The Bon Homme County independent. [volume] (Tabor, S.D.) 1904-1913, 1907-02-21


'Miss Frances Holiday THE dsugh-
Ger of my employer"
You're quite surs7 You know her
very well. I've known her for
many years. She often drove to the
once In the evening tn take her father
homo. ] supposed that was what she
came for yesterday"
you looked at her attcntiveiy7'
Rogcfs hItched impsticntiy In hts
chair.
Il glanced at her. as ! always do"
he said. Il didn't stare"
But you're quite SUR. Il was Miss
Hoiiaday3''
Absolutely sure. sir. Good Cod"
ne cried. hts nerves giving way for mn
instant. do you suppose I'D make an
assertion like shat IL wasn't nbso-
lutely SURE
NO" said the coroner soothingly.
mo. I don't suppose any such thing.
not for q moment. Mr.. Rogers: only I
want the jury TO see how certain the
Identification H. Shall I procecd-'
90 ahead. sir said Rogers TN try
TO hold myself together n little better.
SIR
Il can see wha, a strain this In for
you" said the coroner kindly: and Ill
spare you rs much az I can. Now. after
Miss Holiday entered the inner onice.
how long did she remain there!
About ten minutes. I should say.
not longer than that certainly"
Did you hear any sound OF CONVEX
sation. or any unusual noise OF any
kind?"
EMO. sir. II would have been n very
unusual noise to he audible. Mr.. iiol-
laday's once has heavy walls and
double door which completely shut on
all sounds from within.
1s.lt Anss h..s s.ssf
Yes. sir"
And walked past your"
Yes. SIR: walked past mo rapidly.
did you not think that peculiar -
why. sir. she didn't often stop to
speak TO me. I was busy and 40
thought nothing particularly about IT,"
did you notice her face7 Did she
mo. sir: didn't notice. I just
glanced up and bowed. In fact. didn't
soc her face at all. for she had lowered
her veil"
Her veii!" repeated the coroner.
You hadn't mentioned that she wore
. veil
EMO, sir: when she came into the Of
nee she had lifted IL up over her hat
brtm-you know how women do"
'Yes--so you saw her fac. distinctly
when she entered"
Yes. sir
but when she went out she had low
ered her veii. Was IL a heavy oncy'
why. SIR" the witness hesitated.
'.just an ordinary veil. I should say"
But still heavy enough To conceal
her face"
"Oh. yes. sir
The coroner nodded. Now. Mr..
Rogers how long n time elapsed after
tho departure OF the woman before you
went back into the inner office-"
Int ha mr. svttn
utes. I thought perhaps Mr. Holiday
WAS getting ready to accompany his
daughter. and I didn't wish to detnin
him"
And you found him. as you say. ly-
ting forward across his desk with a
knife In his throat and the blood
spurting out Did you recognize the
knifey''
Yes. SIR. II vas his knife--a knife
he kept lying on his desk to sharpen
pencils with and erase and so on"
sharp. was IT,
IT had one long blade. very sharp.
sir"
The coroner picked up a knife that
was lying ON the desk before him.
Ia this the knife" he asked.
Rogers looked nj u carefully.
That's the knife, STR" he said. and
q was passed to the jury. When they
had finished with Il Mr.. Royce and I
examined a. II was an ordinary one
hiae&d crasing knife with ivory han
about two inches and a half In length.
and. ~ ] soon convinced myself. very
sharp indeed.
win you describe. Mr.. Holidays
positiony'' continued the coroner.
He was lying forward on the desk.
with HIS arms outs'retched and his
head to one side
th.re sNan Ureaf heal NJ
blooA."
"oh. n gree. deal, Someone. appar-
entity. had attempted to check Il. for n
1ittlo distance away there was a hand
k~rchief soaked "a blood
The coroner picked up a handker-
chief and handed 10 To the witness.
LIS that the handkerchief" he asked.
Yes. sir" said Rogers. after a mo-
mcnt.
is I, n mans or n woman's hand
Gerchief:"
"Oh. woman's undoubtedly"
The jury examined IL and 80 did we.
u was a small square az fine cambria
with no mark that I could see. soaked
through and through with blood-un-
questtonably n womnn's handkerchief.
Then Rogers told the rest or the story
how he had summoned aid and In
formed the police.
Now. Mr.. Rogers said the COR
0U6is WIFI ut tneTe
ono point more. Has there bcen any
thing Ia your knowledge OF Mr.. Holla-
day or his business tn suggest the idea
OF suicide 80
Tho Witness shook his ncad decid-
eddy.
Nothing whatever. SIR" he said pos
ttively. Ills business was prosper
Ing. no was happy and contented-
why. lao was planning for trip
abroad with his daughter"
Let Nv suppose for n moment" con-
tinucd Goldberg. that he did actually
stab himself In his daughters pres
ence: what would you naturally cx-
pect her To do
II should expect her TO give the
alarm-to summon aid" replied Rogers
Certainly - unquest.onably.' and
Goldberg nodded tn my chief II turn
the witness over to- you, Mr.. Royce"
he said.
-Now. Mr.. Rogers" began our Junior
imprcssivciy. you know. OF course
that this whole cases hinges. at present
on your Identification OF the woman
who, presumably. was In Mr.. Holia-
days office when he was stabbed.
want to be very sure OF that identif-
cation. VIII you tell me how she was
drcssedy"
The witness paused for e. moments
thought.
'She wore n dress OF very dark red"
ne said mt last. with some sort OF mar
row dark trimming-black. possibly.