Bonners Ferry herald. [volume] (Bonners Ferry, Idaho) 1904-current, 1908-04-04
The Roupell Mystery
q r a n v | | | e

beds had not been slept in. Evidently
Miss Harriet Weldon and NJ Chabot had
not retired, and they were the only two
persons In the chateau except Nine. Rou-
pell herself who had not done SO.
Il will assume for the purpose of ar
gument that NJ. Jules Chabot is guilty"
he began, quietly talking to himself, as
II he were some second party. Let me
first see whether there is a sufficient mo-
tive for him to have committed this crime
which young Van Lith so strenuously De
MES. In the first place, who knows
anything about Monsieur Chabot? | do
not, and the mayor does not for l have
asked him. Assume him to be fortune
hunter simply, and the motive grows
stronger. But why? Is it because he
is paying attention to the Mademoiselles
| Weldon Not entirely; but because as
long as Madame Roupelr is alive. the
| Mademoisellcs Weldon do not succeed to
her fortune? Monsieur Chabot may have
| killed Madame Roupell in order to Sc
| cure to himself the fortune he was after.
| And he may have contrived to throw sus-
| picion upon Monsieur Van Lith, not only
for the purpose of diverting suspicion
| from himself, but In order to rid himself
| of a very dangerous rival. But why
! dangerous rival. when there are two young
ladies, and Monsieur Van Lith cannot
marry both? Because there must be some
provision in Madame Roupell's will by
which the first of her nieces marrying
will have the larger share of the estate.
And if such provision exists, it is not I'M
likely that sharp. shrewd fellow like
this Chabot would have made himself
| or Of Ia for ha 10 inti-
mate friend of the family; and his rela-
lions must be almost confidential. This
is a mere theory, of course concluded
the prerect to himself; but in pursuance
of it, let us see how Monsieur Chabot
spent the hour which elapsed between his
retiring and the time of the murder"
He again entered the chamber which
had been occupied by Chabot. and with
his new theory thus in his mind looked
around him. He now sought to make
each trlf1ing incident reflect some suspi-
cion against the late occupant Of the
chamber. He examined the bed clothes
with greater care this time. 1t was evil
dent that Chabot had not even lain
down outside of them. He looked under
the bedstead even, but espying nothing
but a bootjack. directed his attention
next to the toilette table. He was about
to despair, when his eye fell upon small
black object, not over quarter of an
inch in length. He picked it up, and
found it was the broken point of a lead
pencil NJ. Chabot had evidently passed
the time in writing. The question was,
how much of the time?
According to the mayors written notes
of his examination Of the inmates of the
chateau, an hour had certainly elapsed
between the time of Nine. Roupells re
firing and the sound of the pistol shot.
At what precise period of that interval
had the pencil point been broken? The
accident to the pencil had not occurred
at the time of the firing of the shot
for il ii had been caused by reason of the
writer's starting with surprise, he would
not, naturally have taken time to put
away his writing materials before going
q to ascertain the cause of the noise. He
must therefore have been thus employed
for only portion Of the interval. The
question now uppermost in Victor La
blanche's mind was: How did Jules Cha
n bot consume the rest of his time? If h,
should fail to properly account for tn,
a whole hour, there would be strong reasons
4 for holding him In custody.
Having revolved these matters in hi
+ mind. the project of police arose from
the easy chair into which he had thrown
+ himself and approached the door leadin
ON Jules Chabot's room to the cham
II Der of Nine. Roupell. OF course it wa
J. fastened, as by again referring to tn
Y MAYORS notes it transpired that julie
"A Chabot had entered the chamber by an
l. other way. Almost mechanically he sell
ed the handle and turned it. The doc
E. was unlocked. When he had made thes
4 discoveries he descended with a liyhte
heart than he would otherwise have don
= Much would depend upon the evidence
as be ELECTED by himself and the testimon
h to be taken before the judge of instru
ID ton.
He strolled out on the terrace to con
g. plete his official inspection of the prer
ises. He commenced his examination
X the back of the chateau. He went in
ne all the outhouses he visited the servant
ofices-even the cellars and dairy. The
- he emerged again into the open air al
80 inspected the windows and search
among the flower beds beneath them (
.r the prints of feet. Nothing, however, I
=. warded this careful scrutiny, until eros
10 10 ing the lawn he went through an ancie
Uncovered archway and gained the fro
y, of the building. Then his quick eye
- tected that a shrub had been brush
- aside. and STOPPING on the graveled wa
he discovered that a weed had been crus
ed beneath heavy foot. little furth
-. on he found further signs. and lit
-U later stood looking down upon footpri
in the soft mold.
Following these footprints, he fou
they led directly beneath the window
% the chamber occupied by Harriet Weld
,i ne This puzzled him. He was nonplus'
10 for the moment, when he noticed q
-, the vines on the lattice seemed lately
'' have been disturbed There was anotl
window below Miss Weldon's within e'
reach. He put up his hand. and it swr
90 open. Looking in be saw that it affor'
~, access to small pantry, and the door
20 the room was ajar. He took rule fr
q h;o ,,ocirat opd carafrtlv rnaa srred