The pioneer express. [volume] (Pembina, Dakota [N.D.]) 1883-1928, 1905-10-20
MQUbikeCk, IIe. uOfI0|leI.
By SEWARD w. HOPKINS,
Author Of Jack Robbins Of America" ia the
chlns Sea-" 1.-TWO Gentlemen Of
Hawaii "On q False
Charge" Etc.
o,ssrishs, 1895. by Ronrsr Boss..'s SOFA
CHAPTER XVI

l cannot, in sheer sympathy for tai
the man, put all our conversation into
this chapter. There was somethin:
about his calm bearing. his mute ac
ceptance of his fate, that to me was
sacred. His white hand scarcely
trembled as he carried a match to his
cigar. even after he must have beer
convinced that his race was run.
His face was ashen, and the hand
some mouth was set firm and white.
After the preliminary announce
ment of our discoveries, which he &C
cepted with sad bow of his aristo
cratic head, said:
Il have here, Graviscourt the
sworn statements of the man who was
supposed to have killed Alice Gravis
court the man who was hired to kill
Mia Barlotti, and the man who saved
the child from the numbering physi.
clan. Shall | read them, OF do you
place yourself in the hands of the law
without further agony?"
Proceed" he said quietly.
With voice shaking with emotion,
read to him the statement of Antonio
Slgmotta. During the reading he sat
finished, he raised a glass of wine to
! perfectly motionless. and when l had
his lips, firmly replaced the glass on
the table, and sat Waiting.
Proceed" he said as | paused
the next"
Then | read the statement of Luigi
l)ambo. and still the doomed man sat
perfectly calm. the ashen pallor of his
face and hands being the only indica.
tions of the awful tumult that must
have been in his brain.
When | had finished this he drained
the glass again, and again sat wait.
ing
Proceed" he said and this time
there was distinct sheer in his voice,
There is another-that of my friend
Charles Sismotta'
began to read. Charles Sigmotta's
statement was as follows:
Il. Charles Sigmotta. otherwise
known as Tortoni, the druggist. being
duly sworn. do say and declare that
the following statement is absolutely
true:
Il have listened to the statements
or my brother. Antonio and Luigi
l'ambo. and | confess that all that is
i'll them concerning myself is abso-
lutely true.
Il was the familiar friend of Ralph
GraFlscourt, who, as is well known,
was a poor man with expensive tastes
and heavily in debt, when, by the
Death OF his brother. he became the
guardian of the child Alice. and the
executor of his brothers. will BY this
| Will. in case of the death of Alice be-
fore marrying. Ralph Graviscourt be-
came sole heir to the fortune Of a mil
lion.
''He at once plotted to get rid of
the child, and my own financial neces-
sites made me willing accomplice,
LOT the terms he offered We're liberal.
Tie plan was this: ! had child
Who had died of smallpox child of
poor Italian parents. who gladly con-
scented when l offered to take her
away and bury her without expense to
them. took this child to Gravis-
courts house. and took the real Alice
Graviscourt away, first giving her a
powerful drug, which expected would
Kill her. Our reasons for making this
substitution We're that Graviscourt
feared that some of the friends OF his
brother and his wife would demand to
see the body, and il it were known
that she died of smallpox. this curl
osity would no doubt be sti1ed: and
then again. it provided against pub
ic funeral and viewing of the corpse.
And the child substituted was so
strongly marked by the foul disease
that one look would convince the most
curious and satisfy all misgivings.
But there was no trouble The
Italian child was buried as Alice Ora.
visconrt and what followed with the
real heiress is truthfully told in my
brothers statement, though up to the
advent of Maligni's circus both Gravis-
court and believed that Alice Gravis-
| court was at the bottom OF the East
| river.
fii az IsoNoull NGliue W IIltA great
alarm one day and said that a girl who
| closely resembled his brothers wife
was an actress in Maligni's circus. and
demanded to know more about the dis
position | had made of Alice | reas-
| sured him and said that the likeness
was merely coincidence, and SO |
firmly believed. / knew that my
| brother had claimed to have a daugh-
| ter Nita but never saw her and now
| understand why he SO carefully kept
her out Of my way
When Graviscourt had gone, | cot
| to thinking over the matter. and my
| curiosity was aroused, and | went TO
| the circus to see Mia. my brothers
| child. was stirred by the striking re-
semblance she bore to the wife of
Charles GraviscOurt, and sought Ma
| ligni to learn more of her Maligni
| told me how Antonio had given her to
him. and seemed to attach no impor.
lance to my visit But it seems that
he had neglected to read the contents
Of the red box, having no interest in
| 1t. until | aroused his curiosity.
The next day Graviscourt came
again, and said that Maligni had Wis.
| itnd1him and claimed tn have ,,roofc