The herald., 1897-09-26

reach out into the street and strike q
horizontal blow upon the head of an
other man upon the sidewalk. Such a
window directly overlooked the scene
of the assault, and the two men who
nearly stumbled over the body of Far
ris, were now quite certain that when
they made the terrible discovery that
window was open, because one of them,
in looking about to call for assistance
had shouted into it. Everything was
dark inside, but he thought that some
one might hear him. That window was
in the back Office of Mr.. Archibald
Kefford.
When this stage of the investigation
had been reached, it made me perfectly
furious to see how people looked at
each other and said nothing. But did
not say anything; I would remain
silent forever rather than even hint at
the diabolical idea which seemed to
come into other peoples minds.
/ went directly to Mr.. Kefford's Of
flee, but he was not there. Then /
went across the street to a carpenters
shop and borrowed hammer, the larg-
est one 1 could find With this I re-
paired to Mr.. Kefford's back room.
The window was open for the weather
was warm. 1 leaned out with the ham
mer in my hand and 1 found that it
would have been very difficult for me
to reach, with the head of the ham,
mer, the head Of a man walking on the
sidewalk. An iron railing about two
feet from the wall of the building, sep
arated it from the sidewalk, and un-
less the man assaulted should stand up
close to that railing, a person at the
window could not reach him with a
close to the railing; he had been found
in the middle of the sidewalk
I summoned several persons and
proved, by experiments which I made
myself and which / urged them to
make, that if any ruffian had made his
way into Mr.. Kefford's back office, he
could not, even with the largest ham
mer, have struck passer-by on the
top of the head. I insisted that the
notion that Farris had been struck
from that window was so utterly pre-
posterous and absurd that it ought to
be Immediately abandoned.
Before that night. however, I discov-
cred that a good many people were
saying that it was very strange coin
cidence that the man, Farris. should
have been struck down under the very
window of a person whose interests
might have been very greatly advanced
by the death of said Farris. The more
people thought about it, the palmer it
was to see. that if the only surviving
witness to the signature Of that will
should not be able to swear that he
saw Nicholas Kefford sign it, the will
would be considered invalid and the
would go to the natural heirs
of the testator.
Some days passed on. Farris re-
mained insensible, often delirious, and
in precarious condition. Natalie Won
dered at the effect this occurrence had
had upon me. She believed that law
yers thought a great deal more about
such things than other people, and she
was sorry for it. She did not think
that lawyers should allow their lives
to be darkened by events which con-
cerned only other people. She had not
heard Of the notions and the supposi-
tions connected with the window of her
laCner s paCk ONCE.
Mr.. Kefford did not publicly insist,
as Latimer had done, that the death of
this witness would have a disastrous
effect upon his interests. for it would
not be the impulse of humane man to
make that feature of the affair promi-
nent This reticence regarding the con
sequences of the affair was commented
upon by several persons who thought
that silence in such a case showed an
effort to conceal a certain satisfaction
in the disability of Farris to give tes-
timony. 1t is wonderful how people
whose minds are not naturally evil,
will, in cases like this, pick at this lit
tie thing and that little thing, thinking
that by SO doing they will expose de-
pravity in spots where it was not sup
posed to exist.
On the morning after had made my
with the hammer from the
window of Mr.. Kefford's office, Mr..
Shallcross was walking from his home
to his office, and on the way he met
man named Hatch. Hatch was a poor
man who lived on the edge of the town,
and he was now proceeding in the di-
rection of his home. carrying upon his
shoulder carpenters adze.
"Good morning, Hatch; are you going
to build a house?" said Mr. Shall
cross.
"Oh, no." replied the other, stopping.
II haven't got SO far as that yet. All