The news=record. [volume] (Enterprise, Wallowa County, Oregon) 1907-1910, 1909-04-24
The Mystery OF
The elbow Room

COPYRIGHT. 1908.
BY BRENTANO'S
BY GASTON LEROUX

Il way. lHlS leu lle 10 Tue COuCluSlOD r
that the two phases had taken place
one shortly after the other. She had |
not had the opportunity. after leaving |
her room and going back to the labo-
ratory to her father. to get back again
to her room and put it in order. Her
father was all the time with her. work
ing. So that after the first phase she |
did not re-enter her chamber till mid |
night. Daddy jacques was there at 10 |
O'Clock. as he was every night, but he |
went in merely to close the blinds and |
light the night light. Owing to her
disturbed state of mind she had forgot
ten that Daddy Jacques would go into
her room and had begged him not to
trouble himself. All this was set forth
in the article In the Matin. Daddy
Jacques did go, however, and In the
dim light of the room saw nothing.
Mile. Stangerson must have lived
some anxious moments while Daddy
Jacques was absent, but think she
was not aware that so many evidences
had been left After she had been at
tackled she had only time to hide the
traces Of the mans fingers on her neck
and to hurry to the laboratory. Had
she known Of the bone, the cap and
the handkerchief she would have made
away with them after she had gone
back to her chamber at midnight. She
| did not see them and undresse1 by the
uncertain glimmer of the night light.
She went to bed wornout by anxiety
and fear-a fear that had made her re-
main in the laboratory as late as pos
I sible.
! my reasoning had thus brought me
to the second phase of the tragedy
when Mile. Stangerson was alone In
| the room. had now to explain the
revolver shots fired during the second
phase. Cries of Help! Murderv had
been heard. How to explain these?
AS to the cries, was in no difficulty:
since she was alone in her room these
could result from nightmare only. My
explanation of the struggle and noise
that were heard is simply that IN her
nightmare she was haunted by the ter
rible experience she had passed through
In the afternoon. In her dream she
sees the murderer about to spring upon
her. and she cries, Help, Murder!
Her hand wildly seeks the revolver she
had placed within her reach on the
night table by the side Of her bed, but
her hand. striking the table. overturns
It. and the revolver falling to the floor
discharges itself. the bullet lodging In
the ceiling. l knew from the arst that
the bullet in the ceiling must have Fe-
suited from an accident. Its very posi-
ton suggested an accident to my mind
and so fell In with my theory Of a
nightmare. no longer doubted that
the attack had taken place before
mademoiselle had retired for the night
After Weakening from her frightfu
dream and crying aloud for help she
had tainted.
"My theory. based on the evidence
of the shots that were heard at mid
night. demanded two shots-One which
wounded the murderer at the time OF
his attack and one fired at the time
of the nightmare The evidence giver
by the Berniers before the examining
magistrate was to the effect that onl!
one shot had been heard. NJ. Stan
gerson testified to hearing dull sount
, first. followed by sharp ringing sound
, The dull sound | explained by tn
, falling of the marble topped table: tn
, | ringing sound was the shot from tn
revolver was now convinced ! wa
n right. The shot that had wounded tn
, hand of the murderer and had cause'
II To bleed so that he left the blood
q imprint on the wall was fired b.
!. mademoiselle in self defense befor
= the second phase. when she had bee
!. really attacked. The shot In the cei
!, ing which the Berniers heard was th
= accidental shot during the nightmare.
81 had now to explain the wound o
:, the temple II was not severe enoug
a to have been made by means OF tn
mutton bone and mademOiselle ha
not attempted to hide 1t. 1t must hav
been made during the second phas
: 1t was to find this out that ] went
. the yellow room. and ! obtained N
answer there"
| NLcW PicNc VI VIM
= folded paper from his pocket and DIRE
out of 1t an almost invisible obje
which he held between his thumb al
. forefnger.
This, NJ. President" he said. ''is
hair-a blond hair stained with bloc
1t is a hair from the head of MI
;" Stangerson. I found II sticking to ol
ss of the corners of the overturned tab
ie The corner of the table was itst
III stained with blood-a tiny stain-har
III Iy visible. but II told me that on r
a' ing from her bed Mile. Stangerson b.
'e fallen heavily and had struck her he
'e- on the corner of its marble top.
ne 81 had still to learn. in addition
oh the name Of the assassin. which j
ng later. the time OF the original attat
learned this from the examination
ne Mile. Stangerson and her father. thou
DE the answers given by the former VIC
IT well calculated to deceive the exam
es ing magistrate. Mile. StangersoD b
III stated very minutely how she b
on spept the whole of her time that d.
ue We established the fact that the N
he derer had introduced himself into
II payilion between 8 and o'clock
ey a quarter past 6 the professor and
ie- daughter had resumed their work