The Hays free press. [volume] (Hays, Kan.) 1908-1924, 1917-08-11

He had been told of our likely visit
by his brother. He certainly looked
terribly Ill and like man overweighted
by fate and circumstances.
But he did protest his innocence,
loudly and emphatically.
Il am the victim of the most dam
nable circumstances, Mr.. MuIhgan,"
he said; but l swear to you that I
am incapable of such a horrible deed"
81 always take 1T for granted, Mr..
Kelly" said Skin O. My Tooth biandIy,
that my client Is innocent. IF the
reverse Is the case, I prefer not to know
1t But you have to appear before
the magistrate on Monday I must
get a certain amount of evidence on
your behalf in order to obtain the
remand L want So viii you Try, and
tell me. as conclsefy and as clearly as
possible, what passed between you and
Mr. Whadeoat the day before the
murder2 I understand that there was
a quarrel"
Gold Whadcoat saw fit to accuse me
OF certain defalcations IN the firms
banking account, Of which I was totally
innocent" began Mr.. Edward Kelly
quietly. And as you know, my brother
and | are agents in England for ID.
de KeEhoet's champagne Whadcoat
was our cashier and bookkeeper. Twice
year we pay over into NJ. de Kerhoet's
bank in Paris the money derived from
1AAC o<A1C "a LIS a4kSI O6GuCB10G
our commission In the meanwhile we
have ieintIy-the full control of the
money; that Is to say, all checks paid
to the frm have to be endorsed by US
beth, and checks drawn on the firm
must bear both our signatures.
1t was Just q month before the
haf-yeariy settlement of accounts.
Whadcoat, 1t appears, went down to
the bank, got the passbook and can
ceied checks, and discovered that some
$4,000, the whole of the credit balance
due next month to NJ. de Kerhoet, had
been drawn out of the bank, the
amounts not having been debited In
the books
"To my intense amazement he
showed me these checks, and then and
there accused me of having forged nv
brothers name and appropriated the
frms money to my own use You
see, he knew of certain unavowed
extTavagances OF mine which had often
landed me IN financial difficulties more
or less serious, and which are the real
cause of my being forced to live In
wood Cottage while my brother can
keep up a fine establishment at Saltashe
Park But the accusation was pre-
posterous, and l was furious with
him 1 looked at the checks. NV
signature certainly was perfectly mi
tated, that OF my brother perhaps q
little less So They were bearer
checks, made out IN replica of old
Whadcoats handwriting to e. de
Kerhoet,' and endorsed at the back
IN a small, pointed, foreign hand.
cold Whadcoat persisted in his
accusations, and very high words en-
sued between U.s. / believe I did
threaten to knock him down if he did
not shut up Anyway, he told me
that he would go over the next after
noon to Saltashe Park to expose me
before my brother and RI de KerhOet
who was staying there on q visit to
England for the shooting.
q left him then, meaning to 90
myself that same evening to Saltashe
Park and see my brother about It:
but on my journey home certain curious
suspicious with regard to old Whadeoat
himself crept up In my mind, and then
and there determined to try and see
him again and to talk the matter over
more 6spasSiOnateIy with him. In
what I thought would be In his own
interests My intention was to make.
of course, my brother acquainted with
the whole matter at once, but to leave