Wood County reporter. [volume] (Grand Rapids [i.e. Wisconsin Rapids], Wis.) 1857-1923, 1896-09-17

girls crime? Even if he knew she
had done the deed he would never say
so
The more the detective looked at
that cherry the more convinced was he
that Miss Borati was the culprit
To begin with, she had more in
terest in Miss Sonde's death than even
Passeron had.
If Passeron had thrown her over he
would have come in for his aunt's
wealth in a few years at least. No
doubt she feared he would do this, and
determined to prevent the possibility
The more Darlington considered the
matter the less certain was he how to
act.
There was still the unsolved mys-
the bed, but the discovery of that in
eliminating cherry had dispelled all
idea Of suicide even from his mind.
He was quite sure now who had COM
mitted the murder.
An hour later and Miss Borati had
been arrested for the murder of Miss
SOnde The look that she gave Bar
rington, as he produced his warrant,
he will never in life forget.
But she could not deny that the
cherry belonged to her and she could
not explain how it went up to the sec
ond floor of that Earl's Court house
without her. And the world praised
Detective Darlington for his clever
ness, while some shook their heads at
his turning on his client.
What other people had left undone
was done by Mason, a carpenter of
Westbourne Grove.
Mrs. Lock had called him in to re-
pair a cornice which the police had
knocked about in their search for the
revolver Now Mason was a Ionnois-
seur in bedsteads. Nothing rejoiced
his heart so much as to inspect some
odd, old bedstead which was evidently
the work Of one who had loved his
craft.
And in this room, which had been
occupied by the late Miss Sonde, was
just such a bedstead as Mason delight
ed ina regular, old, heavy four-post-
er, built of enough quantity carved
black oak to provide an entire bed
room suite of the fiimsy kind made in
these degenerate days.
Miss Sonde had furnished her rooms
herself, and great had been the grumb-
ling of Mrs. Lock at the protracted
efforts of the warehousemen to get
furniture up the stairs.
MasOn's keen eye had noticed some
curious, raised knobs on one of the
bars which ran across the head piece
about three feet from the pillow.
He had seen at once that these were
out of keeping with their surround
ings, and had proceeded to investigate.
He pressed the first; it did not move.
He pressed the second; it did not move
He twisted the third, but nothing hap
pened. He put his thumb against the
fourth it gave-it yielded. He pressed
a little harder; there was a click as a
trap-door flew back. Then a sudden
flash and a report
When he recovered from his fright
he found the whole room full of people
and the bedstead as it was before
There was intense excitement when
he told his story, and some unbelief,
until he took the bed to pieces, for no
one wanted to prove the truth of it by
pressing the fatal button
Ten minutes later and the mystery
planned.
If you pressed buttons Nos. 1, 2 or
3 nothing happened. If you pressed
No. it let off revolver which was
hidden in little secret chamber made
in the thickness of the beds back
piece. If you pressed No. it opened
a similar miniature cupboard, which
was filled with jewels of great value
Clearly here was the solution of the
old lady's death.
In the twilight she had climbed on
her bed to get some papers to show
her heir, who Wasin the next room.
She had made a mistake in trying to
open the secret receptacle, and had
fallen, the first victim to her own in
genious method of protecting her val
uables.
Philip PasserOn had heard the shot.
Through the open door he had seen
his aunt fall, but although he hunted
the room high and low, nowhere. was
any trace of hidden assassin. Think
ing she must have committed suicide,
he did not stop to look for the revol-
yer, but overcome by a sudden fear
lest he might be accused of her MUIR
der he did the most foolish thing he
could do under the circumstances. and
fed.
AS to Detective Barrington's cherry,
its appearance in that second floor
apartment was easily explained
Passeron had brought it up. 1t had
fallen from his lady loves bonnet the
last time they had met, and he had
laughingly put it in his pocket He
was neryously playing with it during
the interview with his aunt, and had
dropped it in his fright.
When Philip and Belle Borati were
married, Mason was asked to the
down stairs" edition of the wedding
breakfast, and a cheque for f10O was
presented to him by the two young
one at least of whose lives
her heir, who was in the next room.
his own in so doing.
AT,ASK COIN