Daily capital journal. (Salem, Oregon) 1903-1919, 1910-04-28

iii diu u anu VIC never AVuhu IhVSO
holes"
"They were covered by the sofa
hangings."
81 know: we shook those hangings
we pressed against them, we did every.
thing but look behind them. See herel
Did you look behind themT
mo, but saw something on the
foor-some yellowish dust. Therew
He unfolded paper and showed a
few grains of coarse brownish pow
der. "You see. there are only board
partitions between these rooms, so
sharp auger would make the holes
quickly. But there would be dust and
chips. The woman probably threw
the chips out of the window"
"The womanp
Coquenil nodded. "She helped Mar
tinez while he bored the holes"
"You think Martinez bored those
holes?"
Undoubtedly. The spirals from
the auger blade inside the holes show
plainly that the boring was done from
No. 6 toward No. T."
Tignol studied the hole. Then he
turned. You're a fine detective, NJ
Paul, but | was carpenter for six
years before l went on the force, and
know more about auger holes than
you do. say you can't be sure which
side of the wall this hole was bored
from. You talk about spirals, but
there's no sense in that. They're the
same either way. Well see on the
other side"
They went around into No. 6. The
old man drew back the sofa hangings
and exposed two notes.-the same
holes. You see," he went on, "the
edges are clean, without a sign of
chipping There is no more reason to
say that these holes were bored this
side than from that"
NJ. Paul, going to the sofa, knelt
down by it and, using his magnifying
glass, proceeded to go over its surface
with infinite care.
Turn up all the lights" he said,
"Ahr' he cried presently You think
there is no reason to say the holes
were bored from this side. I'll give
you a reason. Take this piece of
white paper and make me prints of
his boot heels.' He pointed to the
body. "Take the whole heel carefully,
then the other one; get the nail marks,
everything. That's right Now cut
out the prints. Good! Now, look here.
Kneel down. Take the glass. There
on the yellow satin by the tail of that
silver bird. Do you see? Now com
pare the heel prints"
Papa Tignol knelt down as directed
and examined the sofa seat.
"Saprlsti! You're a magician" he
/ cried in great excitement.
NO" replied Coquenil, its perfect
ly simple. These holes in the wall
are five feet above the floor. And
Pm enough of carpenter, Papa Tig-
mol" he smiled. ito know that man
cannot work an auger at that height
without standing on something. And
here was the very thing for him to
stand on, sofa just in place. So. If
Martinez bored these holes, he stood
on this sofa to do 1t. and in that
case the marks of his heels must have
remaiued on the delicate satin. And
here they are."
Eyes, here they are, nails and all"
admitted Tignol admiringly. "Pm an
old fool, but-but"-
"Well?"
Tell me why Martinez did It."
Coquenirs face darkened. "Ah,
that's the question. Wen know that
when we talk to the woman. Some
body helped him or the chips would
still be there; somebody held back
those hangings while he worked the
auger and somebody carried the auger
away"
Tigno pondered. "Hah! / see! The
man in No. 7, the murderer. lifted that
picture from It's nail before shooting
and then put it back on the nail after
shooting?"
"Yes, yes" agreed NJ Paul.
"Then this murderer must have
known that the billiard player was
going to bore these holes" went on
Papa Tignol half TO himself, "He
must have been waiting In No. 7; he
must have stood there with his pistol
ready while the holes were coming
through; he must have let Mdrtlnez
finish one hole and then bore the other;
he must have kept No dark so they
couldn't see him
"A good point. that" approved Co
quenil paying attention. He certain
ly kept No. Z dark"
"And he probably looked into No. G
through the first hole while Martinez
was boring the second. 1 suppose you
can tell which Of the two holes was
bored irstT" chuckled Tignol.
NJ. Paul started. and 81 see-that's
it. He bored this hole first; it's the
right hand one when you're In this
room. the left hand one when you're
In No. I. As you say. the murderer
looked through the first hole while he
waited for the second to be bored; so.
naturally. he fred through the hole
where his eye was. That was his first
great mistake"
What difference does 1t make which
hole the man fired through"
Just this-by firing through the
left hand hole he has given US pre-
cious evidence against him. Come
! hack into the other room and I'll show