The Cook County news-herald. [volume] (Grand Marais, Cook County, Minn.) 1909-current, 1915-06-03
1.-THE ACCOMPLICE"
BY FREDERICK HILL


ment before"
The witness paused again, took a sip
of water and waited for a prompting
question.
did the sight of that weapon tell
you what had occurred?' queried Gil
bert.
Hunt shook his head.
II never dreamed of it until Barstow
gripped my arm and whispered that
the man was Dead" he answered, land
even then l couldn't believe it, for l
dropped down beside the body and
tried to restore it to life. Barstow
helped me for time, but he must have
known it was useless, for as l worked
he locked the door and outlined his
plan to make it case of suicide.
did whatever he ordered. He hypno-
tized me once. and since then I've nev-
er been able to oppose him. He owned
me until-until got this jolt on my
head yesterday. Maybe that cured me. "
The injured man smiled family and
mot1oned the attendant to lift him
higher in his chair.
"Y0u know how we escaped" he con-
tinued. 1T was Barstow who knelt in
the candle drippings and gave the clew
to the blue threads, but neither of us
knew we had left any trace until we
heard what the police had discovered;
then 1 got panic stricken"
How did you escape from the veran-
da roof?" the Judge inquired did
you pass through the Windows"
The witness glanced at the bench
and smiled.
mo, sir" he answered. 1.-THE fore
man gave the clew to that We swung
down from the veranda roof on a shut
ter Of one Of the kitchen windows just
as Mr.. Lambert suggested"
A ripple Of applause started in the
audience, but the judges gavel quickly
suppressed it.
did 1 understand you to say you
became panic stricken after the dis
covery Of the blue threads from Mr..
Barstow's trousers?" the prosecutor
continued quietly.
Eyes, sir" Hunt responded. II want
ed Barstow to get out of the country,
and when he wouldn't hear Of that
threatened to leave him. He soon
cured me of any such notion, however,
and when I was sufficiently cowed he
told me his plan. He was engaged to
Miss Emory, he said, and she had
promised to say nothing about having
seen me in the house, and she stuck
to her promise, all right" he added
warmly.
do you mean to say you plotted to
shield yourself and Barstow by cast
ing suspicion on Miss Emory?' de-
manded the judge disgustedly.
mo, indeed, SIR" protested the wit
ness. II never dreamed she would be
suspected until it was too late, and
then Barstow argued that she was
hopelessly implicated anyway, and the
safest way for us all was to stick it
out and get her acquitted"
"Did you know that he had told her
that you were the murderer and that
in shielding you she was protecting. his
dearest friend?" interposed the pros
ecutor.
II did not" Hunt asserted. ~ new
er knew it until Miss Frayne brought
me your message saying she was
swearing my life away" he added.
"You entered into Barstow's plans
without any particular fear of the
consequences, did you not?" suggested
Gilbert.
'Well, at first it seemed as though
there was little or no risk the wit
ness answered, ''but I got panicky
when Barstow told me he had retained
the paper transferring Shaw's securi-
ties to Miss Emory and had it filed.
After the trial was safely over he was
going to marry her, he declared, and
then he'd make a rich man Of me.
was afraid that paper would ruin her,
and when it was discovered I thought
the game was up. But Barstow as
sured me that no harm could come to
her, that he loved her and would con-
fess rather than injure a hair Of her
head. It didn't take much to persuade
me, anyway. was an accomplice
and Barstow never let me forget it.
His only fear was that Miss Mapes
and the housemaid would make some
damaging admissions, and when he
finally got them out Of the way he
thought oil the danger was over. Then
Miss Mapes turned up, bringing the
Field girl with her. She was in a
towering rage because the case had
proceeded to trial. for Barstow had
promised to clear Miss Emory without
trial if she would leave the state.
We knew she had destroyed Miss EN-
ory's skirt with the idea Of helping
her, and Barstow was so scared that
she'd make some other fool break that
he wouldn't put her on the stand even
to prove the exchange. of rooms, and
he was equally afraid the prosecution
would get hold of her. L called on her
the night the jury was impaneled and
begged her to go away or, at least,
make clean breast: of~everything she
knew, but: 1 never discovered what she
hn H.. ~