The Wilmington daily Republican. (Wilmington, Del.) 1890-1902, 1900-03-28
What Koteinann Saw
A Case Where There Was No Need
Of Circumstantial Evidence.


evidence and its value.
"ln 90 cases out Of 100," remarked
'there is nothing else to be done but tc
convict the criminal upon c.rcumstantia
evidence. No man in his senses would
perpetrate murder in the presence of ar
eyewitness"
"Probably not" returned Kotelmann
slowly. THAT kind of thing is usually
done in private. 1t may SO chance. how
ever, that an eyewitness Is present OF
! whom the murderer has no cognizance."
After making this remark he walked by
my side for awhile in silence, apparently
deep in thought. Then he began again,
in his characteristic fashion:
Zone may travel all around the world
and yet never witness murder. l, how
ever. have seen one"
| what, you-you have seen onew ex-
claimed, almost terrified. explain your
self, man! Was the murderer caught
Was he punished?'
at was no 'he;' 1t was She" said
Kotelmann, with laugh. "And as she
was not caught it stands to reason she
was not punished"
"Yet you began.
My companion interrupted me.
81 had nothing TO do with it. My evil
dence was never called for nor required.
The thing was accomplished in the neat
est, most refined manner possible. II you
like, will tell you the whole story"
l pricked up my cars.
-Four years ago I was spending my
summer vacation at the little watering
place Of B. This quiet, retired nest suit
ed me well, and staid there some time.
"ln the house where l found lodging
there were already number of other
visitors, fact which, to sociable indi-
vidual like myself, was in nowise dis
tasteful.
"Among others I made a slight &C.
quaintance with family consisting Of
an old gentleman, his young wife and his
daughter by former marriage. The
girl. slim, delicate creature, apparently
about 20 years old, was blind. She could
not be termed pretty, but her personality
was indescribably attractive, gentle and,
l may say, pathetic. The wife was
beauty. She had splendid figure and
pair Of gray eyes not easily to be forgot
ten. should judge her age to have been
upout 60 hCpC ptupIG oCClHeu " ut Ill
very easy circumstances and kept them
selves as much as possible apart from the
other visitors.
II can boast, as you are aware, of
some small gifts Of observation. Al
though my acquaintance with this family
was, as I have already stated, but a
slight one, yet took some interest in
studying the different members which
composed it. For, wherever 60, make
it rule to study all the new characters
meet. 1t was not long before discov-
cred three things about this trio---frst-
ly, that the old man was passionRtely in
love with his wife, but had for his daugh-
ter neither eyes, ears nor heart; secondly,
that the daughter had an almost idola-
trous reverence for her father, but Sc
cret dislike for her stepmother; thirdly,
that the wife had downright hatred for
the other two.
"None Of the other inmates Of our villa,
however, had any suspicion of this state
Of affairs. To the superficial observer
these three persons appeared to be living
together in perfect harmony.
"One morning the old gentleman did
not appear, and in answer to inquiries his
wife said that he was i'll. In the course
Of the day physician was summoned to
him, and In the evening our host impart-
ed to me that the old man had been at
tackled with typhus fever and lay now in
very precarious condition.
"The honest Thuringian we'll nigh shed
tears Of chagrin; one would have thought
to hear him that the poor gentleman had
taken the fever out Of sheer wickedness
and spite, on purpose to give the house a
bad name. There was some cause for this
lamentation. The secret could not be
kept long, and as soon as it became
known that typhus was In the house the
visitors decamped with all speed. Only
two or three, more reasonable than the
rest, remained.
II have no fear of infection, and when
I told our host SO rose prodigiously in
his estimation. even visited the invalid
and tried to cheer him. On one occasion,
when only hired nurse besides myself
was present, he startled me by fit of de-
lirium, In which he implored me to save
him from his wife. did my utmost to
pacify him, and soon his mood changed,
and he began to speak of his wife in the
most pathetic and endearing terms. Ten
days after the beginning of the old gen.
tleman's illness CHANGED to encounter
the doctor, who was just descending the
staircase.
"'Well,' said I, how fares It with your
patientP
"'Oh,' answered he, the symptoms are
very favorable. The crisis Is over-or all
but over. We know, Of course, that he Is
an old man, and his constitution is weak
weak. II he pulls through,
as l trust he will, he will have his wife
and daughter to thank for it-especially
his daughter. The girl IL a born nurse!
He is asleep now, and upon this sleep de-
Ponds all. II he awakes of himself in
three or four hours time, then, humanely
speaking, he will be out Of danger. Every
thing depends upon this sleep! have i'm
pressed upon Herr K, your landlord, the
strict necessity of absolute quiet; he will
give orders to the servants. Should the
patient be frightened. startled out Of
sleep, there will be catastrophe. His
nervous system Ii so greatly depressed
that the slightest noise In his proximity
such, for instance, as the slamming Of ,
loor-would in all probability prove as
'atal as a bullet shot into his head or
lcart. l have warned his wife. Sleep is
low everythingp
with these words the doctor put on
lis hat and departed. As stood for a
minute in the hall, thinking over what I
lad heard, Herr X. crept toward me on
iptoe.
"'Listen, Herr Kotelmann,' said he in
IN undertone. 'Fraulein Won ", who
vas so brave at first, left my house early
his morning. She took herself off be-
'ause she was afraid OF catching the
ever. Are you, then, somewhat super
titiousT
II laughed.
San right said he triumphantly. 7