The Nezperce herald. (Nezperce, Idaho) 1900-1957, 1908-05-07
CHAPTER vIII.-fContiuued.l !
A a $ t y n

reason Is always the wrong one. A smarl
villain, who knows enough to carry glass
stilettos, and how TO use them skillfully
would not have unnecessarily alarmed
the household by firing pistol in the
dead OF night. Oh, no he would simply
have smothered the woman. already insen-
sible and unresisting. with pillow, or
choked her to death"
Il see. see" acquiesced the physi-
clan Go on"
Let us assume. now, that this IN
known person entered the house through
window IN Monsieur Van Lith's cham
Der. While creeping through the room
he espies case OF pistols. He has come
unarmed. save with the Venetian stiletto.
But once in the house. his courage fails
him. He picks up a pistol from the case,
saying. This viii protect me If l have
to proceed TO extremities-' He passes on
90 Madame Roupell's chamber, and falls
TO searching among her papers She is
woman Of large property. and must
have raluabies- 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. / 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
Roupell 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 have already said. he could easily
have smothered her without making any
noise" replied Cassagne-
'-Truel Then why did he fire the pis-
tol7"
1T Is easy to conjecture returned the
Frenchman- He did it to direct suspi-
cion from himself to the owner Of the
weapon"
The diabolical villain - exclaimed the
doctor. and apparently 50 impressed was
he with NJ Cassagne's theory that he kept
repeating the phrase over and over again,
ne diaDolical Vlllaln
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
be stopped in the middle Of the apart
ment. and exclaimed:
Give me the knife"
The doctor handed It to him. He at
Dnce proceeded to cut away the carpet,
and then to dig furiously into the wooden
flooring.
what on earth are you looking forl'
inquired Mason
'-Never mind." replied Cassagne- wait
/ moment, and you'll see"
He kept on digging away with the ,
rnife as furiously as ever At last he /
topped. and, still on his knees. held 4
aloft small oolong. black Z
'bjecf- Then he exclaimed breathlessly: r
-All right; have got the bullet" '
IF we only had Van Lith's pistol I,
ere" said Mason. @the evidence would h
e complete. but IL Is in Paris" +
The detective arose and smoothed out =
be knees Of his pantaloons, which be had 4
ably crumpled- 3
we have got what is quite as good" 2
e said Go into the next room and !,
ring me the other pistol. Ten to one Il
hey were mates" n
Taking the pistol from the doctors Il
ands. he pushed the bullet into the muz- =
e. 1t fitted to a nicely. =,
I'VE have thus far" said VI. Cassagne, II
established our theory successfully in l.
gard to one very important point
either your friend Van Lith nor Mon or
eur Chabot had hand In this murder. ar
was committed By a third party n
income who entered the house unknown
anyone, and who left It in an equally st,
cret manner. Let US see, now, how be Il.
{ away, and what means Of escape pre- mn
nfed themselves He could not have an
ads his exit By any Of the doors, be- h.
use one Of them led to the room in be
hich Van Lith was hiding. and another n,
ened directly into the chamber occupied y.
Monsieur Chabot. There is still, Of ~,
urse, a bare chance that he retired By Il
e door leading into the corridor; but It m
altogether improbable that he would III
Ike such a risk, as that corridor was II
ronged with people hurrying to Mad
ne ROupeIl's chamber at the sound Of Of
g shot"
That Is So" acquiesced Mason. Had !
attempted to escape into the corridor die
would undoubtedly have been seen
d captured"
HE must, therefore, continued Cas- ME
yne. have gotten out Of the windows.
Ie man have In my minds eye at the the
ssent moment would have been smart Ro
ough to raise the window before be
I'd the shot. He would be particularly pei
reful not to leave any clew that be
been in the chamber, for that wonld a 3
,nerate the owner Of the pistol. He Low
uld certainly not have leaped from the cou
ndow, because that would have left 9
tprints on the ground; you will look
vain for such. Yet he did get out Of bel
s very window" "
How can you tell that7v asked Mason. Cir
amazement. 1T has been already in a
cted by the project Of police. He to
also searched carefully under the tior
ldow, for I saw him doing It. II any pre-
had passed through that opening be va.
I'D surely have discovered f." dow