The Pensacola journal. (Pensacola, Fla.) 1898-1985, 1914-02-15

man was a policeman In uniform. who
Mt q word from Simmonds took his
station at the door.
"What Is ttT' asked Godfrey.
-Just a suicide. think" and I'M
the dead man lay.
simmonds. GOldberger and Godfrey
stepped inside. / followed and closed
the door.
sNothing has been disturbed" said.
ssNo one has touched the body"
Simmonds nodded and glanced in
quiringly about the room. but God
frey's eyes. | noticed. were on the face
OF the dead man. Goldberger dropped
to his knees beside the body. looked
into the eyes and touched his fingers
TO the left wrist Then he stood erect
again and looked down at the body.
and as followed bis gaze noted its
attitude more accurately than ! had
done In the nrst shock OF discover
Ing Ii.
Ii was lying on It's right side half
on it's stomach, with its right arm dou-
bled under 1t and It's left hand clutch
ing at the door above its head The
knees were drawn up as though in a
CONFUSION. and the face WAS horribly
contorted. with a sort of purple tinge
under the skin. as though the blood had
been suddenly congealed. The eyes
were wide open. and their CLASSY stare
added not little to the apparent ter
ror and suffering OF the face.
The coroner glanced at Simmonds.
'Not much question as to the cause"
he said. Poison. OF course"
"Of course nodded Simmonds.
"But what kind?' asked Godfrey.
s1t will take a postmortem to tell
that" and Goldberger bent for another
close look at the distorted face. I'm
free to admit the symptoms aren't the
usual ones"
] told all ! kHew-how Parks had
announced q mans arrival. how Van
tine and | had come downstairs to-
gether. how Vantine had called me
and dnaIly how Parks had identified
the body as that Of the strange caller
"How long o time elapsed after
Parks announced th- man before you
asked Goidberger
han an nOuF pernapB.
Goldberger nodded
"Let's have Parks In he said.
I opened the door and called TO
Parks. who was sitting on the bottom
step OF the stair
Goidberger looked him over careful. |
~ as he stepped into the room. hut !
there could be no two opinions about |
Parka He had been with vantin~ for !
sight or ten years. and the earmarks |
Of the competent and faithful servant /
were apparent all over him.
"Do you know this man7" Gold |
berger asked. with a gesture toward |
the body.
''No. SIR" said Parks: ''I never saw
him till about an hour ago. when
Rogers called me downstairs and said
there was a man to see Mr. Vantine"
'.Who is Rogers?''
"He's the footman. sir He answer
ed the door when the man rang"
"Weil. and then what happened9"
81 took his card up to Mr.. vantine.
sir."
ibid Mr. vantine know himr'
"No. sir: be wanted TO know what
he wanted"
"What did he want7"
81 don't know. sir He couldn't
speak English hardly at all He was
French. ] think He was so excited
that he couldn't remember what little
English be did know"
what made yen think he was ex-
cifedg'
1.-THE way he suffered and the way
his eyes gIinted After Mr. vantins
said he would see him presently Rog
ers and me went back TO our lunch"
"Do you mean to say that you and
Rogers went away and left this
stranger here By himself"
"'The servants dining room In right
at the end OF the hall. sir. We Jeff the
door open. II he'd come out into the
hall we'd have seen him"
"And be didn't come out into the
hall while you were thereT'
''No. sir'
did anybody come inr"
ooh. no. sir: the front door has a
snap lock IL can't be opened from the
outside without a key"
$50 you are perfectly sure that no
one either entered or left the house
by the front door while you and Rog
ers were sitting thereT'
'.Nor by the back door either, sir: 20
get out the hack way. you have TO pass
through the room where we were"
Where were the other servantsr
''The cook was In the kitchen. sir.
This Is the houSemaid's afternoon out"
The coroner paused Godfrey and
Simmonds had both listened TO this In
terrogatlon.
what Is the room yonder used forT'
asked Godfrey. pointing to the connect
ing door.
IT'S sort OF storeroom tust now.
sir" said Parks. "Mr. vantine Is Just
back from Europe. and we've been IN
- .a-srrr L., thea rnrrnn n L