The citizen-Republican. (Scotland, Bon Homme County, S.D.) 1???-19??, 1912-08-08
CHAPTER XIV.
THE FOG WAS DENSE, 1 COULDN'T
RIGHTLY SEE.

- LA
The curtain went up on the first act
of the play. 1t was not perhaps so in
teresting from the outset as the audi
ence would have wished, and the fash
ionable portion thereof showed it's i'm
patience by sundry coughings and
whisperings, which had to be perempt-
orily checked now and again by a loud:
"Silence, there!" and a threat to clear
the court.
The medical officer vas giving his
testimony at great length as to the
cause of death. Technical terms were
used in plenty, and puzzled the elegant
ladies who had come here to be amused.
The jury listened attentively, and the
coroner-himself a medical man
asked several very pertinent questions:
THE thrust" he asked Of Doctor
Blair, who was medical officer of the
district, through the neck was effected
by means of a long narrow instrument,
with two sharp edges, a dagger in
fact?"
"A dagger or a ~stiletto or a kewer,
replied the doctor. Any sharp, two
edged instrument would cause a wound
like the n in the neck of the de-
ceased"
Was death instantaneous"
almost so"
tricacies of the human throat at the
points where the murderer's weapon
had entered the neck of his victim.
Louisa listened attentively. Every mo-
ment h expected to see the %coroner's
hand wandering to the piece of green
baize in front of him, and then drawing
it away disclosing a snake-wood stick
with silver ferrule stained, and showing
the rise of the dagger, sheathed within
the body of the stick. Every moment
she expected to hear the query:
rs this the instrument which dealt
the bloW?"
But this apparently vas not to be
just yet. The Opaque veil Of green
baiZe was not to be lifted; that certain
long something was not to be revealed,
the something that would condemn
Luke irrevocably. absolutely, to dis
grace and to death.
Only one of the members of the jury
Louisa understood that he was the
foreman-asked a simple question:
Would" he said. 1.-THE witness ex-
plain whether in his opinion the-the
unknown murderer-the-I mean
He f~oundered a little in the phrase,
having realized that in his official ca
pacity he must keep an open mind
and in that open mind Of an English
dwell no certainty that a murderer
and unknown murderer-did exist.
They were all here-he and the otts-
ers and the coroner-in order to find
out II there had been q murder com
mitted or not.
The coroner, one elbow on the table,
one large hand holding firmly the
somewhat feshy chin, looked at tn
Juryman somewhat CONTEMPORARY.
You mean?" he queried with an OBJ
vious effort at patience.
4 mean" resumed the man more
firmly, "in this present instance, would
a certain medical or anatomical know
ledge be necessary in order to strike
er-or to thrust-so precisely-just on
death?"
With amiable condescension the cor
oner put the query to the witness in
more concise words.
No, no." replied the doctor quickly,
the thrust argues no special anatom-
lcal knowledge. Most laymen would
know that II you pierce the throat from
ear to ear suffocation is bound to en-
sue. 1t was easily enough done"
When the deceased's e was turn
ed away?" asked the ron
why, yes-to look out on the fog.
perhaps; or at a passer-by. 1t would
be fairly easy II the would-be murderer
was quick and determined and the VIC
tim unsuspecting."
And Doctor Blair, with long taperfng
fingers, pointed toward his own throat,
giving Illustration Of how easily the