The Brookings register. [volume] (Brookings, Brookings County, S.D.) 1903-1971, 1909-02-25
CHAPTER XII.
In Which Frederic Larsan Explains
How the Murderer Was Able to
Get Out Of the Yellow Room.

~ which | have collected relat-
ing to the mystery OF the yellow room
there Is one very interesting piece. 1t
Is a detail OF the famous examination
which took place that afternoon ia the
laboratory OF Professor Stangerson be-
fore the chief Of police. This nara
tive is from the pen Of NJ. Maleine, the
registrar. who, Ike the examining
magistrate. had spent some Of his
leisure time in the pursuit Of litera-
ture.
THE REGISTRARS NARRATIVE.
The examining magistrate and /,
says NJ. Maleine, found ourselves in
the yellow oom in the company OF the
builder who had constructed the pavil-
Ion after Professor ~Stangerson's de-
signs. He had a workman with him.
NJ. de Marquet had had the walls laid
entirely b%arc-that Is TO say. he had
had them stripped OF the paper which
had decorated them. Blows with a
pick here and there satisfied us of the
nonexistence of any sort OF opening.
The floor and the ceiling were thor
oughly sounded. We found nothing.
There was nothing to be found. NJ. de
Marquet appeared to be delighted and
never ceased repeating:
What n case! What a case! We
shall never know. you'll see. how the
murderer was able to get out of this
-oom!'
Then suddenly, with q radiant face,
he called to the officer in charge Of the
gendarmes.
eco to the chateau" he said. land
request NJ. Stangerson and NJ. Robert
Darzac to come to me in the labora-
tory, also Daddy Jacques. and let your
men bring here the two conciergeS."
Five minutes later all were assem-
blcd In the laboratory. The chief Of
police. who had arrived at the Clan
der, joined us at that moment. | was
seated at NJ. StangersOn's desk ready
for work when NJ. de Marquet made us
the following little speech, as original
as II was unexpected:
with your permission, gentlemen.
as examinations lead to nothing. we
will for once abandon the old system
Of Interrogation. | will not have you
brought before me one by one, but we
will all remain here as we are-M.
%Stangerson. NJ. Robert DarZac, Daddy
Jacques and the two concierges. the
chief of police, the registrar and my
self. We shall all be on the same foot
ing. The concierges may for the mo-
ment forget that they have been ar
rested. We are going to confer tOgeth-
er. We are on the spot where the crime
was committed. We have nothing else
to discuss but the crime. So let us dis
cuss it freely. intelligently or other
wise, so Ions rs we speak just what Is
I'm our minds. There need be no formal
ity or method. since this won t help us
In any w; T."
Then, passing before me, he said in
a low voice:
What do you think Of that. Ell?
What a scene! Could you have thought
of that? I'll make a little piece out
OF it for the vaudeville" And he rub
bed his hands with glee.
I turned my eyes on NJ. Stangerson.
The hope he had received from the
doctors latest reports. who had stated
that Mile. Stangerson might recover
from her wounds. had not been able
to efface from his noble features the
marks Of the great sorrow that was
upon him. He had believed his daugh-
ter to be dead. and he was still bro
ken by that belief. His clear. soft blue
eyes expressed infinite sorrow.
"Now. NJ. Stangerson." said NJ. de
Marquet, with somewhat OF an impOr-
tant air. "place yourself exactly where
you were when Mile. Stangerson left
you to GO to her chamber"
NJ. Staneerson rose and. standing at
a certain distance from the door Of the
yellow room. said in an even voice and
without the least trace Of emphasis. a
voice which | can only describe as a
dead voice:
IT was here. About IL o'clock, after
I had made a brief chemical expert
ment at the furnaces OF the labora.
tory. needing all the space behind me,
I had my desk moved here by Daddy
Jacques, who spent the evening in
cleaning some Of my apparatus. My
daughter had been working ut the
same desk with me. When It was her
time to leave she rose. kissed me and
babe Daddy Jacques good night. She
had to pass behind my desk n the
door to enter her chamber. and she
could do this only with some difficult.
ty-that is to say. ! was very rear the
place where the crime occurred later
Sand the desk?" I asked. chewing. In
thus mixing myself IN the onver
ton, the express orders Of my chief
"As soon as You heard the cry Of Muir
der! followed by the revolver shots
what became Of the desky"
: Daddy Jacques answered.
I'VE pushed It back against the wal
here. close to where II II at the present
moment. 20 a. to be able to get at the
door at once"
followed up my reasoning, e
which. however. I attached but little
importance. regarding It 40 only