The Owosso times. (Owosso, Mich.) 1897-1926, 1909-03-19

ulu NOT 1OreSee the urugglnS. lie is
very cunning. Yes. my pure reason
pointed to him, but i required tangible
proof so that my eyes could see him
as my pure reason saw him. The day
following the incident OF the mex
plicable gallery l felt myself losing
control of 1t. l had allowed myself to
be diverted by fallacious evidence, but
L recovered and again took hold of the
right end. l satisfied myself that the
murderer could not have left the gal
lery, either naturally or supernatural
ly. I narrowed the field Of considera-
ton to that small circle, so TO speak.
The murderer could not be outside
that circle. Now. who were in Il?
There was. first. the murderer. Then
there were Daddy Jacques, NJ. Stan
gerson, Frederic Larsan and myself.
FIVE persons In all. counting. in the
murderer. AndHyet in the gallery
there We're but four. Now. since it
had been demonstrated to me that the
fifth could not have escaped, it was
evident that one Of the four present
In the gallery must be double-he
must be himself and the murdei@ also.
Why had I not seen this before ? Sin
ply because the phenomenon Of the
double personality had not occurred
before in this inquiry. .
"Now, who of the urAersons in the
gallery was: both that befson and the
assassin? l went overiin my mind
what l had seen. | had tsaen at one
and the same time W. Stangerson and
the murderer, Daddy JACQUES and the
murderer, myself and the murderer, so
that the murderer, then, could not be
either NJ. Stangerson, Daddy Jacques
or myself. Had I seen Frederic Lar
san and the murderer at the same
time? No. Two seconds had passed.
during which l lost sight of the muir
derer, for$as / have noted in my pa
pers, he arriyed two seconds before
NJ. Stangerson, Daddy Jacques and
myself at the meeting point of the two
galleries. That would have given Lar
san time to go through the off turn
ing gallery, snatch off his false beard,
return and hurry with us as If, like us,
in pursuit Of the murderer. l was sure
now had got hold Of the right end in
my reasoning. With Frederic Larsan
was now always associated In my mind
the personality of the unknown OF
whom l was IN pursuit-the murderer,
in other words.
THAT revelation staggered me. |
tried 10 regain my balance by going
over the evidences previously traced,
but witch had diverted my mind and
led me away from Frederic Larsan.
What were these evidences? }l4aJs
First had seen the unknown in
Mile. Stangersons chamber o. going
to Frederic Larsan's room l had found
Larsan sound asleep. U
"Second.-The ladder.
"Tbird.-I had placed Frederic Lar
san at the end of the off turning gal
lery and had told him that / would
rush into Mile. Stangerson's room to
try to capture the murderer. Then l
returned to Mile. Stangerson's cham
Der, where I had seen the unknown.
1.-THE first evidence. did not disturb
me much. 1t is likely that when 1 de-
scended from my ladder, after having
seen the unknown in Mile. Stanger-
sons chamber, Larsan had already fin
ished what he was doing there. Then,
while 1 was re-entering the chateau,
Larsan went back to his own room
and, undressing himself, went to sleep.
"Nor did the second evidence trouble
me. If Larsan were the murderer he
could have no use for a ladder, but
the ladder might have been placed
murderer's entrance from without the
chateau, especially as Larsan had ac-
cused Darzac and DarZac was not in
the chateau that night. Further, the
ladder might have been placed there
to facilitate Larsan's fight in case Of
absolute necessity.
But the third evidence puzzled me
altogether. Having placed Larsan at
the end of the off turning gallery,
could not explain how he had taken
advantage Of the moment when l had
gone to the left wing of the chateau to
find NJ. Stangerson and Daddy Jacques
to return to Mile. Stangerson's room.
1t was very dangerous thing to do.
He risked being captured, and he knew
It. And he was very nearly captured.
He had not had time to regain his
post, as he had certainly hoped to do.
He had, then. very strong reason for
returning to his room. AS for myself,
when l sent Daddy Jacques to the end
Of the right gallery naturally
thought that Larsan was still at his
post Daddy Jacques in going to his
post had not looked when he passed
to see whether Larsan was at his post
or not
what, then, was the urgent reason
which had compelled Larsan to go 10
the room o second time? l guessed it
to be some evidence Of his presence
there. He had left something very
important in that room. What was 1t?
And had he recovered It? begged
Nine. Bernier, who was accustomed to
clean the room. to look, and she found
a pair of eyeglasses--this pair, NJ.
PRESIDENT
And Rouletabille drew the eyeglasses,
OF which we know, from his pocket.
when 1 saw these eyeglasses" he
continued, II was utterly nonplused.