Evening public ledger. [volume] (Philadelphia [Pa.]) 1914-1942, 1921-05-11

on the skirt measuring platform. L
don't know how l ever got that wedding
dress on her, for IL was an awful tight
fit, her being SO big, but ] managed 10
somehow, pulling the skirt down over
her feet and throwing a sheet over the
top Of her like I always do over dresses
on the form to keep them clean. When
the policeman and your detective come
through my rooms l was sitting on the
floor, stitching away at the hem Of
that skirt and they never so much as
lifted a corner Of the Sheet"
McCarty coughed. but the inspector
avoided his eye and asked hastily:
gomez"
Nothing. Mrs. Hildreth came down
of the platform and told me who she
was and the story she's come here to
tell you now and nobody knew she was
In my rooms until now. Ever since she
read in the papers yesterday afternoon
that her husband had been arrested for
that murder she was near crazy. and
this. morning she couldn't stand it any
longer, for she knew he would never
speak and give away where she was
he'd 90 to the chair first. She made up
her mind to come down here to you and
nothing could stop her"
rs this oil trucT' The inspector
turned once more to the woman before
Hill"
Yes, sir: have brought with me
my marriage certificate. 1t is most
certainly true that my husband was at
home with me at the time the murder
was committed and true also that did
not touch the jewels Of Mrs. Creveling,
l told oil that / knew about that when
l was first arrested, but what / sus-
peet--" she shrugged. "who would
listen or believer"
Wen listen to you, all right" the
| inspector promised. "Sit down and tell
me everything. You are Swedish and
called yourself lisa Helwig didn't you,
when you went to work at the Creve-
lings'?"
| "Yes, sir. it Is my name. am of
lived in Stockholm. In October went
| as housemaid to the Crevelings, and in
January I married Frank" She paused
and then added: II have so many
times before told my story of what hap
pened the afternoon the cmeralds dis
appeared, but perhaps you do not know.
AS Mrs. Creveling testified, / was sum
moned to help her dress for the pageant
and had unpackcd her costume when
she came into the room with the Jewel
case in her hand. She put it down
upon her dressing table and then Rol-
Inns came to say that some one wanted
her on the telephone. had all day such
q headache ] was nearly crazy and |
thought l would have time tAslip away
to my room and take n powder before
Mrs. Creveling returned. did 70 up
70 my room, sir, not downstairs as
| (vrnvplIn0 "A
the jewel case. But who would be-
liever"
Did you 60 directly back to Mrs.
Creveling's dressing room after you
took your medicine?"
Yes, but she had already returned.
sir. No one was more surprised than
| when she opened the jewel case and
1t was empty, but IL never thought
that l should be accused. lit stunned
me, / was for time like one dead,
and then I began to think, and so did
Frank"
She paused once more and the in =
spector said impatiently.
We'll, what did you Think
Mr.. sVeling is dead, sir, and it is
not weINb speak against those who are
gone, ht why should he have sworn
to lie about me?" the woman asked
simply. why did he try to fasten on
me the theft instead of doing all he
could to find out who really took the
emeralds unless he knew the truth and
must hide IL, no matter who suffered 7
Yet he could not have been all bad, that
man, for who sent to my lawyers the
money for my bond2"
The inspector bent forward over his
desk.
You think that Creveing himself
took his wife's emeraldsT' he cried.
'Will YOU swear that neither you nor
your husband know where the ten thou.
sand came from for your bail?"
II swear it, sir! It happened exact :.
ly as my lawyers told Frank and
had suspected from the time Mr.. Grey
cling said that which was not true
about me, and he did not want me
prosecuted from the beginning, you
know. That was Mrs. Creveling s
doing; she is of ice, that lady. Ice and
iron But it does not matter about
me. ] can prove nothing against Mr..
Creveling and she must do with me as
she wishes. You have heard my good
friend here; her word has cleared my
husband of the murder charge, has it
not? Oh, will you set him free?"
The inspector sent for Martin and
dispatched him with note to the COM
Hlssioner' linen lot tne HTst time ne
addressed McCarty.
What do you think. Mac?"
McCarty cast warning glance
.oward the two women who were con
versing together in the corner and re-
piled in low, quick tones:
"l'm thinking Id like to go 10 the
Tombs with the paper that lets Hill
out and have talk with him."
An hour later, as he made his way
ever to the gloomy, turreted pile of
gray stone. McCarty went carefully in
retrospecton through the account of the
theft which Mrs. Creveling had given
him. That she herself had conspircd
with her husband to make away with
her own jewels and place the blame
upon the girl was unthinkablc, but that
Creveing might have abstractcd them
from the jewel case in the temporary
absence of both mistress and maid was
another matter.
But surely, in spite of his partner, \
statement as 10 the shrinkage of his
capital, Creveling could not have been
Lrosght so low financially that he must
steal his own wife's trinkctS.
Then a sudden thought halted McCarty
in the middle of busy street, to the
imminent danger OF his neck and the
wrath Of the traffic policeman. Urged
to action by the honk of motor horn
Just behind his ear, he sprAng mechAn
ically for the curb and continued his
way as though in daze.
: Creveling had opened the jewel cast
when he took it from the safe TO Civ,
1t TO his wife and she had mentioned
, that she intended to have the stones re
set almost Immediately. but he had trieC
to dissuade her from doing so. Had hi
| NhntI