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

been inflicted during the first phase.
since 1t required the presence Of the
murderer. I thought Mile. Stangerson
had hidden the wound by arranging
her hair In bands on her forehead.
LAS 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
father was all the time with her. work
Ing. So that after the first phase she
did not center 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
disturbed state of mind she had forgot.
ten that Daddy Jacques would so into
her room ard had begged him not to
trouble himself. All this was set forth
in the article in the Matin. Daddy
Jacques did go, however, and in the
dim light Of the room saw nothing.
Mile. S~tangerson must have lived
some anxious moments while Daddy
Jacques was absent. but ] think she
was not aware that so many evidences
had been left. After she had beer 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
did not see them and undressed by the
uncertain glimmer of the night light.
She went 10 bed wornout by anxiety
and fear-a fear that had made her re-
main in the laboratory as late as pos
sible.
"My reasoning had thus brought me
to the second phase of the tragedy
when Mile. S~tangerson was alone in
the room. | had now to explain the
,.nro1rnr chnts Grol I,,rjp~ thn cnonrl
phase. Cries of Help. Murder had
Deer heard. How TO explain these;
AS to the cries, | was in no difficulty:
since she was alone in her room these
could result from nightmare only, My
explanation Of the struggle and noise
that were heard is simply that in her
nightmare she was haunted by the ter
rible experience she had passed through
In the afternoon. In her dream she
sees 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
night table by the side of her bed, but
her hand. striking the table, overturns
II, and the revolver. falling 10 the floor.
discharges itself. the bullet lodging In
the ceiling. knew from the first that
the bullet in the ceiling must have re-
suited from an accident. Its very posi-
ton suggested an accident to my mind
nightmare. ! no longer doubted that
the attack had taken place before
mademoiselle had retired for the night.
After Weakening from her frightful
dream and crying aloud for help she
had tainted.
"My theory. based on the evidence
Of the shots that were heard at mid
night. demanded two ~shots-one which
wounded the murderer at the time OF
his attack and one fred at the time
Of the nightmare. The evidence given
by the Berniers before the examining
magistrate was to the effect that only
one shot had beer heard. NJ. Stan
gerson testified to hearing a dull sound
first. followed by a sharp ringing sound.
The duh sound | explained by the
falling of the marble topped table; the
ringing sound was the shot from the
revolver. was now convinced | was
right. The shot that had wounded the
hand of the murderer and had caused
1t to bleed so hat he left the bloody
imprint on the wall was fired by
mademoiselle in self defense before
the second phase. when she had been
really attacked. The shot in the cell
ing which the Berniers heard was the
accidental shot during the nightmare.
81 had now to explain the wound on
the temple. Ii was not sever enough
to have been made by means Of the
mutton bone. and mademoiselle had
not attempted to hide it. 1t must have
| been made during the second phase.
It was to find this out that l went to
the yellow room, and l obtained my
answer there"
R~ouletabille drew a piece OF white
folded paper from his pocket and drew
out Of it an almost invisible object
which be held between his thumb and
foreinger.
This, NJ. President" he said. "is a