The news=record. [volume] (Enterprise, Wallowa County, Oregon) 1907-1910, 1907-12-19
CHAPTER vIII.-(Continued.)


reason is always the wrong one A smart
villain, who knows enough to carry glass
stilettos, and how to use them skillfully,
would not have unnecessarily alarmed
the household by firing a pistol in the
dead of night. Oh, no he would simply
have smothered the woman, already insen-
sible and unresisting, with a pillow, or
choked her to DEATH"
81 see, l see," acquiesced the physi-
cian go on"
"Let us assume, now, that this un-
known person entered the house through
the window in Monsieur Van Lith's cham
ber. While creeping through the room
he espies a case Of pistols. He has come
unarmed, save with the Venetian stiletto.
But once in the house, his courage fails
him. He picks up pistol from the case,
saying, This will protect me if | have
to proceed to extremites.' He passes on
to Madame Roupells chamber, and falls
to searching among her papers. She is
a woman of large property, and must
have valuables. He is not after money,
for the diamonds which she wore to the
opera have not been taken. While thus
engaged, he is interrupted by Madame
Roupell, who rushed forward to save her
papers. He jumps from his chair, over
turning it, and raises the stiletto; she
turns and fees he pursued and stabs her.
DO you understand monsieur"
"Yes, l understand everything, except
his firing the pistol into the head of
woman whom he had apparently already
put out Of the way Of harming him.
am assuming, Of course, that his object
was not murder. OF course, Madame
Roupel may have recognized him, and he
may have wanted to be sure she was
dead"
"Even that would not have warranted
his risking firing the pistol. Recollect,
as l have already said, he could easily
have smothered her without making any
noise" replied Cassagne.
"True Then why did he fire the pis-
tol?"
at is easy to conjecture" returned the
Frenchman. "He did it to direct suspi
clon from himself to the owner Of the
weapon"
"The diabolical villain !" exclaimed the
doctor, and apparently so impressed was
he with NJ. Cassagne's theory that he kept
repeating the phrase over and over again,
"The diabolical villain !"
But NJ. Cassagne paid no heed to the
CALCULATIONS of the physician. He was
down upon his knees running about on
all fours on the carpet, totally regardless
of the injury to his pantaloons. His nose
was within an inch of the floor. At last
he stopped in the middle Of the apart
ment, and exclaimed:
"Give me the knife"
The doctor handed II to him. He at
once proceeded to cut away the carpet,
and then to dig furiously into the wooden
flooring.
"What on earth are you looking for?"
inquired Mason.
"Never mind" replied Cassagne. "Wait
d moment, and you'll see."
He kept on digging away with the
knife as furiously as ever. At last he
stopped and still on his knees, held
triumphantly aloft small, oblong, black
object. Then he exclaimed breathlessly :
"All right have got the bullet"
IF we only had Van Lith's pistol
here" said Mason, "the evidence would
be complete, but it Is in Paris"
The detective arose and smoothed out
the knees OF his pantaloons, which he had
sadly crumpled.
1--WE have got what is quite as good,
he said "Go into the next room and
bring me the other pistol. Ten to one
they were mates"
Taking the pistol from the doctors
hands. he pushed the bullet into the muz-
Ele. 1t fitted to nicely.
1--WE have thus far" said NJ. Cassagne,
Established our theory successfully in
regard to one very important point.
Neither your friend Van Lith nor Mon
lsieur Chabot had hand in this murder
1t was committed by third party
someone who entered the house unknown
to anyone, and who left it in an equally
secret manner. Let us see, now, how he
got away, and what means of escape pre-
scented themselves He could not hav,
made his exit by any of the DOORS be
cause one of them led to the room IL
which Van Lith was hiding, and another
opened directly into the chamber occupied
by Monsieur Chabot. There is still, o.
course, bare chance that he retired b,
the door leading into the corridor; but 4
Is altogether improbable that he woul,
take such risk, as that corridor wa,
thronged with people hurrying to Mad
ame Roupels chamber at the sound o
the shot,"
"That is So" acquiesced Mason. ala,
he attempted to escape into the corrdo
he would undoubtedly have been seei
and captured"
"He must, therefore," continued Gas
sagne, have gotten out of the windows
The man have In my minds eye at tn
present moment would have been smar
enough TO raise the window before h
fired the shot. He would be particular
careful not to leave any clew that h
had been in the chamber, for that woul
exonerate the owner Of the pistol. III
would certainly not have leaped from IN
window, because that would have lef
footprints ON the ground you will loo
IN vain for SUCH Yet he did get out @
this very window"
"How can you tell that?" asked Masol
In amazement. ut has been already II
spected by the project of police. II
has also searched carefully under III
window. for saw him doing il. II an.
one had passed through that opening t
would surely have discovered It."
"rhe prefect is doubtless good of
cer," replied Cassagne, ''but II he hs
looked closer, he would have seen that