Pierre weekly free press. (Pierre, S.D.) 1889-19??, 1916-03-02
CHAPTER NNIII-lContinued.)

In his favor, il may be urged that
a man like Swain doesn't commit muir
der-though, us a matter of fact, this
Is n dangerous generalization, for all
sorts of men conmi murder; but X
he should do so, it would be only under
great p~rovocation and in the heal of
anger, certainly not in cold blood with
a moose; and, finally, if the motion of
the curtain Miss Vaughan noticed was
made by the murderer, it couldn't pos
sibly have been Swain, because he was
with us at that moment. You will see
that there is a mass of evidence against
him, and practically the whole defense
Is that such u crime would be impos-
sible to II of his temperament. You
know yourself how flimsy such a de-
tense is.
Against the Hindus. on the other
hand, practically the only basis of sus~
picion is that such Il crime might be
temperamentally possible to them,
They may have been on the ground,
and the method of the murder SAVIOR
strongly of Thuggee-though don for
get that Swain admitted he could have
tied that knot. Besides, if it was the
Thug who followed them, he wouldn't
have made any noise, II most GER
tainly he couldn't have left the prints
of SWANS fingers on the body. But,
if Swain is right in his assertion that
he saw the snake in the arbor, it is
probable that the thug wasn't far away.
Against an unknown it may be
| urged that neither Swain nor the Hin
dGS could have committed the crime;
but l don't see how an could
either, unless he happened to be one
of h three or -four people in h world
with finger tips like SWANS. And that
is too far fetched to be believable.
But this l am sure of. Lester anG
Godfrey leaned forward again-'the
murder was committed either by Swain
or by omeon anxious to implicate
Swain. We agree that 1t wasn't Swain
Very we'll. then: the person who com
mitted the murder made a noise II
following Miss Vaughan and her IA
ther so hat she should think it was
Swain who was following them; @ht
picked up the bloodstained handker'
chief that Swain had dropped, per
haps when he fled from the arbor, anf
placed it beside the body; and in som
way ~inconceivable to me he pressed tn,
prints Of SWANS fingers on h deat
mans robe, Now, to do that, he mus
have known that Swain was injured
the bloodStained handkerchief woult
tell him that: but he must also haE'
known hat it was his right hand tina
was injured. There was no blood OF
SWANS left hand"
Godfrey paused. l was following hi
reasoning with SUCH dDSoiDcu atleIl
ton hat | could feel my brain crinkl
with the effort.
Now, listen.'' said Godfrey, and
could have smiled at the uselessnes
of the admonition-as if | We're 40
already listening With all my faculties
There is only one way in which tn
murderer could have known that it wa
SWANS right hand, INC that was b
~overhearing the conversation in tn
arbor. But if he overheard that mucl
he overheard it all, and he knew there
fore what it was Swain proposed to Ok
He knew that Vaughan's sanity Wa
to be questioned: he knew that il
would probably be placed in a sana
forum; he knew hat Miss Vaugha
would probably marry Swain. Pre-
Stunning that it was Silva, he kneN
that, unless something was done t
stop it, a very few days Would plac
both Vaughan and his daughter beyon
his reach
THAT is true" [ admitted; "br
Vaughan was beyond his reach a goo
deal more certainly lead than he won!
have been in a sanatorium. Beside.
it isn't at all certain that he woul
have been sent to a sanatorium."
That's an objection. surely" God
frey agreed; but l must find out
Vaughan is really beyond his reac
dead"
/ stared at him.
You don't mean
II don't know what l mean, Leste
! can feel a sort Of dim meaning {
the back of my mind, but / can't &
1t out into the light"
Besides" l went on, IF the yo,
did it, how did he get back into IL
house before we got there"
He peeped in at the door, saw tt
coast was clear and went back throug
the library. Remember, Miss Vaugha
was unconscious. That doesn't bott
er me. And another thing. Lester. Ho
did Miss Waughan's father come
burst In on her and Swain like that
How did he know they were in tt
arhor? 1t was dark and he couldn
have seen either of them"
He might have been walking abol
the grounds and overheard them"
II don't believe it. l believe som
body told him they were there. Ar
only person could have told him
that. is Silva. No-there's only OF
er prints"
And hen 1 remembered
Godfrey" I cried, there's one thin
i forgot to tell you. You heal
Swain remark hat Vaughan a
collector Of finger prints"
Yes"
And that ne had a set of Swain's'
SS.
Well. when 1 old Miss Vaugha
about the prints on her fathers rob
she ran to a bookcase n got out
book. 1t had Vaughan's collection
it. all bound together. But the pal
on which SWANS We're had been tol
out"
Godfrey sat for a moment. stari1
at me spellbound. Then he began pa
ing up and down the study, like a
ger in its cage: up and down, up ar
down.
I'm bound to add" 1 went on fina
~. that Hinlnan suggested a vel
pladusible reason for their %disappea
ance."
What was jt?'
He said they We're probably d
stroyed by Vaughan himself, becau
of his dislike of Swain. He said tn
would be characteristic of Vaughan
form of insanity"
Godfrey took another turn up al
down, then he stopped in front Of II
ohoi~