Cheyenne record., 1921-02-03
CHAPTER xxIII-1continusd.


done wrong to no one. clear con-
science kept assuring me that 1t was
misfortune and not error on my part
that had brought me here. At every
point In the strange chain Of circum-
stances l felt that l had acted as a
man of honor should have acted. My
sense of innocence upheld me even
though the deliberate malicious plot
ting of evil men might make 1t appear
to the Judge. to the Jurors, to the
whole world that was a murderer.
Even though I should be sentenced to
death for killing woman / never had
seen the knowledge that at every point
had done what I still believed to
have been right, brought me strong
comfort and filed me with new cour-
age.
Yet 1t was with lack Of interest that
listened to the monotOnous question
Ing that formed q part Of the selection
Of jury.
$50 far as I am concerned" had
said to my counsel In our last chat.
"any sort of Jury will do. Unless
we succeed in upsetting the evidence
against me with crash that all the
world can hear 1t makes no differ
ence."
II guess you are right" he answer
ed. despondently. 1t seemed to me.
land II the worst happens, we always
can take an appeal"
HIS reply convinced me that he, too,
was anticipating the result, which I
long ago had decided to be the only
outcome, unless something unforeseen
happened-a verdict against me of
murder in the first degree.
heard, almost with amusement,
the district attorney. with eloquent
oratory, tell the jury the crimes he
expected to prove against me. even
smiling little at the picture he paint
ed OF a gangster seeking employment
In an apartment occupied by families
of wealth that he might find oppor-
tunitles for plundering them, and
when he was surprised in the midst
: of his burglarizing. brutally choking
the unprote ted woman whose home
he was despoiling and thep rs she lay
there. helpless and insenslble. shoot
ing her through the heart.
In fact, l quite agreed with all he
said, even to his most strenuous ad-
jectives-axcept for the one fact
that l knew l wns not the man he
was talking about. 1t had been n bru-
tai, cewardly murder, ana l was fully
as anxious us the district attorney
could possibly be to see the .miscreant
who had killed Miss Lutan brought
to bO ,k.
The testimony that was to come,
devoutly hoped, would give some clue
that would lead to the unmnsking of
the real murderer. The first witness
called was one of the detectives who
had arrested me. He told cOncisely.
as though repeating n well rehearsed
story. of having been summoned to
the Grnnddeck and finding there the
body OF Daisy Lutan. He said that
she had been shot through the heart.
"Wus there anyone in the apart
ment when you arrivedT
"Yes. doctor"
Anyone else?'
"Ycs, Mr.. Wick. the superintendent
of the apartment, and the prisoner"
"What did they say? How did they
explain their presence there?"
"They said they had heard shot
and had come In to investigated
He told of examining the body,
questioning the physician and of maxi
ing search OF the apartment for the
murderer, but finding no one else
there.
"What did you do them"
"My partner and l followed the
prisoner to his apartment and placed
him under arrest. We searched his
room and In the dresser l found a
revolver with one chamber recently
discharged"
"What made you suspect Nelson?
Why did you arrest hm?"
"My partner and l talked 1t over
and We both We're of the opinion that
It was an inside job. A burglar would
have no chance to get into n building
like the Granddeck and make his get
away. II was between the superin-
tendcnt Of the building who was
man of responsibility, and this young
fellow-who was only caretaker."
Had anything in Nelson's actions
made you suspicious Of him?"
II noticed that he was greatly ex-
cited"
Anything else7"
after Nelson had gone upstairs to
his own apartment. I questioned Mr..
Wick. He said he had been in the
elevator when he heard the shot. He
had gotten out at the fifth floor. where
1t seemed to have core from. At the
door Of Miss Lutan's apartment he
bod $,,,pa ho priSOparv
That's all." said the district attor-
ney triumphnntly.
My attorney waived cross-exAmina-
tion. The second detective was put