Newark evening star and Newark advertiser. [volume] (Newark, N.J.) 1909-1916, 1913-07-22
THE PED ri TT~TOM By WILL IRNVINn
L BsManncn

! hoping to trap the witness into an
inconsistency. While she talked, Miss
Estrilla Tor senorita Perez paused
from time to time as though gather
ing strength. Resale waited for such
a pause. Then she braced the paper
on book and slipped up to Inspector
MCGEE.
you've forgotten this" she said,
you were goin' to git it signed at
the very first, you know"
Inspector McGee's expression proved
that he was puzzled. But he had be-
come accustomed to following Rosa
lies mental flights without knowledge
of their destination. He nodded,
therefore, and gave book paper and
pen to Miss Estrilla. 1t was the best
possible compliment to the inspectors
third degree methods that she signed
without a protest. Rosalie took the
paper silently, but she did not deposit
it where it belonged-among the Off
cial papers on Detective Kennedy's
table. AS she resumed her station
outside the door she was folding 1t
in her fingers.
The police went on, then, with their
searchings and questionings. They
failed to notice, SO absorbed were
they, the sound of retreating foot
steps on the stairs.
We resume. with the painstaking
Detective Kennedy, the statement of
Margarita Perez, alias Estrflla.
ut was apoplexy But Juan did
not know it yet. He only knew that
Captain Hanska had fallen on the
knife and died, and that it would
look like murder. He understood your
law; he knew that to get our prop
erty he was committing what looked
like burglary, and that a burglar who
commits murder cannot plead self
defense. He waited by the window to
see whether the fall had disturbed
the house. No one stirred-probabl
an elevated train was passing at the
time it happened. Frightened as he
was, he still thought of the jewels,
and decided to take them, whatever
the risk. He examined the box; the
bill of sale was there. Circumstances
had changed now; an empty strong
box in the room of a man who APP
peared to have been murdered, might
set the police on the track He
thought of this. So he took the box.
open as it was, switched off the cleo
trio light, and started to leave by the
door. The catch of the spring-lock
was ON. To lock the room from out
side, he would have had to slam the
door-you know how a spring-lock
works. That would have made
great deal of noise. 1t might awaken
some one, who would hear footsteps
going from Captain Hanska's room to
mine. He put the box under his arm
and fastened back the catch of the
spring. lock, so that he could close the
door without sound. OF course, that
left it unlocked. In doing all this, it
seems, he spilled out of the box the
diamond buckle which 1 found on the
stairs.
Juan went back to nay room be-
cause he wanted time to think. His
first idea was to leave the house
dressed in my clothes, just as we had
planned, and join me. Then we would
escape together. But he knew that
the police generally catch fugitives
from justice in the end. We were in
strange country. We had no
friends to help us. If we owere miss
ing from the house in the morning,
IL we were caught escaping, everyone
would believe us guilty Then he
had another idea. If / could return,
still disguised as Juan, after the body
was discovered, he would have per-
feet alibi
while he was thinking about this.
Mr.. North came home and fell into
the blood, as you know.
Immediately, Juan heard some one
calling murder from below. That was
his chance to carry out his plan. He
telephoned to me. 1 came. | have
told you about that, He changed to
his own clothes. l made him go
downstairs and offer to help. My
elothes, which Juan had worn down
the fire-escape in the rain were.
still a little wet. / looked
them over carefully; there were no
blood stains on them. / put them by
the register to dry: and ] cleaned the
shoes-that pair of red ones there in
the closet. BY the time they came to
take me away to this house no one
would have known that my garments
had been out in the wet.
when they moved me I took away
the jewels and the stronghold in my
| bedding. Later Juan dropped the box
into the river and sent the jewels to
my cousin in Caracas.
ut was his plan to leave the corn-
| try as soon as we might do so with
out attracting suspicion. But when
they arrested Mr.. Wade | could not
agree to that could not have his
death on my soul. Juan was implor-
ing me to leave; but / told him that
I would not until Mr.. Wade was re-
leased or acquitted. If it came to the
worst, / would confess. I persuaded
Juan that | was right. That Is why
we stayed. We had no other reason.
ITO Be Continued Tomorrow.)
WiIIie's Excuse.