The citizen-Republican. (Scotland, Bon Homme County, S.D.) 1???-19??, 1916-02-24

Vaughan away from that house. I
said at last. II had Mrs. Royce write
her a note. inviting her to stay with
her. I gave it to her this afternoon"
What did she say?"
She didn't a anything. but 4
could see the idea didn't impress her.
I had thought all along that she
would jump at it."
Godfrey gave a little grunt, whether
Or surprise or satisfaction I could not
tell.
Why didn't you put her on the
stand today, Lester?" he asked. Afraid
OF upsetting herr"
i wouldn't have stopped for that, il
her evidence would have helped Swain.
But 1t would only have put him deeper
in the hole"
In what way?"
We'll, in the first place, she says
tnat as she and her father returned to
the house., h heard footsteps behind
them and thought it was Swain fol-
lowing them, because that would be q
natural thing for him to do; and, in
the second place, h saw that blood
stalned handkerchief on the floor be-
SIDE her fathers chair when she came
INTO the room n found him dead"
So" said Godfrey slowly, sit
couldn't have been dropped there by
Swain when when he stopped to pick
her up"
No; besides, we know perfectly well
that 1t wasn't about his wrist when he
came back over the wall. Goldberger
knows 1t, too, and Well be asked about
it. next time"
1T might have been pushed up his
sleyee-We weren't absolutely certain.
But this new evidence settles it."
assented miserably and Godfrey
smoked on thoughtfully. But my cigar
had lost some of it's flavor.
How did Miss Vaughan come to find
the body?" he asked at last, and / told
him the story as she had told it to me.
he thought 1T over for some moments;
then he leaned forward and laid his
hand on my knee.
NOW, Lester" he said, lets review
this thing. 1t can't be as dark as it
seems-there's light somewhere. Here
is the case, barred Of all inessentials:
swan crosses the wall about IL o'clock,
cutting his wrist as he Ices so; Miss
Vaughan meets him about 1880, and
AFTER a time, finds that his wrist is
bleeding and ties her handkerchief
about it; they agree to have her
father examined for lunacy, ar
range a meeting for the next
night, and are about to separate, when
her father rushes in upon them, saw
agely berates Swain and takes his
daughter away. That must have beer
about IL o'clock.
swain, according to his story, sits
there for 10 or l5 minutes, finally sees
the cobra, or thinks he does, and makes
a cash for safety. striking his head
sharply against a tree. He tumbles
The handkerchief is no longer about
his wrist. That, you will remember,
was about 1920.
Almost at once we heard Miss
V~aughan's screams. After that, Swain
isn't out Of our sight for more than a
minute-too short a time, anyway, for
anything to have happened we don't
know about.
Meanwhile, Miss Vaughan has re-
turned with her father to the house
hearing steps behind her and taking
1t for granted that it is Swain, follow
ing them at a distance. She goes te
her room, stays there Is minutes OF
SO, and comes downstairs again to FIND
her father dead.
Now let us see what had happened
You were right in saying that her ia.
Their must have been strangled imme.
diately after h left him. Otherwise
he would still nave been twitching IL
such a way that h must have no.
ticed it. No doubt he dropped into tn,
chair exhausted by his fit Of rage; tn,
murderer entered through the garden
door, stopped to cut off the end Of tn,
curtain cord and max a moose Of it
that would have taken at least a min.
ute-and then strangled his victim
Then he heard her coming down tn,
stairs, and escaped through the gar,
den door again just as she entered a
the other. She saw the curtain still
shaking. Then she tainted.
Now, what are the clues to the muir.
derer? A string tied with q peculia.
knot, the blood stained handkerchief
and the finger prints on the dead mans
robe"
Godfrey paused for a moment. Freet
Of it's ine~ssentials, In this way, tn,
case was beautifully clear-and beau
tifully battling. 1t was a paved way
smooth and wide n without obstruc
ton of any kind; but it ended in {
cul de saci
"One thing is certain" Godfrey wen
on, at last; the murder was commit
ted by somebody-either by Swain, o.
by one Of the Hindus, or by some IN.
known. Let US weigh the evidence for
and against, each Of them.
Against Swain it may be urged tina
he was on the ground, that he had tim,
to do it, and some p~rovocation, though
the ~provocation, as we know it, seem.
to be Inadequate, provided Swain wa:
in his right mind; q handkerchief tina
was tied about his wrist is found be.
side the body, and his finger prints ar,
found upon it. Miss Vaughan believed
he was following them; he admits tina
he thought Of doing so.
CONTINUED next week.)