Wallowa County chieftain. [volume] (Enterprise, Or.) 1909-1911, 1909-02-18
BY GASTON LEROUX

hOb q lIdh TIE TOOIl. I0e
desk being so near to the door, by
STOPPING and slipping under the desk
have left it unobserved?"
You are forgetting" interrupted NJ.
Stangerson wearily. "that my daughter
had locked and bolted the door. that
the door had remained fastened, that
we vainly tried to force it open when
we heard the noise and that we were
at the door while the struggle between
the murderer and my poor child was
going on Immediately after we heard
her stified cries."
l rose from my seat and once more
examined the door with the greatest
care. Then l returned to my place,
with despairing gesture.
''If the lower panel of the door" l
said, could be removed without the
whole door being necessarily open the
problem would be solved. But unfortu-
nately that last hypothesis is untena-
BILE after an examination Of the door.
It's Of oak, solid and massive. You
can see that quite plainly in spite of
the injury done In the attempt to
burst 1t open"
"Ab." cried Daddy jacques. at is
an old and solid door that was brought
from the chateau. They don't make
such doors now. We had to use this
bar Of iron to get it open, all four Of
us, for the concierge, brave woman she
Is, helped us. 1t pains me to find them
both in prison now"
Daddy Jacques had no sooner ut
tered these words Of pity and protesta-
ton than tears and lamentations broke
out from the concierges. l never saw
two accused people crying more bit
terly. was extremely disgusted. Even
IL they were innocent, / could not un-
lerstand how they could behave like
that in the face of misfortune. A dig
nified bearing at such times is better
than tears and groans. which most Of
ten are feigned
Nov, then, enough Of that snivel-
ing" cried NJ. de Marquet, land in
your interest tell us what you were
doing under the windows Of the pavil-
ion at the time your mistress was be-
ing attacked, for you were close to
the pavilion when Daddy Jacques met
you"
"We were coming to helpw they
whined.
"If we could only lay hands on the
murderer he'd never taste bread
againr the woman gurgled between
her sobs.
AS before, we were unable to get
two connecting thoughts out Of them.
They persisted in their denials and
swore by heaven and all the saints
that they were in bed when they
heard the sound of the revolver shot.
1T was not one, but two shots, that
were fired. You see you are lying.
If you had heard one you would have
heard the other"
Mon Dleu! Monsieur, it was the
second shot we heard. We We're
sound asleep when the first shot was
| fired"
"Two shots were fred" said Daddy
Jacques. IL am certain that all the
cartridges were in my revolver. We
found afterward that two had been
exploded, and we heard two shots be-
hind the door. Was not that so, M.
Stangerson"
"Yes," replied the professor. "there
were two shots-one dull and the other
sharp and ringing"
why do you persist in lying?" cried
NJ. de Marquet, turning to the con-
cierges "Do you think the police are
the fools you are? Everything points
to the fact that you were out of doors
and near the pavilion at the time Of
the tragedy. What were you doing
there? So far as l am concerned" he
said, turning to NJ. Stangerson, 81 can
only explain the escape of the muir
derer ON the assumption of help from
these two accomplices. AS soon as the
door was forced open and while you,
NJ. Stangerson, were occupied with
your unfortunate child the concierge
and his wife facilitated the flight Of
the murderer, who, screening himself
behind them, reached the window In
the vestibule and sprang out OF 1t
into the park. The concierge closed
the window after him and fastened
the blinds, which certainly could not
have closed and fastened of them
selves. That is the conclusion l have
arrived at. If any one here has any
other idea let him state It,"
NJ. Stangerson intervened:
"What you say was impossible. l
do not believe either in the guilt or
in the connivance Of my concierges,
though cannot understand what they
were doing in the park at that late
hour of the night. / say 1t was I'M
possible, because Mime. Bernier held
the lamp and did not move from the
threshold of the room, because l as
soon as the door was forced open
threw myself on my knees beside my
daughter. and no one could have left
or entered the room by the door with
out passing over her body and fore
ing his way by me! Daddy Jacques
land the concierge had but to cast
glance around the chamber and under
the bed. as / had done on entering. to
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