St. Tammany farmer., 1922-09-30
FARMER covGToN SEPTEMBER 80 1922

livery well," Gramont paused and
glanced around. ''This is terrible
blow, men. /. never dreamed that
Hammond was a murderer or could be
one! You don't know, Of any motive
for the crime7"
They shok their heads, but suspi-
cion was, dying from their eyes. Ora
mont glanced again at hts chauffeur.
"Tu not abandon you, Hammond" "
he said. severely, coldly. "r'u stop in
at Houma and see that you have a
lawyer. l think, gentlemen, we had
better attend to bringing in the body
Of the sheriff, ehr
The wounded man lodged Into the
barn and returned with q. strip Of
rope. Chacherre took this and Arm
ly bound Hammond's arms, then
forced him to sit down and bound his
ankles.
"You watch him." he ordered the
wounded member Of the trio. "Wen
get the sheriff"
Allowing sChacherre and his CON-
spanion to take the lead, Gramont went
with them to the place where the muir
dered officer lay. As he went, the con-
viction grew more sure within him
that, when. he lay there by the trivu-
let, he had actually heard the last
words uttered by the sheriff that Cha
cherre had committed the murder In
that moment-a nOlseless, deadly stab
That Hammond could or would have
done it he knew was absurd.
They found the murdered man lying
among the , bushes. He had been
stabbed under the fifth rib-the knife
had gone direct to the heart. Cha
cherre announced that he had Ham
mond's knife as evidence and Gramont
merely nodded his head.
Lifting the body between them,
they bore It back to the barn.
Now said Gramont, quickly, I'm
of for Houma-lf don't miss my
roadl You men will be right alongT
"1n jiffy," said Chaeherre promptly.
Gramont climbed into his car and
drove away. He had no fear Of any
thing happening to Hammond; the
evidence against the latter was damn
ing, and with three men to swear him
into hangman's moose, they would
bring him to Jail safe enough.
"A clever devil. that Ohacherre |"
he thought, grimly. "We're up against
gang, beyond any doubt. Now Il
they don't suspect me"
He turned In at the Ledanois gate,
knowing himself to be- beyond sight or
hearing Of the Gumberts place. .. He
drove the car away from the house,
and into the thick Of the densest
bush-growth that he could find, where
1t was we'll concealed from sight
Then, on foot, he made his way along
the bank Of the bayou until he had
come to the rivulet where oil showed.
Here he paused, concealing himself
and gaining place where he could
get View Of the Gumberts land. He
saw Chacherre and Hammond there be
side the body Of the sheriff; the other
two men were swinging open the barn
door. They disappeared inside, and
moment later Gramont heard the
whirr of an engine starting. A car
backed into the yard and halted.
The three men lifted the body Of the
sheriff into the tonneau. Chacherre
took the wheel, Hammond being bum
died In beside him. The other two men
climbed in beside the body; rifles in
hand. Chacherre started the car to-
ward the road.
"All fine" thought Gramont with Q
thrill Of exultation. They've cleared
out and left the place to me-and I
want look at that place."
Suddenly, as he stood there, he re-
membered the slight plump" that he
had heard during that interminable
silence which had followed the con-
versation between the sheriff and Ben
Chacherre. It was a sound as though
something had fallen near him in tho
soggy ground.
The remembrance startled him
strangely. He visualized an excited
murderer standing beside his victim,
knife In hand; ne visualized the abhor-
renee which must have seized the man
for moment-the adherence which
must have caused him to- do some
thing IN that moment which In q cool
er time ne would not have done.
Gramont turned toward the little
marshy spot where he had lain listen
ing. He bent down, searching the wet
ground, needless that the water soaked
into his boots., And, after minute,
low exclamation of satisfaction broke