Hot Springs weekly star. (Hot Springs, S.D.) 1892-1917, 1899-06-16
CHAPTER Y.

IL Yesterday morning.
lis there more than oat:'
NO. mister. only dc one"
Come round here ON the cast side OF
the house. Is that YOU. Calban:"
Yes, Mars Lang. it's Calban."
no one has left the house. save those
you l:now:"
"No. Mars Lang.
Now. Hannah, who murdered your
mastor:'
~ o know that. Mars Lang"
"Nou do know who rang the door bell:
bu, do Sou mean when Robert Campbell
sounded it!'
No.. Mars Lang. no. l dilcn know Mars
Eoscrt was in de house till after l heard
de he'll; but he ,m,is, have been. for it was
he that went 70 de door. and not five min
uios after. when | went To de door of de
library. dai he stood. with de bloody knife
In lis hand. and Mars Herman 'cusi,.g
him of mur,lcrin' MASTER"
WAS that the first you knew of his he
ing il. the house,"
"Wait. Mars Lang. had been dozin'
i'll lie Kitchen. M;liie had gone upstairs 10
bed. ana when ! wake up | thought iii
See IL ole master had gone 10 bed. and put
out DO lights in dc hall. Won ser. know
ed. unc' Duke had .o.c to bed. so l passc,!
through the dining roam and out into the
hall. Somehow. ] happen to JOCK III. i
sl,osc ! was lcoliin' nj de hamgin' lanip;
but ! seed someone s:alidin' ON de stairs.
about five steps down. lDa had on Il Ion.
white night gown. At first. | thought it
was Miss Hattie: hut then l seed it was
too tall and big for her. and dc hair on
he head was too black and short. ! was
jest about TO speak wilton de person on de
stairs BEN olicr. sideways like. and reach
cd out one arm, and wild de- hand seized
hole of de wire dat leads To dc bell at de
lower end of de hall anal pulled it. He
pulled it several times. and as he was
bent olcr. l saw his face"
ut was the face of Herman Craven:"
Yes, Mars Lang. and he WAS as white
as death. ! di,en know what to do. \
trenholm seized me, and | was that skcel-
ed l lax to fell down. Suddenly. l heard
ole masters voice, and someone started
for de door from de library. l thought it
was ole master. Mars Herman had dod--
q hack upstairs, and | ran through dc
dining room and into de Kitchen"
Then you did not see Herman Craven
descend the s%tairs:"
NO, Mars Lang. Mars Herman was iii
his Night shirt. and he ran back after he
laa pulled dc bell wire"
Ibid he see you. Ilannah:"
II can't he certain: but ! dent think he
did. Mars Lang"
"If he did, your life may be in peril.
not that he would fear our testimony.
hut; that you might give mt information.
You must be on your guard, and Wal
hin closely. You must never be alunc-
never leave the house by yourself. He
MIST have committed this MURDER"
.'iIow could lie. Mrs. Lang? baden
beer hacl; in de Kitchen no time when l
heard Il gioan. ram hack To dc dirin'
room door. and was st;indin' there trem-
bin. when Mars Robert pushed open de
front door and run in. He WAS haFr-
headed. and 1 lodged back. as he entered
de library door. The next thing l heard
his cry: Help. Murdcr..' then I hear Mars
Herman knock on Miss Hattic's door and
call her. and saw them come dow stairs
together
'~l;ol,crt Campbell. you say. pushed open
the front door and ran in: 1t must have
been mfastcnel. hen"
Tile door was Stantiin' ajar. Mars
Lang. lax he left ii. when he Went out To
SEQ who was dar."
Then you do no; think Herman de-
seconded the stairs after you saw him
pulling the Wire. until after the murder
had been committcd!"
NO. Mars Lang. he hadn't time"
DO You know when Herman entered
the house to-night!"
NO. but l know he was in de library.
and ! was in de dinin' room. when he pass
ed through dc hall and went mp to bed
How lcns WAS this before he pulled the
wirc?"
"oh. Il long time. Mars Lang. before /
was lozin'-lcrlals an hour"
Did you hear loud voices, as though
your master and Herman were q,arreliny
to-nislt!"
NO. Mars Lang. Ole master nebber
quarrel. He SHY what he mean. but he
ncl'her quarrel, and l heard no loud voices
until ! heard Mars Roberts cries of
Help. MURDER"
For a moment the detective stood there
Ill the darkness. i'll thoughtful silence.
Suddenly he said: You know, Hannah,
that ii would not nave taken Herman
Craven long to run down the stairs. strike
tina; blow and dash up them again.
II know that. master; hut he couldn't
have done it. If he had already been
down stairs when dc bell sounded. and hid
III masters room. or in dc library. ne
might have had time after Mars Robert
Went to de door TO have killed ole master
aud dashed up de stairs before l heard
that groan and got back to de dining room
door. He didn't run UP after that
"Iou forget said Scllars. "that if he is
the murderer of Your master he was down
Stairs at the time you heard that groan."
lie couldn't have been. Mars Lang.
Mars Herman is not the murderer of ole
MASTER"
why did he pull the wire and sound
the bell: He must have known that Rob
ert was in the house, and it must have
been for the purpose of calling him to the
door"
Either he or old master. Mars Lang.
He must have thought l had gone to bed"
Yes, either Campbell or your master.
You say that when you finally advanced
to the library door Robert was standing
with the bloody knife in his hand?'
Yes, and right over ole masters body,
as though he had just pulled the blade
from his breast. There was blood on his
hand Ou1 S1onrn ouJ horrOr rs, hi. rooo