The Madison journal. (Tallulah, Madison Parish, La.) 1888-current, 1920-06-05
CHAPTER Xl.

the district attorney was moving with
all CELEBRITY to bring my case To a con-
clusion. An ind ictment against me ,
for the murder of Daisy Lutan had
been quickly found and the date had
been already set for the trial-One
week hence-sO that the period Of my
incarceration and doubt rs To my ulti-
mate fate seemed likely to be very
brief
Utterly absurd as the situation was.
accused of numbering a woman whom
never had seen and hardly had
heard of until saw her lying dead in
her apartments, conscious rs l was of
my entire innocence in the matter
still. as in the solitude of my cell l
reviewed the ease. l found myself fac
ing the ordeal If a trial for murder
with considerable apprehension.
Circumstances certainly looked
much against me. There was abSO-
utely no way in which I could refute
| the testimony of the two detectives
/ thar they had found the revolver with
one chamber discharged in the drawer
/ of my dresser. l myself had seen
them find il. While German still held
that there was a possibility thar they
themselves had put it there, l knew
that neither of them had been near
the dresser after | had admitted them
To my rooms. The only person whom
had the slightest ground for sus-
pecting was Claire Bradford. Yet what
motive could she have had?
Wick undoubtedly would testify
that he had met me at the door of the
Lutan apartment directly after he had
head the shot. He might say that l
appeared to be greatly excited. This
would be the exact truth. There was
even the possibility that he might
swear that he had found me coming
out of Miss Lutan's apartment. Even
I if he did not make the statement dl-
rect. shrewd questioning on the part
of the district attorney could easily
make il appear that l had just left
the Lutan apartment. How could we
: possibly contruvert his testimony?
Then. in addition. there were the
damaging statements that would be
: offered by Nellie Kelly. She would
swear that the evening before l had
taken her out to dinner and had been
questioning her about the other ten
AM, in VA mouse. Even though we
l knew that she was a tool of Wick and
B, was the wife of Lefty Moore. the bur
- glar. unless German was able to dis
: cover that she herself had Il criminal
: record. it seemed utterly hopeless TO
l. attempt 10 confute her statements.
II would also initiate against me
that at the time of the murder | was
=, out of job and almost without funds
" They were likely, too, to bring out the
fact that I had been discreditably
+! discharged from the. only position
e had held in New York. The only man
L who knew anything about the matter
u Mr. Wood. the head of the firm, haC
been suddenly called to France in con
uection with an order for munitions
and was not expected TO return fol
several months. The fact would
9 weigh against me. too, that l would
u no unable TO offer the testimony o
auv character witnesses. Birge ant
Roller. my classmates with whom hat
roomed ever since / had come to New
y York. were somewhere in France
~ with the American troops and coul'
a not possibly aid me.
ii All of this was pointed out to m
III bv John McGregOr. young attorne
J whom German had employed for me
iii While German and | had. think. sue
II. ceeded in convincing him of my limo
n cence. the fact that he was continu
Il aIlv citing the difficulties in the wa
N of our proving it made me realiz
III that he was very dubious as TO tn
4 outcome.
A The trouble was that we were abs
III Iutely without witnesses. Old Ruff
IA Gaston's whereabouts still RENAME
"a a mystery. If we could discover hi
III in time. we could at least explain sa
~ isfaetOrily my presence in the Gran'
81 deck and could establish that l Wa
"a not the homeless. penniless vagraI
al they would try TO prove me. TT
WI longer old Rufus remained in hidin
WI the stronger became my suspiciC
WI that he might he in some way involve
in the plot. His action in keeping h
address a secret from me seemed
have been with deliberate intent.
After some discussion German ar
IS had agreed not to mention either
the Bradford girls.
he IF one wordnahOrt either of the
tv slips out in court" said GOrma
,rk ..they'n be in for it. The papers W
lump 10 it and print their pictur
and all that We'd better leave the
2" out of IT.
lat With this | heartily cOncurred.
> was determined that Barbara Bra
YER ford must be in no way involve
zen come what may. knew that she h'
in self would be apt TO be restrain
for from attempting 70 communicate wi
. IL me bv the fact that her sisters m'
I'VE rage was set for the day after
ron morrow. Her loyalty TO her fam
was such that she would not risk sea
,ve dial by trying to aid me, at least
ov until her sister was married and
future for Claire and her mother
;or- sured.
soc Two small rays Of sunshine Zig
ened the gloom Of my cell-the f;