Wallowa County chieftain. [volume] (Enterprise, Or.) 1909-1911, 1909-02-18

how he came In and committed the
robbery. But what did he stealY'
/ Something very valuable" replied
the young reporter.
AT that moment we heard cry from
the laboratory. We rushed in and
found Nj. Stangerson, his eyes hag-
gard his limbs trembling. pointing to
sort of bookcase which he had OPEN
ed and which we saw was empty. At
the same instant he sank into the
large armchair that was placed before
4 the desk and groaned, the tears rolling
down his cheeks: Il have been robbed
again! For Gods sake, do not say a
word of this to my daughter! She
/ would be more panied than am" He
heaved deep sigh and added, In a
| tone / shall never forget, after all.
what does 1t matter-so long as she
+ livesw
"She will live" said Nj. Darzac In q
voice strangely touching.
| "And we will find the stolen arti-
cles," said NJ. Dax. "But what was In
: the cabinet?'
Twenty years Of my life," replied
the illustrious professor sadly, "or.
rather, Of our lives-the lives of myself
and my daughter Yes our most pre-
cious documents, the records of our
! secret experiments and our labors of
twenty years. were in that cabinet. 1t
! is an irreparable loss to us and. ven
ture to say, to science. All the proc.
esses by which | had been able to
( arrive at the precious proof Of the de-
structibility of matter were there-all.
| The man who came wished to take all
from me-my daughter and my work,
my heart and my soul"
And the great scientist wept like
child.
Rouletabille entered into explana-
tions for which there was no need as
| to why he had been led to believe that
robbery had been committed which
included the simultaneous discovery
he had made in the lavatory and the
empty precious cabinet in the labora-
tory.
The first thing that had struck
him, he said. was the unusual form
of that piece of furniture. 1t was very
strongly built of fire proof iron. clearly
showing that 1t was intended for the
Keeping of most valuable objects
Then he noticed that the key had been
left in the lock. "One does not ordi-
narily have a safe and leave 1t openp
he had said to himself
This little key, with its brass head
and complicated wards. had strongly
attracted limits presence had sug-
gested robbery.
you will do well, NJ. de Marauet to
ask NJ. Stangerson who usually kept
that key" said RouletabIlle.
"My daughter" replied NJ. Stanger-
son. ''She was never without It,"
"Ah, then that changes the aspect of
things which no longer corresponds
| with NJ. Rouletabile's ideasr' cried
NJ. de Marquet. IF that key never
left Mile. Stangerson the murderer
must have waited for her in her room
| for the purpose of stealing 1t, and the
| robbery could not have been commit
! ted until after the attack had been
made on her. But after the attack
four persons were In the laboratoryl
| can't make 1t outr
''The robbery" paid the reporter.
could only have been committed be-
fore the attack upon Mile. Stangerson
In her room. When the murderer en-
/ tered the pavilion he already possessed
| the brass headed key"
''That is impossible" said NJ. STAN
gerson In low voice.
ut is quite possible, monsieur, as
this proves"
And the young man drew a copy of
the Epoque from his pocket dated the
21st of October q recall the fact that
the crime was committed ON the night
between the Oath and 25th) and, show
ing us an advertisement, he read:
Yesterday a black satin reticule
was lost in the Louvre department
store. 1t contained, among other
1 things, small key with a brass head.
\ handsome reward will be given to
| the person who has found It, This
! person must write. poste restante, bu-
reau 40, to this address: NJ A. T. H
s A. Do not these letters suggest
Mile. Stangerson? continued the re-
/ porter. '1The key with a brass head
is not this the key? This advertise
meht interested me specially; the wo-
man of the key surrounded it with
kind of mystery. Evidently she valued
the key since she promised a big re-