The Mount Holly news. [volume] (Mount Holly, Burlington Co., N.J.) 1891-1942, 1900-03-20
= THE CAT OR
: THE COMET
which Was Responsible ?
! ;. = !. = 1880, = :

- WnAcn WAs ReePOnsADAo' - -
q * : = = = = i : ! =
What was that? A confused noise,
as of SCATTERING glass, a heavy fall and
then a pistol shot, all at once.
Then Aunt Samyra raped on the
floor and called to me in excited tones
through the keyhole:
"Alicia Deanl Alicia Deanl Get up
and dress, quickl There are burglars
up stairs!"
Fortunately was already dressed,
having sat up later than usual that
night, waiting for my roommate, SUI
san Ellen, to come back from the con-
cert.
So I.opened the door at once, and as
l did so Susan Ellen almost ran into
my arms, looking white and scared
and almost ready to drop.
Aunt Samyra appeared a moment
later, her hair done up in curl pa
pers, armed with lighted candle, a
revolver and poker.
/ got possession of the revolver inn
mediately; not that expected to do
any more good with it than she could,
but hoped to do less harm.
s'Susan Ellen" said in stage whis-
per, "did you see anything of the rob-
bers as you came in?"
But Susan Ellen seemed so paralyzed
with fear that she was incapable Of
answering and simply chung to my left
arm like a frightened child, shaking
from head to foot.
'sNow, girls, follow me, and don't
speak a wordv' commanded Aunt
Samyra, ascending the stairway, pro-
tected by her helmet Of curl papers. as
1t were, and with the candle in one
hand and the poker in the other.
We followed at a safe distance, and
confided to Susan Ellen on the way
that the pistol shot seemed to have
come from Uncle Ralph's room, and |
was afraid the robbers had hurt him,
OF he would have come to our rescue
in this time.
She opened her mouth to answer,
but her teeth chartered so that she
could not.
We now saw that Aunt San1yra had
stepped in front of Uncle Ralph's door
and was making Intellectual attempts
to rouse him.
BY accident l had the key of my
room in my hand, having unconscious
ly taken it out after opening the door
to Aunt Samyra. This key 1 now ap-
piled to Uncle Ralph's lock. The door
opened readily. and Aunt Samyra step
ped in. but sprang back instantly with
a cry of horror, for Uncle Ralph lay
on the floor under the window with
pistol beside him.
1t did not take me many minutes to
decide that he was dead with bullet
through his heart.
After becoming convinced Of this
fact all my nerve left me. While gaz-
ing vacantly about with dazed eyes.
vaguely conscious that Aunt Samyra
was sobbing and that the cook. who
had just come on the scene, was ut
tering Mortified CALCULATIONS, felt
some one pull my sleeve. It was Su-
san Ellen.
"Take me away" she said. tits
chilly up here"
at is chilly" / answered, drawing
her arm through mine
Then / noticed that a strong gale
was sweeping through the room and
that the upper sash of the window was
out.
'Lookr said. "No wonder we are
coldp'
But she paid no attention.
After l had put Susan Ellen to bed
and managed to get her warm and
quiet with the assistance of smelling
salts and a glass of wine l went back
up stairs.
I had already decided in my own
mind that Uncle Ralph had been MUIR
dered by burglar but the first glance
round the room seemed to disprove this
theory, for on the dressing case lay
the watch and the purse of the MUIR
dered man. Nor, after thorough
search, could find even pin missing.
OF course we had coroner's inquest,
and this developed the fact, which we
already knew. that "Ralph Morton had
met his death at the hands of a party
or parties unknown"
When the verdict had been rendered,
/ returned to the scene of the murder
and made another investigation. In
der the window discovered some bits
Of broken glass. On examining the
window itself not only found that
the upper sash was out. but that one
pane of glass In the lower was miss
ing. AS ! failed to draw any conclu
sion from these circumstances went
back to Susan Ellen and asked if she
supposed the murderer had carried off
the upper window sash.
She burst out crying Historically,
and for long time could get no an
swer out of her at all. But it trans
pired at last that when Aunt Samyra
had been apprised of Uncle Ralph's
unexpected visit the day before she
had sent Susan Ellensup stairs to get
his room ready. Susan Ellen. think
ing she had plenty of time before his
arrival to clean the windows, took out
the sashes-they were old fashioned
windows-in order TO wash them.
But Uncle Ralph got in two hours
ahead of time. having come on an
earlier train than he expected. The
result was that Susan Ellen had not
finished the windows.
''But it was SO warm" she wound
up with another burst of tears, Il did
not think it would matter to leave out
one sash, and meant to clean it and
put it in today"
/ understood now why it was that
Cousin Susan was so powerfully af-
fected by the death of a great uncle
whom she had never seen till yester-
day. She thought If she had not left
out that window sash the murderer
could not have gained entrance.
Aunt Samyra employed the finest de-
tectives to clear up the mystery. but 1t
remained q mystery still.
"Alicia," said my aunt about six
months after the murder, what Is
your theory on this subject?"
IT have none" answered, unless
It was case Of suicide"
'Tmpossibler' she calculated.
ssWhat sort Of mood was he in when
he babe you good nightT"
every bright and cheerful"