Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1911-12-10
Continued from page 2


Mr.. Len Schlager, having volunteered the
expenses"
"That man." said Sedgwick in Kent's ear,
us a great deal more nervous this minute
than | am"
"PerhapS he has more cause to be, whis-
pered the scientist. "Here comes the first
witness"
A sheepherder had risen in his place, and
without the formality of an oath told of
sighting the body at the edge of the surf at
seven o'clock in the morning. Others, fol-
lowing testified to the position on the beach,
the flashing of the body to the grating, the
wounds, and the manacles. DR.. Breed an
nounced briefly that the deceased had come
to her death by drowning, and that the skull
had been crushed in, presumably, when the
waves hammered the body upon the reefs.
"Then the corpse must have come from
a good ways out" said Sailor Smith, "for
the reefs wouldn't catch it at that tide
Nobody knows how the dead come to
Dead Mems Cove" said the Sheriff in his
deep voice.
There was murmur of assent. The people
felt certain pride in the ill-omened locality.
Elder Ira bennett was the next and
last witness called. Somewhere beneath the
Elders dry exterior lurked the instinct of
the drama Stalking to the platform, he
told his story with skill and fervor. He
made telling point of the newly finished
picture he had seen in Sedgwick's studio, de-
picting the moonlit charge of the wave
mounted corpse. He sketched out the en-
counter between the artist and the dead
woman wildly. As he proceeded, the
glances turned upon Sedgwick darkened
from suspicion to enmity. Kent was almost
ready to wish that he had come armed,
when bennett, with a final fling of his arm
toward the artist, stepped from the platform
and resumed his seat, amid a surcharged
silence.
Then Sedgwick rose. He was white; but
said, 81 presume l have the right. to be
heard in my own defense?'
"Nobody's accused you yet, growled
Schlager.
Public opinion accuses me. That is not
to be wondered at, in view of what Elder
bennett has just told you. 1t is all true.
But do not know the woman who accosted
me. l never saw her before that evening.
She spoke strangely to me, and indicated
that she was to meet someone and 60 aboard
ship, though l saw no ship"
"You couldn't see much of the ocean from
your house," said the Medical Officer.
II walked on the cliffs later said Sedg
wick, and murmur went through the court
L
as for throwing her out of a ship, or any such
fantastic nonsense, l can prove that | was
back in my house by little after nine o'clock
that night"
He sat down, coolly enough; but his eyes
dilated when Kent whispered to him:
keep your nerve. The probability will
be shown that she was killed before ten
o'clock"
Now, however, Dr. Breed was on his feet
again. "Form in line, Ladies and Gentle
men," said he, sand pass the coffin as spry as
possible
A T this Sheriff Schlager stepped forward
\ and loosened the hasps, preparatory to
removing the cover. @The body has been
left," said he, slipping the lid aside, @just
as" Of a sudden, his eyes stiffened. A
convulsive shudder ran through his big
body. He forced the cover back, and, with
fingers that actually drummed on the wood,
pressed the hasps into place.
"She's come to life!" cried voice from the
rear.
mo. no." rumbled the Sheriff. Whirling
upon the Medical Officer, he whispered in
his ear; not more than a single word, it
seemed to the watchful Kent.