Lincoln County leader. [volume] (Toledo, Lincoln County, Or.) 1893-1987, 1908-01-10
} CHAPTER VIII.

DR.. Mason, in his agitation, dropped
the penknife and the magnifying glass
and rushed to the bedside.
M. Cassagne. cool, calm and collected,
still held one telltals finger, which, like
living eye, had detected a slight In
equality In the surface OF the flesh, firm
ly pressed down upon q spot no larger
than a pins head.
Take it easy, doctor" be said, smil.
ing at the agitation Of the physician,
'and If the magnifying glass Is still un-
broken, l 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"
II see rough, glistening surface"
TRY 1t with the point Of the penknife."
The doctor took the knife, and scraped
upon the hard surface thus exposed to
view.
1T is glass; he exclaimed. II haven't
a 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? Well then l must use my fingers"
NJ. Cassagne having enlarged the open
Ing of the wound by dilitation, plunged
his finger and thumb into the orifice and
drew out, though not without much diff
Guilty and after repeated failures, the
broken piece Of small, sharpened glass
stiletto. Its Withdrawal from the wound
was followed by 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 its own to tell. ] wish to examine
it through the glass;.
He took up some on the point Of tho
knifeI 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 IL
the wound which caused her death. Sec
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-
psll, who was engaged In the eIamina-
tion Of the papers"
"Why?'
Because, had Madame Roupell been
surprised from behind and stabbed, as we
now believe to be the case, she would
have fallen forward and the chair would
have been thrown backward or away
from the desk, not toward 1t. Madame
Roupell surprised this unknown person,
perhaps while he was riflng the contents
OF her desk; springing to his feet he
overthrew the chair, drew his stiletto,
and advanced toward her. She doubt
less turned to flee, too frightened to
scream, and he then stabbed her in the
back"
II see; and having no other weapon
than the stiletto, and that having been
broken off short In the body, he fred at
her to make sure Of his work"
Ito be continued.)