The Miller sun. (Miller, Hand County, S.D.) 190?-19??, 1907-03-16
CHAPTER XVIII.

Melbourne. The papers were full of it.
and some even went so far as to give q
plan of the house. with dotted lines there
on, to show how the crime was commit
ted.
Rumors were started that the govern
ment analyst and DR.. Goilipeck had found
poison in the stomach, and that, moreover,
the real criminal would be soon discov-
cred Public opinion was much divided
as to who the criminal was-some, hav-
ing heard the story of Madame's marriage,
said it was her husband; others insisted
Kitty Marchurst was the culprit and was
trying to shield herself behind this wild
story of the hand coming from behind the
curtains; while others were in favor Of
suicide. At all events, on the morning
when the inquest was resumed the court
was crowded, and a deep silence pervaded
the place when the government analyst
stood up to give his evidence. Madame
Midas was present, with Kitty seated be-
side her, the latter looking pale and i'll;
and Kilsip, with a gratifed smile on his
face which seemed as though he had got
a clue to the whole mystery, was seated
next to Cation. VandelOup, faultlessly
dressed, and as cool mad calm as posi-
BILE, was also in court; and Dr. Gollipeck,
as he awaited his turn to give evidence,
could not help admiring the marvellous
nerve and courage of the young man.
The government analyst deposed that
the stomach of the deceased had been sent
to him to be analysed. He had used the
usual tests, and found the presence of the
alkaloid of hemlock, known under the
name of coma. In his opinion the death
of the deceased was caused by the admin
iStratiOn of an extract of hemlOck.
There was great excitement when this
evidence was concluded, as it gave quite
a new interest to the case The question
as to the cause Of death was now set at
rest-the deceased had been murdered.
DR.. Gollipeck stood up to give his evil
dence.
He deposed that he was medical prac-
titioner, practcng at Ballarat; he had
seen the report of the case in the papers,
and had come down to Melbourne as he
thought he could throw a certain light
on the affair-for instance, where the
poison was procured. About three years
ago a crime had been committed in Paris.
which caused a great sensation at the
time. The case being a peculiar one. was
reported in a medical work, by Messieurs.
Prevol and Lebrun, which he had obtain
ed from France, some two years back.
The facts of the case were shortly these
One Adele Blondet died from the effects
of poison, administered to her by Octave
Braulard, who was her lover the deceased
had also another lover, called Kestrike,
who was supposed to be implicated in the
| crime, but he had escaped; the woman
in this case had been poisoned by an ex-
| tract of hemlock, the same poison as in
| the case Of Selma Sprotts, and it was
the similarity of the symptoms that made
him suspicious of the sudden DEATH Brau-
lard was sent out to New Caledonia for
the murder. While in Paris he had been
a medical student with two other gentle
men, one of whom was Monsieur Prevol,
who had reported the case, and the other
was at present in court and was called
VI. CASTOR Vandeloup. NJ. Vandeloup
had manufactured the poison used in this
| case, but with regard to how it was ad-
| ministered to the deceased, he would leave
that evidence to NJ. Vandeloup himself.
When Gollipeck left the witness box
| there was a dead silence, as every one
| was too much excited at his strange
| story to make any comment thereon. Mad
| anne Midas looked with some establishment
| on Vandeloup as his name was called
| out, and he moved gracefully to the wit
ness box, while Kitty's face grew paler
even than it was before. She did not
know what Vandeloup was going to say,
but a great dread seized her, and she sat
staring at him as if paralyzed. Kilsip
stole look at her and then rubbed his
hands together, while Cation sat scrib-
bling on his note paper.
| NJ. CASTOR Vandeloup, being sworn, de-
posed: He was a native of France. Of
| Flemish descent; he had known Braulard
intimately; he also knew Prevol he had
| been eighteen months in Australia, and
for some time had been clerk to Mrs. VIII
Tiers at Ballarat; he was. fond of chem
istry-yes; and had made several expert
ments with poisons while up at Ballarat
| with DR.. Gollipeck, who was a great tox-
| biologist ne had seen the hemlock in tho
| garden of an hotelkeeper at Ballarat, call
| ed Twexby, and had made an extract
| therefrom he only did it by way of ex-
! pertinent, and had put the bottle contain
| ing the poison in a desk, forgetting all
about it; the next time he saw that bottle
| was in the possession of Miss Kitty Mar
churst she had threatened to poison her
| self; he again saw the bottle in her pos
| session on the night of the murder; this
| was at the house of NJ. Mpddlechip. A
| report had been circulated hat he was
going to marry Mrs. Villiers. and Miss
| Marchurst asked him if it was true; he
| had denied it, and Miss Nlrchurst had
said that sooner than he should marry
Mrs. Viliers she would ptson her; the
| next morning he heard that selma Sprotts
| was dead.
Ito be continued.)