The Donaldsonville chief. [volume] (Donaldsonville, La.) 1871-current, 1912-03-23

the arm OF the heavy oaken chair. |
Frenzied with rage / made an aWk.
ward dive behind my back with my J
left hand for my right-hand hip pocket
as he locked his arms around me.
With the auickness of thought ne nae
twisted a revolver from my fingers.
and springing back laid It On the
dresser beyond my reach, as shackled
to the heavy piece OF furniture could
only stand quivering in helpless pas
sion. Realizing my physical impo-
tence sat down sullenly.
$50 YOU feared I would murder
you,' sneered. He negatived.
"No. I did not think you would do
that. But /. feared that you might
murder Yourself Do you wish me to
proceed quietly. or shall | summon
your uncle to hear what I have to
say9' For a moment / hesitated as
I Gained myself by mighty effort.
There could be no good n getting
him excited. 'If you have anything
more to say to me you may continue
or not, as you choose. | can scarcely
helm hearing you, but you will regret
this outrage when I am set tree. he
did nos seem to become either alarmed
or angry at the threat; on the con-
trary his voice was even smootner
| than before as he resumed MS seat.
tom" ne continued, Il have al
WAYS heen your friend and wish to
always remain SO. When I have done
telling YOU what | know about this
| crime we will talk about other mat
! tiers. if YOU desire. But what | wish
to tell you additionally is this | had
/ been compelled to eliminate every
i body but you, and was therefore COM
| PEELED, most regretfully, to start along
your trail. AS my first step | went TO
the hotel where you told me you
staid on the night of the crime;
i looked at the register and ascertalneo
the room that you had occupied. en-
gagged it. and went to it for the pur-
pose of a thorough inspection. IL
was back room overlooking an alley
and the fire escape ran close by one
of it's windows. 1t at once occurred
TO me. therefore, that it would have
been the simplest thing in the world
for you, after having called up your
uncle and after having left request
, at the office for morning summons
! in order to impress 1t upon the minds
of others that you were in your room
at midnight. and thus establish an
alibi in case of suspicion, to nave
, passed down the escape in the dark
{ ness, gone to any place you wished
! and returned before daybreak.
!, therefore went down the ladder, as
5 assumed you had done, and at its Dot
! tom CHANGED upon what conslde'
: to have been the only piece OF pure
E good luck that came my way IN ths
whole case. For, mind you, lns1s
I that the rest OF my discoveries were
: the result of experience In such mat
8 ters, aided by close reasoning. .
g that as it may, at the foot Of the lac
i der I found your lost card case.
f could only account for its presenc'
It there in one way; namely, that It ha'
!: dropped from your pocket Wnlle# yo
' were either descending or ascyadln
it the ladder with your arms Worlln
above your head That will perhap
remind you Of the other night Whe
YOU and / burglarized that offlc
downtown. You will remember upo
that occasion / handed you you
| match safe after we had come cow
| and told you that had picked it U
at the foot of the ladder we mad Jus
| left; mentioning the fact that CHM
/ ing I'm and down under such coma
4 tions was apt to work smoSth a
Z tic1e out of ones vest pocket. Ihe1
is nothing truer than that stasemen
I and T have no doubt but that IS e
3 actly what happened in the 0rigln'
case az your lost card receptacle. NO
as a matter of fact, / extracted TIT
match safe from your pockef IN u
Il darkness when you were occupied
messing the putty against the Wlndo
in order that might try an interes
ing experiment. The experiment su
ceeded. My calling your attent1t
To the likelihood of losing sucn q
t;c,es under conditions similey to tho
i YOU had just experienced, started
a train of thought in your mind. kne
I'd vo1, were worried by the loss of yo
ajI card case and were very aesTous
n regaining it. MY strataget'i OF the
n stored match box made 1t occur
II YOU that it was possible that you d
Ill lost your card case In going cut
n the window on the night ST the GRIN
q and that there was a bare posslplll
| that it had not been picked up a
sd that you would find it among the RI
81 Dish back Of the hotel Having as
II hoped sowed this thought in 20
mind. / made an excuse and LETT y
You will recall that the pretext
Il made for departing was that wish
II to make another experiment alone.
III Immediately made it, the experlme
J consisting OF my going rapidly to
head of the alley passing the Pac'
hotel and waiting there for you. IL
to my reasoning you went straight
the place where had found the CO