Eagle River review. [volume] (Eagle River, Wis.) 1890-1927, 1907-08-16

NJ. Victor Lablanche allowed the wor-
thy magistrate to ramble on. When that
gentleman had quite finished, he said:
You had better tell the prisoner and
the principal witnesses to get ready to
take the early train for Paris. The pres
ence of your local physician will be nee
essary also. so that he can testify to the
nature of the wound by which Madame
Roupell met her death. In the meantime
will make an examination of the scene
of the murder"
THAT will be unnecessary I have al
ready made one."
with what result, monsieur lie MARIE :"
"The finding of this pistol, with which,
doubtless, the murder was committed"
LET me look at it."
The project took the weapon, and ex-
amined it carefully.
sit Is of American manufacture" he
said. did you find anything else?"
Nothing except some private papers
of Madame RoupelPs scattered on the
floor of her chamber"
Where is the young man who has been
accused of this crime?"
He is under strong guard at pres
ent, in the buffers pantry. Do you wish
to see him."
''No, l think not he said 1.-The judge
sits at ten o'clock and he will hear what
he has to say. Meantime though. as I
said, / wish to make an inspection of
the premises"
The mayor at once bestirred himself,
| and conducted NJ. Lablanche upstairs to
the room where the body of Madame
Roupel was still lying. Nothing had been
moved. Even the blood which had soaked
into the hearth rug had not been wiped
up; an overturned chair lay where it had
| fallen; some papers were scattered about
| the room.
"Do not disturb them" said NJ. La
| blanche, pointing to the papers. while
| they simply indicate how Madame Rou-
| pell was engaged at the time of the shoot
| ing, and perhaps have no bearing on the
| question of who committed this crime,
| still it is our rule to move nothing
And as to who did commit it, think
| there can be no doubt" remarked the
| mayor
There is always room for doubt in
| any case" replied the project. "Of
| course this young man denies his guilt,
| though silent on other points,"
| Most decidedly he does"
'Then you have got to prove it in or
| der to bring the crime home to him. You
must recollect that under the revised
penal code of France, the prisoner has
no longer to prove his innocence of a
charge. 1t is the duty of the law to
bring it home to him."
''But Monsieur Chabot assures me-"
| IL. ksAl> L. p
man in Madame Roupells chamber imme-
diately after the report of the pistol
'Oh perhaps the young man found him.
What do you think of that?' remarked
the project. "You see, my dear sir, we
must not be too hasty."
Il must confess that you put the mat
ter in a new light; but Monsieur Van
Lith's appearance in the chateau"
How does he account for that"
"He refuses to account for that at all,
as I said" replied the mayor.
"Was he in the habit of calling at this
houseT'
AT one time but lately had been not
only unlimited, but requested to dlscon-
! tinue his visits. His presence IN the
chateau was, in fact, totally unexpected
by anyone until ne was discovered IN
Madame Roupell's chamber
NJ Lablanche now threw a searching
! glance around the chamber. 1t would
seem. indeed, as if nothing could escape
| his acute observation. On the large,
| handsome bedstead, lay the body of the
late proprietress OF the Chateau Vile
neuve. This piece of furniture was near
| ly in the center of the room with the
head placed against the wall. 10 the
east two windows looked out upon the
grounds in the rear of the building. An
| aviary, containing several canaries, which
| had been great fayorites Of the dead
| woman, stood between the windows. Its
occupants were singing merrily, appar-
| emily unmndful that the hand which had
| fed and tended them was powerless to
| do so more. In the windows, stands or
geraniums and other plants were tasteful
ly arranged. and the heavy curtains had
been carefully draped back to permit the
free ingress of the sunlight. On the tot
lette table lay the gloves which Nine.
Roupell had worn at the opera the preced-
| ing evening. There, also, was the tan
which she had carried. On one of the
chairs was the shawl which Emily Wei
don had wrapped about her.
(To be continued.)