The Columbia herald. [volume] (Columbia, Tenn.) 18??-1935, 1910-10-21
The Mystery Of
The Yellow Room.
By GASTONLEROUX ooPT ~ sEEs ,Tos;
tContinusdJ

after the publication Of the article
n the Matin and my conversation with
he Examining magistrate on the Jour
~ Pm Paris to Orge |
wast rtain that the yellow room had
been Dramatically sealed, so to speak,
and that consequently the murderer
had escaped before Mile. Stangerson
had gone into her chamber at mid
night
AT the time ! was much puzzled.
Nile StangersOn could not have been
her own murderer, since the evidences
pointed to some other person. The as
sassin, then. had come before If that
were 90, how was 1t that mademoi-
sele had been attacked after, or, rathr
e., that she appeared to have been at
tackled afterf 1t was necessary for
me to reconstruct the occurrence and
make of 1t two phases, each separated
from the other In time by the space
Of several hours-one phase In which
Nile. Stangerson had really been at
tackled, the other phase in which those
who heard her cries thought she was
being attacked. had not then exam
fned the yellow room. What were the
marks on Nile. Stangerson3 There
were marks Of strangulation and the
wound from q hard blow on the tenn
pie. The marks of strangulation did
not interest me much They might
have been made before, and Mile
Gtangerson could have concealed them
by q collaret or any similar article
Of apparel. had to suppose this the
moment was compelled TO recon
gtruct the occurrence by two phases.
Mile. Stangerson had, no doubt, her
Own reasons for 90 doing, since she
had told her father nothing of 1t and
had made 1t understood to the examin-
ing magistrate that the attack had
taken place in the night during the
second phase. She was forced to say
that; otherwise her father would have
questioned her as to her reason for
having said nothing about 1t.
but I could not explain the blow on
the temple. l understood 1t even less
when learned that the mutton bone
AUA pSCh AO0A0 IL AC1 EOOLls 0AC COulu
not hide the fact that she had been
struck on the head, and yet that
wound appeared evidently to have
been inflicted during the first phase.
since it required the presence of the
murderer! thought Mile Stangerson
had hidden the wound by arranging
her hair in bands on her forehead
"As 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 bis 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
eather was all the time with her, work
did not re-enter 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
4ght the night light Owing to her
disturbed state of mind she had forgot
Ten that Daddy Jacques would go into
her room and had begged him not to
trouble himself. All this was set forth
n the article In the Matin. Daddy
Jacques did go, however, and in the
lin light of the room saw nothing.
Mile. Stangerson must have lived
ome anxious moments while Daddy
jacques was absent, but l think she
vas not aware that so many evidences
Iad been left. After she had been at
acked she had only time to hide the ,
races of the mans fingers on her neck
nd to hurry to the laboratory. Had ,
be handkerchief she would have made !
way with them after she had gone I
ack to her chamber at midnight She /
ID not see them and undressed by the 7
glimmer Of the night light !
he went to bed wornout by anxiety \
nd fear-a fear that had made her re- I
lain In the laboratory as late as pos 4
lble. h
my reasoning had thus brought me n
the second phase of the tragedy v
hen Mile Stangerson was alone In .
ne room. had now to explain the
svolver shots fred during the second r
base. Cries of tHelpl MurderF had p
cen heard Hog to explain thesef q
& to the cries. Tvs in no difficulty; b
nee she was soIps in her room these Il
'uld result from nightmare only MY z
Iplanation Of the struggle and noise b
INF were heard is simply that In her n
rhtmare she was haunted by the ter Il
BILE experience she had passed through d
the afternoon. In her dream she h,