The Owosso times. (Owosso, Mich.) 1897-1926, 1909-02-05

a
Five minutes later all were assem-
bled In the laboratory. The chief %
police. who had arrived ut the Clan
der joined us ut that moment was
seated at NJ. Stangersons desk ready
for work when NJ. de Marquet made rs
the following little speech. as original
rs it was uneXpectcd:
"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 or
rested. We are going to confer togeth'
or. 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, intelllgently or other
wise, so long as we speak just what IS
in our minds. There neeS be no formal
ity or method, since this won't help us
in any way"
Then, passing before me, he said in
Il low voice:
What do you think Of that, eh?
What Il scene! Could you have Wrought
Of that? I'll make little piece out
of 1t 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. StanCerson might recover
from her wounds, had not been able
to efface from his noble features the
maSis x 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 cir, "place yourself exactly where
you were when Mile. Stangerson left
you to go TO her chamber"
NJ. Stangerson rose and. standing at
certain distance from the door of the
yellow room, said in an even voice and
without the least trace Of emphasis.
voice which l can only describe rs a
dead voice
81 was here About o'clock, after
II d made a brief chemical expert
n. at at the furnaces of the labora-
tory. needing all the space behind me,
had my desk moved here by Daddy
Jacques. who spent the evening in
cleaning soma Of my apparatus. Ny
daughter had been working at the
same desl; 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 and the
door to enter her chamber. and she
could do thi knly with some Difficult
ty-that is to IS, l was very near the
place where Ne crime occurred later
And the desli?" I asked, obeyinc. in
thus mixing myself in the CONVERSE
ton, the cyHress orders of my chief
CAS- soon as you heard the cry Of Muir
der" followed by the revolver shots,
what became Of the desk?'
Daddy Jacques answered.
1--WE pushed it back against the wall
here, close to where it is at the present
moment SO as to be abE. 70 get at the
door ut once" tf
/ followed up my reasoning. to
which, however l attached but little
importance. regarding it as only
weak hypothesis, with another qucs-
ton.
might not man in the room, the
desk being so near to the door, by
STOPPING and slipping under the desk
have left it unobserYed?"
"You are forgetting" interrupted NJ.
Stangerson YEARLY, that my daughter
had locked and bolted the door, that
the door had remained fastened. that
we vainly tried to force it open when
we heard the noise and that we were
at the door while the struggle between
the murderer and my poor child was
going on Immediately after we heard
her stifed cries.
rose from my seat and once more
examined the door with the greatest
care. Then l returned to my place,
with despairing gesture.
"If the lower panel of the door" |
said, could be removed without the
whole door being necessarily open the |
problem would be solved. But unfortu-
nately that last hypothesis is untena-
BILE after an examination of the door.
It's of oak, solid and massive. You |
can see that quite plainly in spite of |
the injury done in the attempt to |
burst 1t OPEN"
"Ah." cried Daddy Jacques. at is
an Old and solid door that was brought |
from the chateau. They don't make |
such doors now. We had to use this |
bar Of iron to get it open, all four of |
us, for the concierge, brave woman she |
is, helped us. 1t pains me to find them |
both in prison now"
Daddy jacques had no sooner ut |
tered these words of pity and protesta- |
ton thar tears and lamentations broke !
out from the concierges. | never saw |
two accused people crying more bit |
terly. was extremely Disguised. Even
If they were innocent, could not I'M
ierstand how they could behave like
IL -