Wallowa County chieftain. [volume] (Enterprise, Or.) 1909-1911, 1909-02-18
CHAPTER XII.
In Which Frederic Larsan Explains
How the Murderer Was Able to
Get Out of the Yellow Room.

N gal documents, memoirs and
INl extracts from newspapers
which ! have collected relat-
ing to the mystery of the yellow room
there is one very interesting piece. It
is a detail of the famous examination
which took place that afternoon IN the
laboratory OF Professor Stangerson be-
fore the chief of police. This narra-
tive Is from the pen of NJ. Maleine, the
registrar, who, like the examining
magistrate, had spent some Of his
leisure time in the pursuit of litera-
ture.
THE REGISTRARS NARRATIVE.
The examining magistrate and l,
SAYS NJ. Maleine, found ourselves in
the yellow room in the company of the
builder who had constructed the pavil-
ion after Professor Stangersons de-
signs. He had workman with him.
NJ. de Marquet had had the walls laid
entirely bare-that is to say, he had
had them stripped Of the paper which
had decorated them. Blows with a
pick here and there satisfied us of the
nonexistence of any sort of opening.
The floor and the ceiling were thor
oughly sounded. We found nothing.
There was nothing to be found. NJ. de
Marquet appeared to be delighted and
never ceased repeating:
"What case! What case! We
shall never know. you'll see. how the
murderer was able to get out Of this
roomr'
Then suddenly, with radiant face,
he called to the officer in charge Of the
gendarmes.
"Go to the chateau" he said, "and
request M. Stangerson and NJ. Robert
Darzac to come to me in the labora-
tory, also Daddy jacques, and let your
men bring here the two concierges."
Five minutes later all were assem-
bled In the laboratory. The chief of
police, who had arrived at the Clan
dier, Joined us at that moment. / was
seated at NJ. Stangerson's desk ready
for work when M. de Marquet made us
the following little speech. as original
as 1t was unexpected:
with your permission, gentlemen
will for once abandon the old system
of Interrogation. l 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
hn IN m
ment forget that they have been ar
rested. We are going to confer togeth-
er. 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, intelligently or other
wise, so long as we speak just what is
In our minds. There need be no formal
ity or method, since this won't help us
in any way"
Then. passing before me, he said In
low voice:
What do you think Of that, eh?
What scene! Could you have thought
Of that? I'll make little piece out
Of 1t for the vaudeville" And he rub
bed his hands with glee.
The hope he had received from the
doctors latest reports. who had stated
that Mile. Stangerson might recover
from her wounds, had not been able
TO efface from his noble features the
marks of the great sorrow that was
upon him. He had believed his daugb-
ter to be dead, and he was still bro
w ha 60, al
eyes expressed infinite sorrow.
Now, NJ. Stangerson," said NJ. de
Marquet, with somewhat Of an impor-
tant air, 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, a
voice which 1 can only describe as a
dead voice:
Il was here. About IL o'clock, after
mad made brief chemical expert
ment at the furnaces of the labora-
tory needing all the space behind me,
! mad my desk moved here by Daddy
jacques, who spent the evening in
cieaning some Of my apparatus. My
laughter had been working at the
same desk with me. When it was her
time to leave she rose, kissed nae and
oade Daddy Jacques good night. She
nad TO pass behind my desk and the
uoor to enter her chamber, and she
could do this only with some difficult
ly-that is to say, was very near the
pace where the crime occurred later"
And the desk?" asked. obeying in
tnus mixing myself in the conversa-
uoh' the express orders Of my chief.
AS soon as you heard the cry of Muir
uer! followed by the revolver shots,
"nat became of the desk?"
q Daddy Jacques answered.
we pushed 1t back against the wall
mere close to where it is at the present
nolnent, 80 as to be able to get at the
door at once"
followed up my reasoning. to