The Spokane press. [volume] (Spokane, Wash.) 1902-1939, 1909-02-20
CHAPTER XVII.

beseiged the entrance to the cor
oner's court. For few moments
he peered through the murky at
mosphere, seeking for Ainslee, but
1t was difficult to distinguish one
face from the other in the poor
light, so he pressed his way slowly
through the densely packed specta-
tors and almost Immediately
stumbled across Rat Ricketts,, who
sat clutching his chair with both
hands, his watery eyes in fascin
alton on the bench, and the few
hairs of his mustache sucked
tightly between his gray lips in a
very ecstasy of anticipation. AS
he reached the jury box an attend
ant turned up the lights on the
coroner's desk, and at the same
moment he felt a hand on his
shoulder and heard Kay Evans
voice whisper Thank God"
He turned and took his friends
hand, which trembled slightly in
his grasp.
Where Is Ainslee?" he asked
''In there
Kay pointed to the witness room.
THE assistant district attorney
demanded that all witnesses be ex
cluded from the court room until
they had given their testimony" he
continued, land the coroner or
dered them all In there"
Maddox spoke to Westervelt, the
assistant district attorney and
then began studying his notes of
of jurors. While this was going
on the door of the court room
opened, and Mr.. Prayer entered
and made his way to the counsel
table.
where's HARMONY" he wills
pered, excitedly. in Dawes ear.
Maddox looked his establishment
as he shook his head uncompre-
hendingly.
"They told me at the house she
had gone to the coroners court
painted Uncle Abbott. why should
she come here? Haven't you seen
her? Who told her about the trial?
l don't understand
Dave again shook his hear in ut
ter establishment. Why should she
come to this place? Who could
have told her abou it? He mentally
echoed Uncle Abbott's questions
with an ominous feeling of dread,
but the prosecuting official was al
ready addressing the jury. and Mr..
Prayer obeyed the pressure of Mad
doxs hand and seated himself in
the nearest chair.
There was no necessity for any
opening address in this inquiry, Mr..
Westervelt announced to the jury.
No one was accused of the crime
under investigation. The jury was
summoned to hear the facts relat-
ing to the death OF one Richard
Lorimer. If. after listening to the
testimony, they felt able to say at
whose hands this Richard LOrimer
met his death, they could name
that person or persons, and the dis
trict attorney would probably in
dict and try the person or persons
named. IT, however, they could
not determine from the testimony
who had committed the crime, then
they could report that Richard
Lorimer met his death at the hands
of some person or persons I'M
known. OF course. If there was
any testimony enabling them to
say that the deceased killed him
self. they could bring In a verdict
of suicide.
Westervelt first called the watch
man of Lorimer's apartment house
to the stand. The testimony began
with the finding of Lorimer's body
and minute details of its exact To-
cation In the rooms. Then followed
the doctors testimony of the post
mortem examination, coroner's GER
tificateS, etc.
The record of Lorimer's marriage
to Ainslee was placed In evidence,
then the record of her divorce in
Rhode Island, followed by the tes-
timony of two well known lawyers
proving its irregularity under the
New York laws. Then came the
certificate of Ainslees marriage to
Evans and the proof of the birth of
their child. The record of Lorimer's
suit for divorce against Ainslee
was produced, together with Mad
dox's formal appearance for her In
that case.
Westervelt then placed his legal
experts again on the stand and es-
tablished the fact that Lorimer's
action for divorce was well
grounded In law and would have
resulted in a decree against his
wife.
could anything have prevented
such result?" he demanded,