Lincoln County leader. [volume] (Toledo, Lincoln County, Or.) 1893-1987, 1908-02-21


ground he pointed me out a grave. At its
head was stone on which l read:
"'HENRY GRAHAM,
Aged 62 years."
"Whatr exclaimed D'Auburon, aston
ished beyond measure. WAS it our Hen
ry Graham? 1t can't be possible" I"
There is not the slightest doubt about
it. When l saw that tombstone, you can
imagine how / felt after all the time
and trouble l had given this case. 1t
was as If the bottom had dropped out of
everything. The priest saw, no doubt,
that | was strangely affected. He attrib-
uted my agitation to grief.
Tell me something about my poor
old friend said. I have heard that
he was in very bad circumstances. Did
he die poorr
Very replied the priest. But he
was cared for by mother church. That
stone was erected by his son. All! he
was sad scamp, a willful fellow, who
gave his poor father no end of trouble.
But that was the old mans fault, partly.
He did not somehow care to have the boy
with him. He lived up on the HILL him
self, for years, in very good style-he
had money from somewhere, though l
don't know where he got it. But the
child, he didn't seem to be bothered about
him.
Didn't the child live with him?'
inquired-not that l cared to know, but
| wanted to keep the old man talking.
l thought he might possibly drop some
thing worth having.
NO he went on-he was garrulous
old fellow. No, he didn't seem to care
to have the child with him. Until he
was quite big boy he remained in the
care Of young couple in the village. The
woman, 1 think, grew to be quite fond
of him. But he was an unruly little ras-
cal.'"
"All this Is very serious. The result
is that we are no further than when we
started. What do you propose to do
nowl You're not going to give it up,
are your"
"Give it up! wonder at your asking
such a question. Certainly l shall not
give it up"
Now tell me-" said the younger man,
what you propose doing? l am impa'
tient to know"
NJ. Cassagne did not Immediately reply.
He closed his eyes like one who thinks
deeply. At last he SAID:
II have mapped out plan Of action.
And we must either carry it out on that
line, or abandon it altogether. We have
adopted from the start the theory that
this crime was not committed for the
purpose of robbery, but in the interest
of some person who in some way would
profit, either directly or indirectly, by
the death Of Madame Roupell. II we
abandon that theory we have no other to
work ON. After the most careful exam
ination of all the facts and circumstances,
l fail to account for the murder upon
any other hypothesis. Henry Graham
being dead disproves that theory so far as
he is concerned; but so far only"
Admitted; but whom have you to take
his place? You must substitute someone,
or your theory falls to the ground" re-
marked D'Auburon.
mot necessarily" replied the detec-
tive. 1--WE may substitute an entirely un-
known person and call him X"
Eyes, that's all very well; but how to
find him is the question"
ITO which ! certainly give you an
other answer. Listen attentively. | am
about to begin my argument, and want
you to follow it and pick it to pieces.
Commencing on the hypothesis already
laid down, shall proceed to demonstrate
| two things First, the murder of Madame
Roupell was committed by someone d.
rectly interested in getting her out Of the
way. Second, it was the work OF some
person who was acquainted with her af-
fairs, either by actually having known
her, or from information gathered from
someone who was her intimate. You
must not forget the missing will, portions
Of which are in my possession. You
must not forget also the circumstances
surrounding this mysterious crime. 1t
was committed in the dead of night. The
hour chosen by the murderer was one at
which he expected to find the house en-
tirely unprotected by the presence of men,
for the butler and coachman, recollect,
slept over the stables and the presence
Of Van Lith and Chabot in the chateau
that night was contingency totally un-
foreseen by him, and one he could not
have been prepared for. You may be
sure that If he had foreseen it, he would
have postponed his visit until some other
occasion, for men of that stamp, though
bold and INSCRIPTIONS, always take as
little risk as possible"
Granted" acquiesced DAuburon. Go
on"
"The temporary check that, our theory
has received from finding that Henry
Graham died before the murder was COM
mitted, in no way convinces me that he
was not in any way implicated. Let us
suppose that he knew of the existence of
this will, which disinherited him; that
he contemplated its destruction at some
time and confded his plans to an accom-
plice; that for long time no opportu-
nifty occurred like the one which did oc-
cur, when Van Lith left the chateau and
the woman and her nieces were practically