Elk City mining news. (Elk City, Idaho) 1903-1913, 1908-04-25
CHAPTER VIII.

DR.. Mason, in his agitation, dropped
the penknife and the magnifying glass
and rushed to the bedside.
Where Is the wound?" he CALCULATED.
M. Cassagne, cool, calm and collected,
still held one tell-tale finger, which, like
a living eye, had detected a slight in
equality in the surface of the flesh, firm
ly pressed down upon a spot no larger
than a pins head.
Take it easy, DOCTOR" he said, smil-
ing at the agitation Of the physician,
'and If the magnifying glass is still un-
broken, 1 will trouble you for 1t. The
penknife also, if you please, doctor.
Now" after he had gently pushed back
the flesh with the point of the knife, "look
through the glass, and tell me what you
see."
81 see a rough, glistening surface"
'sTry it with the point Of the penknife."
The doctor took the knife, and scraped
upon the hard surface thus exposed to
view.
"It is glass; he exclaimed. II haven't
doubt of it."
"It Is the wound which caused death
You see it has penetrated the lumbar re-
gion. Death has been caused by two
things. Shock and internal bleeding.
Have you a small pair of pincers here!
No? WE'LL then 1 must use my fingers.
NJ. Cassagne having enlarged the open
ing of the wound by Utilization, plunged
his finger and thumb into the orifice and
drew out, though not without much difti-
Guilty and after repeated failures, the
broken piece of a small, sharpened glass
stiletto. Its withdrawal from the wound
was followed by a few drops of blood
which the doctor, who notwithstanding
his professional experiences was greatly
affected by the spectacle, was about to
wipe reverently away, when he was stop
ped by the detective.
Don't do that. That blood has tale
of it's own to tell. l wish to examine
| it through the glass"
| He took up some on the point OF the
knife and the two men as before went to
the window. Notwithstanding that 1t
had not been exposed to the outer air,
the blood was strongly crystallized.
"One thing is proved, and almost con-
clusively," exclaimed Cassagne. 1T is
the wound which caused her death. See
how the blood is crystallized. Now to
discover the assassin. The projects the
ory is that Madame Roupell was sitting
at her desk writing, when the crime was
committed. In support of that, he points
to the scattered papers and the overturn-
ed chair. Now notice which way the
chair has fallen"
1T has fallen toward the desk" said
DR.. Mason
Precisely; and that proves to me that
it was the murderer, not Madame Rou'
pell, who was engaged in the examina
ton of the papers"
"WhyY
Because, had Madame RoupeN beer
surprised from behind and stabbed, as We
now believe to be the case, she would
have fallen forward, and the chair woult
have been thrown backward or away
from the desk, not toward 1t. MADAME
Roupell surprised this unknown person
perhaps while he was rifling the content,
of her desk; springing to his feet h
overthrow the chair, drew his stiletto
and advanced toward her. She doubt
less turned to fee, too frightened t.
scream, and he then stabbed her in tn,
back"
II see; and having no other weapon
than the stiletto and that having been
broken off short In the body, he fired a
her to make sure Of his work."
, (To be continued-)
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