The San Angelo press. (San Angelo, Tex.) 1897-1907, 1905-01-26

time that the marks on the mantclShelf
had been heard of outside the majors
office or the story so told us to make II
evident that Mrs. Jeffrey could not
have been alone in the house at the
time Of her death
a photograph had been taken OF those
marks. and my Identification of this
photograph closed my testimony.
AS | returned to my seat | stole n
look toward a certain corner where.
! with face bent down upon his hand.
Francis Jeffrey sat between Uncle Da.
vid ana the heavily yelled figure of
, Miss futile
! was followed 10y the other dctcc.
tives who had been present at the
! time and who corrOboratcd my state.
mcnt as to the appearance Of this UNI
| happy woman and the way the pistol
| had been tied to her arm. Then the
| doctor who had acted under the coro.
ncr was called. After a long and no
! doubt learned description of the bullet
wound which had ended the life of this
| unhappy lady-a wound which he in.
sisted. with n marked display of learn.
ing, must have made that end instan.
! tnncous or Mt least too immediate for
her TO move foot or hand after 1.-THE
was asked If the body showed any
other mark of violence.
TO this he replied:
There was minute wound ut the
base of one of her fingers. the one
which Is popularity called the wedding
finger"
This statement made all the women
present stare with renewed interest;
nor was 1t altogether without point for
the men, especially when the doctor
went on to say:
"Thc hands We're entirely without
rings. As Mrs. Jeffrey had been mar
ried with II ring, 1 noticed their alb
sence."
WAS this wound which you charac.
terlze as minute recent one?'
at had bled little. 1t was an abra.
sion such as would be made II the ring
she usually wore there had been drawn
off with jerk. That was the impress.
sion received from Its appearance I
A little thrill which went over the
audience Mt the picture this evoked
communicated itself to Miss Tuttle.
who trembled violently. 1t even pro.
duCed slight display of emotion In
Mr.. Jeffrey, whose hand shook where
he pressed II against his forehead. But
neither uttered sound nor looked up
N
This witness proved to be Loretta,
who. on hearing her name called,
evinced great reluctance to come for.
ward. After the coroner had ELECTED
her name and the position she held in
Mr. Jeffrey's household he asked
whether her duties took her into Mrs.
Jeffrey's room. Upon her replying that
they did, he further inquired If she
knew Mrs. Jeffreys rings, and could
say whether they were all to be found
on that lady's toilet table after the
police came in with news of her death.
The answer was decisive. They were
nll there; her rings and all the other
ornaments she was In the daily habit
of wearing, with the exception of her
watch. That was not there.
Did you take up those rings?"
NO, sir"
Did you see any one else take them
up"
NO, sir; not till the officer did So"
VERY WELL Loretta. Sit down again
till we hear what Durbln has to say
about these rings"
nd I. I lao
ward, and, though | shrank from ac-
knowledging it even to myself. | could
but observe how strong and quiet and
self possessed he seemed ana how de.
cislve was his testimony.
But II was equally brief. He had
taken up the rings and he had looked
at them; and on one, the wedding ring,
he had detected a slight stain of blood.
lie had called Mr.. Jeffrey's attention
TO 1t, but that gentleman had made no
comment
This remark had the effect of con.
centrating general attention upon Mr..
Jeffrey. But lie seemed quite oblvl.
GUS of 1t; his attitude remained I'M.
changed, and only from the quick
stretching out and withdrawal of Miss
TuttIe's hand could It be seen that
anything had been said calculated to
touch or arouse this man. The coroner
cast an uneasy glance In his direction:
then he motloned Durbin aside and re-
called Loretta.
And now began TO he sorry for the
girl, 1t is hard to have ones weak
nesses exposed especially il one is
more foolish than wicked But there
was no way OF letting this girl off with.
The pkoiosrsph OF the
fngeT marks