Burlington weekly free press. [volume] (Burlington, Vt.) 1866-1928, 1904-12-22

Madame dismissed the guests Mt that
hour and stood in the doorway to do
so. l retired TO my bedroom with
madamc's niece, and after q game Of
| patience went TO bed"
Docs Mrs. Jerseys niece sleep with
youi"
"Margery? No, she sleeps in a room
| above. 1t was few minutes to IL
when she left me I was in bed short
| ly after the clock struck the hour.
am sure Margery had nothing to do
with it. She was quite devoted to her
aunt, and as the poor girl has no
money don't know how she will live
now that madame is dead"
1.-THE room is not far from the front
| door" unused Inspector Quey. could
| any one have cnteredT
mo, I am sure Of that put in Miss
Bull emphatically. MADAME always
locked the front door every night her
self and kept the key. 1t could not be
opened in the morning until she chose"
| "Who opened it this morningW
II did. knew that the key would
be in madamcs pocket
And 1t was
'Yes. She must have locked the door
as usual and then have gone TO put
the light CIT in her sitting room before
going upstairs"
WAS that before g
II can't say. I did not leave my
room after 10 But Margery may have
seen some one as she went up to her
! bedroom when she left me-
"I'll question the girl" said Quex,
and entered the sitting room.
1t was of no great size. with one win
dow, which looked out on to the square.
| This was locked, and, even il it had not
been, no ono could have climbed In. as
! Quox saw that the area was below.
And madame chained the area gate
every night with her own hands" ex-
planned Miss Bull, who was watching
him
Tho inspector turned suddenly to-
| ward her. at seems to me that the
deceased was overcautious. Was she
afrodt'
II think she was" admitted Miss
Bull. she had habit of looking over
her shoulder and. rs have stated. was
| Idi ulil dS ~ DOIlS anu OARS. fpUL
she was a secretivc woman and never
said anything to me about Der fears,
if she had any
Madame was still in the black silk
dress which she wore on the previous
night. Seated at the round center ia
bic, she had evidently been struck from
| behind and killed before she had time
to cry out Her arms were on the ia
bic and her head had fallen forward.
The furniture Of the room was not in
disorder: the led tablecloth was not
even rut1lcd. The purder had been
committed without haste or noise, as
Quex pointed out to Miss Bull.
whatsoever murdered her must have
been friend" said he
1T doesn't seem friendly act to kill
a defenseeSs woman" said Miss Bull,
looking coldly on the limp figure.
You don't quite understand. What
I mean is that Mrs. Jersey knew the
person who killed her"
Miss Bull shook her head. II don't
agree with you She observed, and
QueX was astonished that she should
dare to contradict. she was struck
from behind before she had time to
turn her head"
quite SO. But the assassin must
have entered the room. and unless the
deceased was deaf
Madame had particularly sharp
ears"
| Then that makes it ali the more cor
tain. Had any one unexpected entered
| oha would hora hapt, ~ Tho al
| would have been Il struggle. Now. we
see that the furniture is not disturbed;
therefore we can argue from this that
Mrs Jersey was in friendly conversa-
ton with the assassin. She was seated
at the table and the assassin was at her
back, which shows a certain amount
of trust. In fact. Miss Bull. the person
who committed this murder was the
last person Mrs. Jersey expected TO
hurt her IN any way
II understand, But don't fancy that
madame had any friends She was II
woman who kept very much to her.
self"
do you know anything of her past?"
Absolutely nothing. She took this
house some fourteen or fifteen years
ago, | believe. have been here ten
and was very comfortable, s6ve that
madame and | disagreed on many
points. She was always rude to me.
and don't think she vas lady" Miss
Bull drew herself up. MY father was
Il general" she declared proudly.
But Quex was too busy examining
the room to attend to Miss Bulls fam
fly history, He searched for the weap-
on with which the crime had been com
mitted, but could find mono. There
was no blood on the furniture, although
some had trickled down from the
wound on to the tablccloth. The blow
must have been struck strongly and
surely and with the power Of deadly
! hatred. II was at this moment that
the doctor arrived, and, turning the
body over to him, QucX conducted
Miss Bull back to the wing room,
where he examined all who were IN
| the house.
The first witness examined was Mar
gerry, and she refused to open her
mouth unless she sat by Miss Bull.
The old mad held Margery's hand and
coaXed her into answering when she
proved recalcitrant Quex could not
| hut nd mire tho way I'm which Miss Ru1l