The News-Herald. [volume] (Hillsboro, Highland Co., Ohio) 1886-1973, 1904-08-25

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"Oh. yes. afterward. Her face was
wrapped in the folds of her cloak, but
heard her whisper as If to herself:
NO, no, That old hearth is not a
lodestone. She cannot have fallen
there And then she looked up quite
more. Something which you have not
told me- she shot herself. If that's
what you mean Miss Tuttle's arms
went straight up over her head. 1t
was awful TO see her. shot herselfT
she gasped. oh, Veronica, Veronica!
with "a pistol, he went on-I suppose
he was going to say, tied to her wrist
but he never got ii out, for Miss Tut
tie at the word pistol capped her
hands to her ears and for moment
looked quite distracted, so that he
thought better OF worrying her any
more and only demanded to know ii
Mr. Jeffrey kept any such weapon.
Miss Tuttlc's face grew very strange
ut this. MIR. Jeffrey! Was he thereT
she asked. The man looked surprised.
They are searching for Mr. Jeffrey,
he replied Isn't he herei No. came
both from her lips and mine. The man
acted very impcrtincntly. You haven't
told me whether pistol was kept here
or not said he. Miss Tu,tle tried to
compose herself, but | saw that |
should have To speak If any one did, so
| told him that Mr.. Jeffrey did have a
pistol. which he kept in one of his bu.
reau drawers But when the officer
wanted Miss Tuttle 10 go up and see If
it was there she shook her head and
made for the front door. saying that
she must be taken directly to her sis.
ter
And did no one 20 up: Was no at
tempt made to see If the pistol was or
was not in the drawer!'
"les; the officer went up with me.
pointed out the place where 1t was
kept. and lie rummaged all through 1t.
but found no pistol. I didn't expect
him to- Here the witness paused
and bit her lip. adding confusedly
Mr.. Jeffrey had taken it, you see.
The Jurors. who sa, very mulch in the
shadow, had up 10 this point attracted
but little attention. But now they be.
gan to make their presence felt, per
haps because the break in the witness
words had been accompanied by sly
look ut jimmy. Possibly warned by
this that something lay back of this
hitherto timid witness sudden vOu
bility. one of them now spoke up.
I'm what room did you say this pis.
tol was kept
"In Mr.. and Mrs. Jeifrey's bedroom,
sir; the room opening out of the sit
ting room where Mrs. Jeffrey had kept
herself shut up all day
Does this bedroom of which you
speak communicate with the hall as
well as with the sitting room;'
NO. sir: il is the defect of the house
Mr.. and Mrs. Jeffrey often spoke of il
as II great annoyance. You had to pass
through the little boudoir in order TO
reach it,"
The juryman sank back, evidently
satisfied with her replies, but we who
marked the visible excitement with
which the witness had answered this
seemingly unimpOrtant question won
dered what special interest surrounded
that room and the pistol to warrant
the heightened color with which the
girl answered thisN new interlocutor
We were not destined to know ut this
time. for the coroner. when he spoke
again, pursued u different subject.
How long was this before Mr.. JEFF.
frey came in:'
only n few minutes. | was terribly
frightened ut being left there alone
and was on my way 10 ask one oi the
other girls To come up and stay Will.
me when | heard his key in the lock
and came back. He had entered the
house and was standing near the door
talking to an officer who had evidently
come in with him. 1t was II different
officer from the one who had gone
| away with Miss Tuttlc. Mr.. jeffrey
was saying: What's that? My wife
| hurtH Dead. sir" blurted ont the
man. l had expected TO see Mr.. JEFF
frey terribly shocked, but not in Sc
awful way. Il really frightened me
to see him and | turned to run. but
found that | couldn't and that l had
to stand still and look whether / want.
ed to or not. Yet lie didn't say a word
or ask II question"
What did he do. LorettaT'
Il cannot say. Ne was on his knees
and was whitc-oh, how white. Yet
he looked up when the man described
how and where Mrs. Jeffrey had been
| found and even turned toward me
when | said something about his wife
having left message for him when
she went out. This message, which
almost hesitated to give after the aw
| ful news of her death, was about the
| ending OF some story, as you remem
ber, and II seemed heartless to speak
VI II ut Il moment like this, but as she
had told me to I didn't dare to disobey
her SO, with the man listening to my
every word, and Mr.. Jeffrey looking as
If he would fal to the ground before
could finish, ! repeated her words tC
him and was surprised enough wher
ne suddenly started upright and wen
! flying upstairs. But / was more sur
prised yet when, ~ the top of the frs
flight he stopped and, looking over tn,
balustrade, asked in Il very strang,
voice where Miss Tuttle was. For h,
seemed Just then to want her more thar
anything else In the world and looked
beaten and wild when told him thai
she was already gone TO Waverley ave
nue.. But he recovered himself befor,
the man could draw near enough to Sc,
! his face, and rushed into the sittinl