Daily Arizona silver belt., 1909-01-27

A groan came from Darxac, who ap-
 peared to be unable to control his suf-
 fering.
 You can understand" added Roule-
 tabille, ''that Larsan would feel him.
 self hampered from the fact that my
 room was so close to his and from a suspicion that would be on the
 watch that night. Naturally he could
 not for moment believe that sus-
 pected him. But l might see him leav-
 ing his room when he was about to go to Mile. Stangerson. He waited till I
 was asleep and my friend Sainclair
 was busy trying to rouse me. Ten
 minutes after that mademoiselle was calling out Murder"
 "How did you come to suspect Lar san?'' asked the president"
 "My pure reason pointed to him. That was why l watched him. But did not foresee the drugging. He is very cunning Yes, my pure reason pointed to blm, but 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 felt myself losing control of 1t. l had allowed myself to he diverted by fallacious evidence. but recovered and again took hold of the right end. I satisfied myself that the murderer conld not have left the gal lery. either naturally or supernatural ly. narrowed the field of considera- lion to that small circle. so to speak. The murderer could not be outside that circle Now. who were in 1t? 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. And yet in the gallery there were but four. Now, since 1t had been demonstrated to me that the fifth could not have escaped, 1t was evident that one of the four present in the gallery must be a double--he must be himself and the murderer also. Why had not seen this before? Sim ply because the phenomenon of the double personality had not occurred before in this inquiry.
 "Now, who of the four persons in the gallery was both that person aud the assassin? went over in my mind what l had seen. I had seen at one and the same time NJ. 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 lost sight of the mur- derer, for, as have noted in my pa pers, he arrived 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 of turn ing gallery. snatch ofr his false beard, return and hurry with us as if like us. in pursuit of the murderer. I was sure now l 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 1 was in pursuit-the murderer, in other words.
 That revelation staggered me. T. tried to regain my balance by going over the evidences previously traced. but which had diverted my mind and led me away from Frederic, Larsan What were these evidences?
 "Ffrst.-I had seen the unknown in Mile. Stangerson's chamber. On going to Frederic Larsan's room l had found Larsan sound asleep.
 "Second.-The ladder.
 ''Third.-I had placed Frederic Lar ,an at the end of the 'off turning gal cry and had told him that would 'ush into Mile. Stangerson's room to ry to capture the murderer. Then I 'eturned to Mile. Stangerson's cham ,er. where l had seen the unknown.
 ''The first evidence did not disturb ne much. It is likely that when de- cended from my ladder, after having een the unknown in Mile. Stanger- on's chamber. I.arsan had already fin | shed what he was doing there. Then, while l was re-entering the chateau. .arsan went back to his own room | nd. undressing himself, went to sleep.
 "Nor did the second evidence trouble ne. If Larsan were the murderer he | ould have no use for ladder, but ! he ladder might have been placed here to give an appearance to the nurderer's entrance from without the hateaQ especially as Larsan had ac- used Darzac and Darzac was not in he chateau that night. Further, the adder might have been placed there 0 facilitate Larsan's flight in case of bsolute necessity.
 But the third evidence puzzled me Together. Having placed I.arsan at he end of the 'off turning gallery, ould not explain how he had taken dvantage of the moment when had one to the left wing of the chateau to nd NJ. Stangerson and Daddy Jacques } return to Mile. Stangerson's room. was a very dangerous thing to do. [e risked being captured, and he knew i. And he was very nearly captured. II I'd had nn< had ka.~.x A. Aa- |