The Brookings register. [volume] (Brookings, Brookings County, S.D.) 1903-1971, 1908-12-24

/ ttSh. iS lol lit, 1 h1S SlNAIIAS vi
chair, having finished my work and
looking at him, | said to myself
"What Il man. What intelligence
What k~nowledge"' | attach impor
lance to the fact that we made n,
noise; for, because Of that, the assassin
certainly thought that we had left thu
place. And. suddenly. while the cuckoo
was sounding the half after midnight
a desperate clamor broke out in the
yellow room. 1t was the voice OF
mademoiselle, crying "Murder-mur
der-help.' Immediately afterward
revolver shots rang out, and there was
a great noise Of tables and furniture
being thrown to the ground, as If In
the course of a struggle, and again the
voice Of l~nademoiselle calling, Muir
der-help-papa-papa,'-
You may be sure that we quickly
sprang up and that NJ. Stangerson
and | threw ourselves upon the door.
But. alas. it vs. locked, fast locked,
on the inside by the care Of mademoi-
selle, as | have told you, with key and
bolt. We tried to force 1t open, but 1t
remained firm. NJ. Stangerson was like
a mailman. and, truly, 1t was enough
to make him one, for we heard made
moiselle still calling Help. help" NJ.
Stangerson showered terrible blows on
the door and wept with rage and sob
bed with despair and helplessness.
1T was then that | had an inspira.
ton. The assassin must have en-
tered by the window" | cried. II will
20 to the window and l rushed from
the pavilion and ran like one out Of
his mind.
THE inspiration vas that the win,
dow Of the yellow room looks out In
such a way that the park wall, which
abuts on the pavilion. prevented my at
once reaching the window. To get ur
to 1t one has first to go out Of the
park. | ran toward the gate and on
my way met Bernier and his wife, the
gate keepers, who had been attracted
By the pistol reports and by our cries
In a few words told them what had
happened and directed the concierge
10 join VI. StangersOn with all speed,
while his wife came with me TO open
the park gate. Five minutes later she
and l were before the window Of the
yellow room.
The moon was shining brightly,
and I saw clearly that no one had
touched the window. Not only were
the bars that protect 1t intact, but the
blinds inside of them were drawn, as
l had myself drawn them early in the
evening, as l did every day, though
m~ademoiselle, knowing that l was
tired from the heavy work I had been
doing. had begged me not to trouble
myself, but leave her to do It. and they
were just as | had left them, fastened
with an iron catch on the inside. The
assassin. therefore. could not have
passed either In or out that way, but
neither could | get In.
ut was unfortunate enough to
turn ones brain, The door Of the
room locked on the inside and the
blinds on the only window also fast.
ened on the inside, and mademoiselle
still calling for help. No, she had
ceased to call! She was dead per.
haps. But l still heard her father, in
the pavilion, trying to break down the
door.
with the concierge hurried back
to the pavilion. The door, In spite of
the furious attempts Of NJ. %Stangerson
and Bernier TO burst It open, was still
holding firm. but at length 1t gave
way before our united efforts, anG
then what a sight met our eyes. |
should tell you that, behind US, the
concierge held the laboratory lamp
a powerful lamp that lit the whole
chamber.
~ u also tell you, monsieur.
that the yellow room is a very small
room. NddemOiseIle had furnished Z.
with a fairly large iron bedstead. 4
small table, a dressing table and two
chairs. Is the light " the big lamp
we saw ali at Il glance. Mademoigelle.
In her nightdress. was lying on the
floor in the midst Of the greatest dis
order. Tables and chairs had been
oVerthrown, showing that there had
been a violent struggle. Mademoiselle
had certainly been dragged from her
bed. She was covered with blood and
had terrible marks Of finger nails Oh
her throat, the flesh Of her neck hav.
been almost torn by the nails
From a wound on the right temple a
stream OF blood had run down ana
made a little pool on the floor. When
Nj. Stangerson saw his daughter In
that state he threw himself on his
knees beside her, uttering a cry OF
despair. He ascerta!ned that she sti!
breathed.
But how to explain that he was
there. that he had already escaped?
1t passes all Imagination. Nobody un.
der the bed. nobody behind the furn!
ture! All that we discovered were
traces, blood stained marks OF a mans
large hand on the walls and on the
door. a big handkerchief red with
blood without any initials, an old can
and many fresh fo0tmarks Of a man
the foor-footmarks Of a man with