The Bridgeport evening farmer., 1909-11-05


 fin hiding anything from him. but he knots lots that we want to know. that we have. in fact. got to knowI" The result of the consultation was that a letter was sent to Trafford that very afternoon. calling upon him. in the name of the heirs of John Alten- burg. whom Beckwith represented. to pay into court any money that had been found in the searching the house. and to deposIt in court all papers dis covered and in his possession. It had the effect of bringing Trafrord to Beckwith's office within an hour of its receipt.
 senses at last?" he asked. tapping the envelope containing the notice. which he held in his hand.
 Beckwith looked his irritation at the mood of salute and his want of com prehension of the question
 T think fifty thousand dollars too large sum to be lying around loose" he said. and while I've refrained from demanding possession of it ourselves. as I had a perfect right to do. see no reason why 1t shouldn't be turned over to the court-''
 i 'Fou know as we'll as I do." retort- ed Trafrord. that if we'd found money ceiyed them without your having to send this notice" But you've broken through the chimney breast into the vault. There were fifty thousand dollars there at the time of the murder"
 Then It's been taken away since" said Trafrord. positively, flor there | was not a dollar in the vault when we reached it. nor anything else excepting a mass Of rubbish. some old tin boxes, so%s paper S.f ls= sna.shsts sn.shsf sIcs,.n slI full fin the face of Frafford. with that steady. dominating look that had faced down opponents and prosecuting offic- CTS. even judges. it was said. "And what?" he repeated.
 MT. Beckwith." said Trafrord. neith- CT oountenanee nor tone changing in the slightest. what Is your interest, or that of your clients, in this matter7 To discover the murderer of John AL terburg or to shield him?''
 You scarcely deserve an answer" exclaimed Beckyith. 'Tt is to find the murderer. and at the earliest possible moment"
 linen let me for the present keep the answer 10 your question secret. even from the county attorney. When 1t will be of use to that end I'll make it."
 The two men sat in awkward silence under the keen sense of being thwart- ed which possessed Beckwith. and the equally keen sense on Trafford's part that 1t had been a mistake to bring matters to the point where he felt compelled openly to thwart the other. Trafrord was the first to speak again.
 How close to the night of the mur- der does your knowledge of the money being in the vault come?"
 There, as Beckwith of course under stood. was the fatal weakness of their position. Mrs. Calden did not even know that there had been any money there. she had simply taken AIten- burg's word for 1t. at a time when he was anxious to make her think there was money there. as a means to i'm ducing her to make theNpromise- Even her slight shred of evidence did not come nearer the time of the murder than several months
 "You know whether the vault had been recently disturbed" said Beck with. without fin terms refusing an an- swer, "and you know whether there was money or papers there when you reached the vault. There may be vital questions to us in our position. which yolr course of procedure has made it impossible for us to ascertain for our selves. We are driven to rest on your word" f 'T invited confidence" replied Traf- ford. "and was met by the same evasions that you are still pursuing. You are hardly justified in complain ing of a situation of your own creat- ing"
 T give you notice now-" said Beck with. that if you attempt to use any thing connected with that vault against client of mine. shall not hesitate to attack your testimony and you. on the ground that you had no right to enter there save in the pres ence of some representatives of the heirs. and that your testimony is pre- judiced and distorted for a purpose. I shall not expect. as, "a matter of course. to exclude the testimony by such a course as this but I shall con- fidently expect to discredit 1t. so as to reduce It's effect very materially. I shall also demand corroboration of the fact that there was no money or pa- pers there when you entered It."
 Trafford kept his eyes steadfastly on Beclxwith's face while he was speaking and seemed in no hurry to answer when the lawyer was done. After a peuse of some duration he said:
 "I am just studying what possible advantage you think to gain by this method Of course you have no ex- pectation of being compelled to take the position you outline in court. for if you do you would not weaken the effect by warning me in advantage. At the same time. can't accept 1t that you are saying this just for the sake of eaying something to cover your per- plexity. for you don't do things that way admit I don't iust see your