Ottumwa tri-weekly courier. [volume] (Ottumwa, Iowa) 1903-1916, 1913-09-25

even before l passed QUIT came 30
suddenly-say to me again that you
loved me-"
so much, John dear. that can not
tell you all
"And I put aside such love as that
for jewels!"
Eyes, John. md when I searched
your room--the night found you
there-I would have given them all to
you II you had walked and spoken kind
lily to me. But you were married.
and you would have died soon at the
best. Oh, why not before this hap.
pened to Juan
WAS it Juan? I have told you that
II could not see clearly at that time
1t is all confused"
Eyes, dearest. You could not I'M.
derstand because OF the clothes-but
dearest, It was Juan who held the
knife killed you. He worked 1t all out
forgive him more than me. He is my
prother-he did It for me-John, |
lcan't forget his remorse when he came
to me-were you watching? Did you
seer
"No-l was not awake in spirit yet
|Quick"-the voice was growing weak.
"He himself did not understand,
then, how you died. He thought the
knife kille you. He worked 1t all out
afterward-when I told him about your
condition. But then, he said to me:
My God, have run knife into Cap
tain Hanska!' What is it-what Is it,"
For Rosalie had leaped from her
chair, run up the window-shade at the
foot Of the bed, thrown the sash wide
open. Into the room leaped two men.
They ranged themselves beside the
couch.
what is IT." screamed Miss Estrilla
again.
These are police detectives" said
Resale In her natural voice. "They
have been listening behind that win.
dow. They've come to find. what you
know about the death Of Captain John
H. Hanska."
Miss Estrilla gave a little scream
which died In rattle Of her throat.
Her eyes caught at Rosalie. "Traitor!"
she managed to gasp before she gave
another scream-and tainted, as Ro.
sale LIE Grange expected that she
would.
Rosalie rushed for water and re-
storatives.
Get right ut her as she comes out"
she whispered to Inspector MCGEE in
passing That's the time"
"Ain't you going to stay?" inquired
MCGEE.
mo. She'll be too busy hatin' me
ever to talk. An there's two things
never want to watch Ones hangin',
an the others the Third Degree"
And by the time that Miss Estrilla
was conscious again Of the sights and
sounds Of this, her terrible world, Ro-
sale was gone from the room, and
Detective Kennedy, police stenograph-
or, who had been listening at the open
telltale register Of the room below,
was with the group of inquisitors about
her bed.
"And now we will take your state
ment," said Martin McGee.
| The first brutal processes OF the
Third Degree were finished-the Third
Degree, that modern system of tor.
ture more terrible than the medieval
BY Just so much as the mind Is more
sensitive than the body. We do well,
as Rosal.e LIE Grange has said, no. To
witness 1t. Miss Estrilla lies back on
the couch, bruised and broken soul,
ready now to tell all the truth because
there is In her no more strength to lie.
Detective Kennedy has drawn table
to the center Of the room, set out his
pencils and his notebooks. and pre-
pared for his work. MCGEE and Hun
ter, expert inquisitors both, sit where
she can not avoid their eyes II she
but look up. The door has half-Opened
| in the midst Of the preliminary pro-
lceedings, and into the shadow outside
creeps Rosalie LIE Grange, to listen
| with all her ears. The victim on the
couch is no more pale and drawn thai
Rosalie as she stands there, one hand
on the Intel.
"Your name and all about yourself
first" says Inspector MCGEE, urging
Igently now.
Let me omit, as the expert police
stenographer did, certain expletives,
repetitions, divagations, which + al
ways mar testimony. The police
stenographer edits these extraneous
words out Of Official statements. Let
me omit, too, those passages Of ques-
ton and answer by which the police
refresh the memory OF the witness.
Let me Just give the document. as II
was flled away in the archives Of the
New York Police department.
I my name Is Margarita Perez, l am
thirty-hve years old, and unmarried
I was born in the Island of Trinidad
where lived all my life. Juan Perez
is my halfbrother, ten years younger
than +. Our father was the same, but
my mother was an Englishwoman. my
brothers mother was Spanish. My
father was cacao grower. He was
very rich once, but he lost much
of his money. When he died. four
years ago, he left my brother the
plantations, and me very small in
come and the family jewels-they
we're worth twenty thousand dollars Of
your money. My brother came into
his property when he was twenty-one
He managed poorly; and then he had
bad luck. BY last summer, he was 50
near failure that there seemed to be
only one way out-for me to sell my
Jewels and give him the money.
wanted to do that, but he wouldn't let
me make the sacrifice. He said that
he had committed his follies himself
and would suffer for himself. He saw
nhn~ ~ "a ho1