The Owosso times. (Owosso, Mich.) 1897-1926, 1909-03-26
The Mystery Of
The Yellow Room

COPYRIGHT. 1908.
BY BRENTANO'S
By CASTOR LEROUX

me to reconstruct the occurrence and
make of it two phases, each separated
from the other in time by the space
OF several hOurs-one phase in which
Mile. Stangerson had really been at
tackled, the other phase i'm which those
who heard her cries thought she was
being attacked. l had not then exam
ined the yellow room. What were the
marks on Mile. Stangerson? There
were marks of strangulation and the
wound from a hard blow on the tenn
pie. The marks of strangulation did
not interest me much. They might
have been made before, and Mile.
Stangerson could have concealed them
by a collaret or any similar article
OF apparel. ] had to suppose this the
moment l was compelled to recon-
struct the occurrence by two phases.
Mile. Stangerson had, no doubt, her
own reasons for so doing since she
had told her father nothing of it and
had made 1t understood to the examin-
ing magistrate that the attack had
taken place in the night during the
second phase. She was forced to saw
that; otherwise her father would have
questioned her as to her reason for
having said nothing about it.
But l could not explain the blow on
the temple. / understood it even less
when / learned that the mutton bone
had been found in her room. She could
not hide the fact that she had been
struck on the head, and yet that
wound appeared evidently to have
been inflicted during the first phase.
since it required the presence of the
murderer! thought Mile. Stangerson
had hidden the wound by arranging
her hair in bands on her forehead.
AS to the mark of the hand on the
wall, that had evidently been made
during the first phase-when the MUIR
derer was really there. All the traces
of his presence had naturally been left
during the first phase-the mutton
bone, the black footprints, the Basque
cap, the handkerchief, the blood on the
wall, on the door and on the floor. If
those traces were still all there they
showed that Mile. Stangerson, who de-
sired that nothing should be known.
had not yet had time to clear them
away. This led me to the conclusion
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
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
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 SO, 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 l 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
lid not see them and undressed by the
uncertain glimmer of the night light.
She went to bed WORKOUT by anxiety
and fear-a fear that had made her re-
main in the laboratory as late as pos
,ible.
"My reasoning had thus brought me
when Mile. Stangerson was alone in
he room. / had now to explain the
'evolver 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;
,ould result from nightmare only. My
explanation of the struggle and noise
hat were heard Is simply that in her
nightmare she was haunted by the ter
'ible experience she had passed through
n the afternoon. In her dream she
ices 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
hight table by the side Of her bed, but
Ter hand, striking the table, overturns
{, and the revolver, falling to the floor.
discharges itself. the bullet lodging in
he ceiling. knew from the first that
ne bullet In the ceiling must have re
suited from an accident. Its very posi-
ion suggested an accident to my mind
Ind so fell in with my theory OF a
nightmare. l no longer doubted that
he attack had taken place before
had retired for the night.
After Weakening from her frightful
lream and crying aloud for help she
lad tainted
my theory. based on the evidence
II the shots that were heard at mid
hight, demanded two shots-one which
the murderer at the time of
his attack and one fred at the time
II the nightmare. The evidence given
BY the Berniers before the examining
magistrate was to the effect that only
me shot had been heard NJ Stan