the tempers OF
the two men cooled. Wild apologized
for some offensive remarks he had
made. and they shook hands. Gilbert
now promised his best to help his old
acquaintance. and invited Wild to re-
main for an hour while he went out to
keep an appointment.
When Gilbert Stanton returned. he
mounted the stairs to the door OF his
chambers, but did not Immediately en-
ter. He stood for few minutes on
the landing. considering what course
he should adopt with regard to the
man inside Should he give him mon
ey? Or might not that be doing such a
person a positive injury?
AS he leaned against the door, snlok-
Ing a cigarette, he was startled by
loud explosion inside. What could it
be? He hastily unlocked the door and
went in. The place was full of gun
powder smoke, and he rushed into the
sitting room. 1t was empty. There
was a door communicating with his
BEDROOM and he opened it,
A horrible sight was before him.
Stretched upon the floor was Ray
mond Wild-dead! Stanton immediate
ly found that a bullet had passed
through the mans brain, and that his
own revolver, which he always kept
loaded in the room, was lying on the
floor beside the body.
H.
The evidence at the inquest was
simply this: The police, when called in,
had found the dead body Of man
identified as Raymond Wild, with a
bullet wound in his head. A revolver
was also discovered, which Gilbert
Stanton had admitted was his, and
the contents of one chamber had been
discharged Mr.. Stanton had said
"The man committed suicide. l was
not inside the chamber ut the time
William Carey, a solicitors clerk,
deposed that he was looking out Of
the window on the ground floor, when
he saw Mr.. Gilbert Stanton enter the
building and heard him run up the
stairs. About five minutes after
wards-certainly when ample time had
elapsed for Mr.. Stanton to enter his
chambers heard the explosion.
Eliza Morton was Mr.. Stanton's
taundress, had admitted the deceased
on the morning in question, and MOTTO
ed when leaving that the two gentle
men We're "having some words" She
had worked for Mr.. Stanton for sever
al years, and acknowledged that she
did not wish to say anything that
would get him into trouble. It. was,
however, with difficulty elicted from
her that the words" We're very high
Words" and that she might have
70 re- =
The result was that Gilbert was ar
rested, brought up before the mags-
trate. and committed for trial.
His defense was that Wild had found
the revolver during his absence, that
chambers, as we have described, when
the shot was fired; that although they
had luarreled they were on Pacific
terms when he went out, and that the
deceased had left written confession
of his own guilt and Gilbert's innO-
cence.
But where was this written confes-
sion? Gilbert Stanton declared that
he found it Oh tile bedroom mantel-
piece, but during the excitement of the
hour had lnysteriously lest or mislaid
1t. He had searched every where for
1t, but without avail.
He distinctly remembered that, after
examining the body and finding that it
was lifeless, he went into the sitting
room with the confession in his hand to
consider what he should do. He placed
the paper On small table in front Of
him, and glancing out Of the window,
saw a policeman in the quadrangle.
He at once decided to call the con-
stable, and ran down stairs to do so
eaving his door ajar.
On his -',rn the paper had disap-
peared, and ne had never seen it after
wards. The most diligent search had
failed to discover it.
Nov, Mrs. Norton" said Edith, as
they stood alone in the chambers, ''this
Is Il matter of life and death. That
piece Of paper nus be found"
Eyes, MISS was the laundress's
commonplace reply.
First Of all, you must please an
swer very carefully some questions I
shall put to you. Did you, Oh that day,
destroy any paper?'
NO, miss"
1sHava Won 1astr0vp or removed any