The Blackfoot optimist. [volume] (Blackfoot, Idaho) 1907-1918, 1916-04-13
HER MOTHERS
STORY
THE District Attorney stood at

the window of his private Office
adjoining the court and stared
down at the hurrying throngs
while one nervous hand beat a devils
tattoo again the somewhat grimy
pane n
1t had been raining, and the identity,
even the sex of the crowd was sub
merged beneath sea Of bobbing black
umbrellas between which the wet and
shining tops of the motor cars darted
like huge black beetles. But the prose-
cutOr saw neither the crowd nor the
traffic-he saw only Mary Page! She
had become almost an obsession with
him now, and though it was not yet
time for court and there were other
clients besides the State whose bust
ness claimed his attention in his other
office, he had drifted here, as he had
drifted unwittingly each morning to
mentally test the links in the chain of
his evidence against her.
1t SHOULD be strong enough to
bind her upon the merciless wheel of
the law, and yet he was conscious
that more than one of its links was
weak-so weak. in fact, that not even
his mastery summing up for the jury
had been entirely able to gloss it over.
He did not doubt for a moment that
Mary Page was guilty Of the murder
of James Pollock, but he had not
PROVED her so to his own satisfac-
ton.
He had shown that Pollock was In
her eyes an enemy; he had proved that
the dead man was a wooer whose pur-
suit was unwelcome; he had shown
that twice during the recent years Pol
lock had forced Mary to promise to be
his wife, but that once the necessity
for that step was removed she had
claimed her freedom again. She had
everything to gain by his death, which
was surely motive enough; added to
which. IL she were not guilty he felt
she would not have fed that night
after the murder.
Time after time as he went back to
the testimony-to the fact that Mary
had had the revolver in her bag, HAD
gone into the room and HAD been
found beside POllock's body. he strOve
to glimpse some faint clue that would
give chance for "fresh evidence" In
the meantime. 1t was I.angdOn's turn,
and the keen-eyed District Attorney
he would bring. I.angdon's continual
refusal to cross-eXamine the witnesses
for the State had naturally kept his
defense wonderfully we'll hidden.
The newspapers were. however. full
OF theories as to what the defence
would be. Several claimed that it
would be the "unwritten law" the
guarding Of Mary Pages honor; anoth-
err that it would be proved that Pol
lock shot himself when he found that
not even his support Of her stardom
could make Mary marry him: while
still third said that the real criminal
would confess" when put upon the
stand. Absurd. all Of them, and vet
the third theory brought frown to
the lawyers face. Suppose Langdon
himself confessed to the murder!
Hello. Chief" A voice from the
door interrupted his revery and he
turned quickly
Hello. Sheenan. Have you got any.
thing?"
NO" he said. mot thing along the |
lines you spoke of. Slade doesn't know
anything except what he told, and I've
traced LangdOn's movements for three
days before the murder. down to each
minute. and there's nothing to hang a
dogs hair to-"
did you find out about the automo- |
bfles parked on that night?'
yep: but Casey was on the Job at
that corner. and there wasn't as much |
As ghost OF a motor went into the |
street back Of the hotel The back
gates Of the houses were locked-had |
been tried by the Waterman Just few
minutes earlier, and the police were on !!
the job anyway. on account Of the club |
there. The Page woman must have |
gone down the nre-escape and climbed |
into the hotel at another noor-thats !
the only answer"
! The prosecutor turned again to the |
window. IAN right" he said CURLY.
But the detective fingered.
Say. Chief" be suggested hesitat.
'ingly. have you talked to Daniels?
Little fat guy that runs the Covington?
saw him yesterday and he looks
we'll, SICK"
| The prosecutor laughed.