Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1895-03-09

|
went the ink bottle. The usually scattered
utensils of my desk we're now in little
group covered by the massive paw OF my
| friend Daryl.
1T is an interesting and startling theo-
| ry.'' l said, land 1 see now to what ii
| leads
| Il doubt that" replied Daryl. LET me
| tell you to what 1t leads-insuperable diff
her own hand, and will battle us at every
| step of the search and 1ave public SYM
pIrhy in doing It,"
Then il we cannot get hold of the facts
| to substantiate your theory we are on a
wild-goose chase"
mot altogether"
| Why. We haven't a leg to go on without
| the facts"
| oh. yes: one leg."
| What Is ft?"
| 1.-THE truth" '-
| I shrugged my shoulders.
The truth Will develop its own facts. and
| that Is where Mrs. Prineveau, like all mere
| 1y cunning people. is a little superficial.
Suppose We set out to ascertain If Mr..
Prineveau did not have two waistcoats OF
the same material. one of which it was al
legged was punctuered by a bullet and the
other was not. and we wish to learn IL Mrs
Prineveau did not have an opportunity
the waistcoats. we shall be baffied by her,
for she has arranged for just such q con-
tingency."
And away go our facts"
les, III COMES our w ny does
Mrs. Prineveau object to our searching for
that waistcoat?'
Daryl gave his legs stretch, rammed
his big fists into his pocket, and then con-
tinued: Look here, old fellow, am right:
| that calm, seif-possessed woman is living
with a slow burning hell inside, for fear
somebody will bring an intuition into this
case and look past the facts that she has
arranged to the truth that she can't alter.
I've got working hypothesis that fits
every circumstance. What we've got to do
is to keep this woman from suspecting it
till she gets on the witness stand and then
pump it at her and watch the results. The
moment she suspects that we have got the
whole secret-she will go to pieces"
Three weeks of the month Of April passed
by and very little was done. Daryl went
to Washington and to all appearances had
made up his mind to let things rest on his
far-fetched hypothesis Gradually 1 fell
into the belief that it was a hopeless case
of defense. I had learned nothing to
strengthen Daryfs theory. The prosecution
openly avowed that they had a clear case
My friend John Greve patronizingly told
me to do the best could. and reminded me
that there was no chagrin in making
good fight In forlorn hope. called upon
Mrs. Prineveau once and she received me
with the utmost candor. without a sign of
perturbation and offered to give me any
assistance in her power. 1 felt when 1
came away that Daryl had made a great
mistake. AS the day of the trial approach
ed the newspapers referred to Clarkson as
the murderer whose guilt was unmistak-
able. and Clarkson himself in one or two
interviews had talked wildly and desper-
ately and hurt his own case irremediably
think it was on the Goth of April when
I got an absurd and very brief letter from
Daryl in Washington. This was all it said:
IF you get discouraged go and see Mrs
Clarkson: Will be on with a fact or two on
Monday"
The letter did not stimulate me, but the
visit to Mrs. Clarkson did. 1 found her in
improved but modest quarters up town and
much more hopeful than I expected. She
seized me by the hands and said: 81 pray
for you night and morning-that heaven