The Bridgeport evening farmer., 1910-05-09
CContdnued.l

ery word she wrote tnere. 0He was miserable, and for the very reason that she herself stated
 MT. Benson pinched his glasses more firmly on his nose, and turned his gaze slowly toward Miss French.
 Kitty had spoken impulsively, and perhaps too directly, but, though em- oarrassed at the sensation she had .aused, she showed no desire to re- tract her statements.
 1T am told" said the coroner, his Fcice ringing out clearly in the strained silence that had fallen on the room. that the initial on this paper de- signates MT. Schuyler Carleton. must therefore ask MT. Carleton if ne can explain the reference to him. self"
 "I cannot" said Schuyler Carleton, end. only the intense silence allowed his low whisper to be heard. Miss Van Norman was my affianced wife. We were to have been married today. Those two facts, think, prove the existence of our mutual love. The paper is to, me inexplicable."
 Tom Willard looked at the speaker with an expression of frank unbelief, and, indeed, most of the auditors faces betrayed incredulity.
 Even with no previous reason to imagine that Carleton did not love Madeleine, the tragic message proved It beyond all possible doubt,-and yet It was but natural for the man to ieny it.
 Doctor Hills spoke next.
 ..I think, Coroner Benson," he said as he rose to his feet, i've are miss- Ing the point. If Miss Van Norman took her life in fulfilment of her own decision, the reasons that brought about that decision are not a matter for our consideration. It is for us to decide whether she did or did not bring about her own death, and as 9 mode of procedure may I suggest this? Doctor Leonard and myself hold, that, in view of the absence of any stain on Miss Van Norman's hands, she could not have handled the stained dagger that killed her. A refutation of this opinion would be to explain how she could have done the deed and left no trace on her fingers Unless this can be shown, I think we can not call it a suicide"
 Although nothing would have in- duced him to admit it, Coroner Ben- son was greatly accommodated by this suggestion, and immediately adopting it as his own promulgation, he repeated it almost exactly word for word, as his official dictum.
 And so," he concluded, "as I have explained unless a theory can be of fered on this point, we. must agree that Miss Van Norman's death was rot by her own hand.''
 Instinctively. Doctor Hills liked this young man. His frank manner and pleasant, straightforward ways inn pressed the doctor favorably, and he shook hands warmly as he said, 'This is most kind of you, MT. Fessenden, and you may prove the very man we need At first. we were all convinced that Miss Van Norman's death was a suicide; and though the evidence still strongly points to that, I am sure that there is a possibility, at least, that it is not true"
 Robert Fessenden arose.
 'I have no theory" he said; ''I have no argument to offer. But I fm sure we all wish to discover the truth by means of any light that any Of us may throw on the mystery. And I want to say that in my opinion the F absence of blood on the hands, though it indicates, does not positively prove. that the weapon was held by another than the victim. Might it not be that, taking the dagger from the ia ble, clean as of course, it was, Miss Van Norman turned it upon herself, and then, withdrawing it, let it drop onto the floor, where it subsequently, became blood-stained, as did the rug and her own gown?"
 The two doctors listened intently It was characteristic of both that though Doctor Hills had shown no elation when he had convinced Doc. tor Leonard of his mistake the night before, yet now Doctor Leonard could rot repress a gleam of triumph iii his eyes as he turned to Doctor Hills
 Tt is possible" said Mir. Benson with a cautiously dubious air, though really the theory struck him as ex- fremely probable, and he wished he had advanced it himself
 Doctor Hills looked thoughtful, and then. as nobody else spoke, he ob- served:
 -Lr. Carleton might perhaps judge of that point. As he first discovered the dagger, and picked it up from the floor, he can perhaps say if ii ley in or near the stains on the car pet"
 II don't know,'' he exclaimed, cov- ering his white face with his hands Jas If to shut out the awful memory Do you suppose I noticed such de-