Camas Prairie chronicle. [volume] (Cottonwood, Idaho) 1901-1917, 1908-04-03
The RoupelI Mystery
q r a n v | Ii e


not retired, and they were the only two |
persons in the chateau except Nine. Rou-
pell herself who had not done so.
II will assume for the purpose of ar
gument that NJ. Jules Chabot is guilty"
he began, quietly talking to himself, as
if 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 | 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 Roupell is alive, the
Mademoiselles 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 very dangerous rival. But why a
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 a sharp, shrewd fellow like
this Chabot would have made himself
master of its contents, for he Is an init
mate friend of the family and his rela-
tions must be almost confidential. This
is a mere theory, of COURSE" concluded
the pre1ect 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 trifing 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 a 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
e how much of the time?
e According to the mayors written notes
e of his examination of the inmates of the
= chateau, an hour had certainly elapsed
between the time of Nine. RoupelPs re-
=. firing and the sound of the pistol shot
h At what precise period of that interval
t had the pencil point been broken? The
K accident to the pencil had not occurred
l. at the time of the firing of the shot
: for if it had been caused by reason of the
writer's starting with surprise, he would
>. not, naturally have taken time to pu
away his writing materials before coins
q to ascertain the cause of the noise. HI
+ must therefore have been thus employed
q for only portion of the interval. TIL,
% question now uppermost in Victor La
bIanches mind was How did Jules Cha
n bot consume the rest of his time? If b.
should fail to properly account for tn
Is whole hour, there would be strong reason
is for holding him in custody.
Having revolved these matters in hi
n mind, the project of police arose from
The easy chair into which he had throw
n himself and approached the door leadin
ON Jules Chabots room to the cham
IT Der of Nine Roupell. OF course it wa
h. fastened as by again referring to tn
" mayors notes it transpired that julie
I'd Chabot had entered the chamber by an
n other way. Almost mechanically he sei7
ed the handle and turned it. The doc
H. was unlocked. When he had made thes
IL discoveries he descended with a lighte
heart than he would otherwise have don,
T. Much would depend upon the evidence t
as be ELECTED by himself and the testimon
h, to be taken before the judge of instruC
ed ton.
He strolled out on the terrace to CON
g. plete his official inspection of the prem
ises. He commenced his examination 8
X the back of the chateau. He went int
ne all the outhouses he visited the servant
ofices-even the cellars and dairy. The
W he emerged again into the open air an
~ inspected the windows and searche
- among the flower beds beneath them fC
"1 the prints of feet. Nothing, however, r
,;s warded this careful scrutiny, until eros
ID ing the lawn he went through an ancie1
:, Uncovered archway and gained the frol
- of the building. Then his quick eye d
- tected that a shrub had been brushC
a. aside, and STOPPING on the graveled wal
he discovered that a weed had been crus
ed beneath a heavy foot. A little furth
~ on he found further signs, and a lit
later stood looking down upon footpri
in the soft mold.
Following these footprints, he foul
-. they led directly beneath the window
70 the chamber occupied by Harriet Weldo
~ This puzzled him. He was nonpluss
re for the moment, when he noticed tn
- the vines ON the lattice seemed lately
- have been disturbed. There was anoth
window below Miss Weldon's within ca
~, reach. He put up his hand, and it swu
% open. Looking in he saw that it afford
~ access to a small pantry, and the door
ot the room was ajar. He took rule fro
81 his pocket, and carefully measured t
81 footprints. Then, after Eliminating for
NJ few moments, he quickly re-entered t
Ole house.
~ THAT is an American boot heel, II el
ood l saw one in my life" muttered the p
80 feet. '"The open door and the footprint