The Brookings register. [volume] (Brookings, Brookings County, S.D.) 1903-1971, 1909-05-13

self hampered from the fact that my
room was so close to his and from a
suspicion that J would be on the
watch that night. Naturally he could
not for Il moment believe that ! suS'
pected him. But ! might see him ieav-
ing his room when be was about to 90
70 Mile. Stangersou. lie waited till
was asleep and my friend Saiuclait
was busy trying ~ rouse me. Ten
minutes after that mademoiseilc was
calling out Murder
How did you come to suspect Lar
SAM" asked the president"
my pure reason pointed TO him.
That was why | watched him. But |
did not foresee the dragging. He is
very cunning. Yes. my pure reason
pointed to him, but l 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 l felt myself losing
control of it. | had allowed myself to
be diverted by fallacious evidence, but
l recovered and again took hold Of the
right end. I satisfied myself that the
murderer could 0 have left the gal
lery, either naturally or supernatural
ly. narrowed the field Of considera-
tion to that small circle. so to speak.
The murderer could not be outside
that circle. Now. who We're in it?
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 it
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.
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 and the
assassin? | went over in my mind
what | had seen. | 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 seen Frederic Lar
san and the murderer at the same
time? No. Two seconds had passed,
during which | lost sight Of the muir
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
SAL time to go through the off turn
ing gallery, snatch off his false beard,
return and hurry with us as If, like us,
In pursuit of the murderer. l was sure
now | 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 | was in pursuit-the murderer.
in other words.
That revelation staggered me. |
tried to regain my balance by going
over the evidences previously traced,
led me away from Frederic Larsan.
What were these evidences?
"First.-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
san at the end of the of turning gal
lery and had told him that l would
rush into Mile. Stangerson's DON to
try to capture the murderer. Then l
returned to Mile. Stangerson's cham
Der. where l had see the unknown.
The first evidence did not disturb
me much. 1t is likely that when l de-
scended from my ladder, after having
seen the unknown In Mile. Stanger-
sons chamber, Larsan had already fin
ished what he was doing there. Then,
while l was re-entering the chateau.
Larsan went back to his own room
and. undressing himself, went to sleep.
Nor did the second evidence trouble
me-. II Larsan were the murderer he
could have no use for a ladder, but
the ladder might have been placed
there to give an appearance to the
murderer's entrance from without the
chateau, especially as Larsan had ac-
cused DarZac and Darzac was not In
the chateau that night. Further, the
ladder might have been placed there
to yacilitate Larsan's flight in case of
absolute necessity.
But the third evidence puzzled me
altogether. Having placed Larsan at
the end Of the off turning gallery,
could not explain how he had taken
advantage of the moment when | had
gone to the left wing of the chateau to
find NJ. Stangerson and Daddy jacques
to return to Mile. Stangerson's room.
1t was a very dangerous thing to do.
He riSked being captured. and he knew