The Donaldsonville chief. [volume] (Donaldsonville, La.) 1871-current, 1912-03-30
The detective drew 1t from his pocket
and looked at it refectively.


and looked at it refectively.
81 showed it to you that day down /
town merely to create the impression I
in your mind that / had Bruce under I
suspicion and had not thought OF you |
in connection with the matter lie |
probably threw it there thoughtlessly |
in his trouble as he entered the house /
on the morning we We're all there To- /
gether. Now I am satisfied That you
drugged the poor devil, and know
that you had the cabrnan send MN 10
that resort. That was bad enough IN
itself, but when remember also
that you tried to fasten suspicion
upon him am inclined to lose all
sympathy for you which | might
otherwise have. To my mind your
treachery in that respect is by Tar the
worst element OF your offense. can
understand how a mans 1nfatuat1on
for a woman may sometimes lead MIN
to dishonesty or even bfoodshed, aHd
under those circumstances am liable
to- have a lot of charity for him. But
when he. attempts to put frlend
whom he knows Is innocent into
felons cell and thus destroy him and
the happiness Of sweet woman, ne
does an act unworthy of any one who
possesses the semblance of humanity
or decency."
'LeDuc," Il cried brokenly, what
ever else T say you may believe or
not as you see fit, but when tell you
this I want you to believe me i'm
plicitly. had absolutely no idea OF
trying to fasten it on Bruce. told
you and everybody else from the be-
ginning in. the strongest language
that | could command that | did not
| for an Instant believe that he could
be guilty. Neither would l have per-
| mitted him to be punished Tor the
crime. If he had been tried and con-
victed I should have confessed, come
what might. But knew he would not
be convicted, because | was certain
If he had no other alternative he
would tell where he spent the night.
I did not know how he came in pos
session of the key, and simply told you
of having seen him have 1t, because
I wished to appear as telling you all
/ that | knew, and having no idea but
that Bruce would Immediately account
for it. I admit that dropped drug
lin his cocktail, and that l was the
one who told the cabman where to
| take him after he fell unconscious
upon the seat, but that was for an
entirely different purpose than to try
to incriminate him ] made him url-
conscious merely out of fear that ne
would return to my uncle's house In
another attempt to borrow money and
possibly roll into my bed for the
night as he has sometimes done, thus
interfering with my plans And had
him conveyed TO the place he was
taken to instead of to where he
| was known for the reason that | did
| not wish his friends to see him in
that condition and think he was in
toxieated. had no idea that he would
be suspected of this affair, for did
not know he WouId be SO obstinate
about refusing to tell where no had
been, nor did know that he would
, deny having had the key; while as for
the cigarette had nothing to do with
& it. Therefore supposed he would
awake In the morning, come away
, and that no harm would have been
done. And when feared that by
, reason of several accidents he was in
danger Of being suspected, sale
everything / could to clear him ex
cept to acknowledge my own guilt
81 am glad that you have explained
that the way you have. like you
whole lot the better for it. But how
about your mentioning the fact OF the
money to Mrs Dace, and why die
you cough as you choked your uncle
Was that an attempt to implicats
Mackay?"
"You may look at 1t in that light /
you choose. / utterly despised tn
man: knew that he would do me al
the harm that he could by fair mean
or foul, and did not care what hap
pened to him. / did it with the lde;
that it might possibly furnish falls
clue for you to tire yourself out on.
Anything more?" he urged as
| pauSSu. OlLcIlf WlIuiA LAS Po" W
made this last appeal.
only this. Knowing that / am
criminal and by all law should go t
prison for many years, probably t
die there, I have this to say in just
hcation of myself. Until con
mitted this crime had always bee
an honest man with no thought OF b.
ing otherwise and with no desire
harm a living thing. But becaus
of my love for woman for whom
would this moment gladly give m
life, and because could see no othe
way of gaining her except by spec
lation, 1 fell into temptation as man
a better man has done. Driven O
ward by a love at whose command
would have faced hades itself. use
my own money first, losing Sl,0s
upon the race in the attempt to win
large sum, and the rest in the fir
break in that stock. In my desper