The Madison daily leader. [volume] (Madison, S.D.) 1890-current, 1895-10-24

manning was: What had become of the
money-the ID hundred pound notes?
The %coroner's inquiry could scarcely be
expected to concern itself with this prob
lem, but no doubt the police would soo
be able to make all things clear.
Maurice Leclerc was apparently the
most astOnished man in the court. He
had listened with rapt attention to Wick
ery's cOnfessiOn-a confession, he felt,
which relieved him from all further sus-
picion.g When Vickcry had finished his
statement, Leclerc, an lntOlerable bur
den lifted from his shoulders, turned to
Inspector Briggs, who was standing
hard by, and inquired if Miss Rodney
was still i'll the building. The inspector
in "a whisper directed the young doctor
to the room Ware he would find her.
Ethel had no suspicion whatever that
Vickery was the guilty person. She had
always regarded him as "a quiet, gentle
man. That he should have become IA
thief was hard enough to believe, but it
was incredible that he should have run
the risk Of numbering her aunt.
Detective Goringe was one of the first
to leave the court after the coroner
stood up. His countenance afforded no
index as to the impression made upon
him by the unexpected confession Of
Bernard James Vickery.
The jury, in charge of Inspector
Briggs and the %coroner's officer, pro-
ceeded to Felspar road. The foreman,
who was much perplexed, walked along
side the inspector and endeavored to
elicit from him his views ON the whole
case, but Briggs was wisely silent and
offered no assistance to the inquisitive
foreman.
When - was reached, the iurymen
first inspected it from the outside, to the
intense delight of IA throng of noisy ur-
chins. Some of thcm-those who did
not believe Vickery's story was quite IL
correct statement of facts-examined
the fOrecourt for footmarks or other, ev-
licences of a midnight incursion. A few
Of them who could not relieve them
selves Of a suspicion concerning Stein
worth carefully examined the window
of the front parlor and had a good look
from the outside at the window of
SteinwOrth's room, but they derived
little benefit from their inspection, and
at length felt obliged to ask themselves
the obvious question, What motive, 9TH
er than the pricking of his conscience,
could any sane man have in fixing a
halter round his neck?
When the jury got inside the house,
Inspector Briggs gave them u short lee
ture III the parlor window, explaining
briefly Detective Goringe's views as to
the marks on the sashes of the window.
Then the room where Mrs. Davorn had
met her death vas explored and then
the landing on which Steinworth's and
Vickery's doors opened.
The principal question agitating the
minds Of the jurymen was the question
Of the locked doors. 1t was easy to see,
as the inspector pointed out, that it
would be impossible for any n inside
either Of the two rooms to lock his door.
There was no keyhole inside the. door
nothing but the rectangular brass box
which projected about half an inch from
the door itself into which it was set.
One of the jurymen suggested that it
was possible the whole lock could be
taken to pieces from the inside and put
together again.
"A very good suggestion said the
inspector, land one l mentioned to De-
tective Goringe, but with the assistance
of a locksmith we had the locks exam
ined and found that they are both
screwed into the door, and that the
screws are all on the outside. Therefore
it would be just as impossible to screw
the locks on as to turn the keys in them
from the inside. l think, gentlemen,
you may safely mako up your minds on
one point-that the doors were locked
from the outside. The locksmith who
examined them with US is quite positive
that the locks have not been disturbed
for years.
The foreman seemed more perplexed
than ever, rs with his hand to his chin
he gazed at the shining brass box IN the
inside of Steinworth's door. He suggest
ed to the inspector that there might pos
sibly be sOme means of tampering with
the lock from the inside, and that he
would be glad to be locked in the bed
room for a few moments. Inspector
Briggs -smilingly complied with the
foreman request, explaining to the rest
Of the jury, some Of whom stood on the
landing, while others We're peering into
Vickery's bedroom, that this was how
the door was found by Constable Met.
calf on the morning of the murder.
In IA few minutes the inquisitive fore.
man begged to have the door opened
and confessed with much chagrin that
he could discover nothing-that it wa
perfectly evident to him now that In
spector Briggs vas right, and that the
door could only have been locked from
the outside. (Which points to an &C.
complice,' sapiently observed the fore.
man, smacking his lips.
The jury next examined, one after the
other, the window of Steinworth's bed
room and saw that the flower box out
side the window, as we'll as the plants
in it, was undisturbed, and that it would
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