The Dakota chief. (Gann Valley, Buffalo County, S.D.) 18??-1913, 1907-06-13

Cd b., despair, was gradually gaining the
victory over Pierre, and then you stepped
in-y.s; 1 saw you snatch Pierres knife
from he back of his waist and stab villiers
ip 'the back. Then you put the knife into
Pierre's hand, all bloody, as Villiers fell
dead, and I fed away
She stopped, breathless with her re-
cital, and vandeloup, pale but composed.
would have answered her, when cry
from Pierre startled them. He had come
close to them, and was looking straight
at Kitty.
Then !" he cried ~ am innocent?"
"You" shrieked Kitty, falling back Cd
her bed who are you?"
The man pulled his hat of and came
step nearer.
II am Randolph Villi~s!'
Kitty shrieked again and covered her
face with her hands, while Vandeloup
laughed in mocking manner, though hia
pale face and quivering lip told that his
mirth was assumed.
YES" said Villiers, throwing his hat
or the floor of the cell, lit was Pierre
Lemaire, and not l, who died. The strus-
gle took place as you have described, bat
get rid of Pierre for reasons of his own,
stabbed him, and not me, in the back He
thrust the knife into my hand, and 1, in
my blind fury, thought that l had mur.
dered the dumb man. was afraid of be-
ing arrested for the murder, SO, as sug-
gested by Vandeloup, l changed clothes
with the dead man and wrapped my own
up in a bundle. We hid the body and the
nugget in one of the old mining shafts
and then came down to Ballarat. was
similar to Pierre in appearance, except
that my chin was shaven. | went down
to the Waffle Tree Hotel as Pierre after
leaving my clothes outside the window OK
the bedroom which Vandeloup pointed out
to me- Than he went to the theater and
told me to rejoin him there as Nilliers.
got my own clothes inte the room, dressed
again as myself; then, locking the door
so that the people of the hotel might sup
pose that PIERRE slept, / jumped out OF
the window of the bedroom and went to
the theater. There played my part az
you know, and while we were behind the
scenes Mr.. Wopples asked me to put out
the gas in his room. l did so, and took
from his dressing table black beard, in
order to disguise myself as Pierre till
my beard had grown. We went to supper,
and then I parted with Bsrty at . o'clock
in the morning, and went back to the
hotel. where I climbed into the bedroorn
through the window and reassumed
Pierre's dress forever. 1t was by Vande-
loup's advice did not go to the Pactolus,
whore my wife would have recognized me.
Theli l, as the supposed Pierre, was dis
char ged as you know. Nandeloup, apins
fries dship, drew the dead mans salary
and bought clothes and box for me. In
the middle of one night l, still disguised
az Pierre, slipped out of the window and
went up to Black Hill where l found the
nugget and brought it down to my room
at the Waffle Tree Hotel. Then vande-
loup brought in the box with my clothes,
and we packed the nugget in it, together
wita the suit had worn at the time OF
the murder. Following his instructions, 1
came down to Melbourne, and there dis
posed of the nugget-no need to ask how,
as there are always people ready to do
things of that sort for payment. When
I was paid for the nugget, and only got
eight hundred pounds, the man who melt
ed it down taking the rest, had to give
six hundred to Vandeloup, as l was In
his power as thought, and dare not re-
fuse in case he should denounce me for
the murder of Pierre Lemaire. And now
I find that l have been innocent all the,
tine. and he has been frightening me with
n shadow. He, not |. was the murderer
of Pierre I1emaire, and you can prove 1t.