Mountain Home Republican. [volume] (Mountain Home, Idaho) 1915-1946, 1922-10-13
G. R. WETHERELL, MGR.

look Of her eyes, the constant munch-
ing Of the almost toothless mouth.
Again she laughed, in vacant, EN-
barrassed manner, ms she reached the
stand and held up her hand for the
administration of the oath. Falrchild
leaned close to his partner.
AT least she knows enough for
that"
Harry nodded.
"She knows lot, that ole girl. They
say she writes down in q book every
thing she does every day. But what
can she be ere TO testify tor"
The answer seemed to come In the
questioning voice OF the coroner.
"Your name, please2"
Laura Rodaine. Least, that's the
name l go by. My real maiden name
Is Laura Masterson, and"
'Rodaine viii be sufficient. Your
age2"
81 think it's slxty-four. If had my
book could tell +"
"YOur bOOkY
"Yes, l keep everything In a book.
But II isn't here. couldn't bring It,"
1.-THE guess win be sufficient in this
case. You've lived here good many
years, Mrs. Rodaine2
Eyes. Around thirty-fve. Let's see
yes, I'm sure it's thirty-fve. My boy
was born here-he's about thirty and
we came here five years before that"
81 believe you told me tonight that
you have a habit of wandering around
the hills2"
ayes, I've done that-I do II right
along--Pve done It ever since my hus-
band and l split up-that was just a
little while after the boy was born"
Sufficient. merely wanted to es-
tablish that fact. In wandering about,
did you ever see anything, twenty
three or four years ago or so, that
would lead you to know something Of
the death of the man into whose de-
mise we are inquiring2"
II know something. 1 know a lot.
But I've never figured 1t was anybody's
business but my own. So haven't told
it. But l remembe.@
what, Mrs. Rodainep
1.-THE day Slssie Larsen was sup
posed to leave town-that was the day
he got killed"
"Do you remember the dater
"No-I don't remember that"
"Would 1t be In your bookY
"No-no-it wouldn't be in my book.
/ looked"
"But you rememberT
"Just like as If 1t was yesterday"
"And what you saw-did It give you
any idea"
81 know what / saw"
"And did 1t lead to any concIuslon2"
eyes"
"What, may I Ask"
THAT somebody had been muir
deredr
"Who-and by whom?"
Crazy Laura munched at her tooth |
less gums for a moment and looked |
again toward her husband. Then, her |
watery, almost eolorless eyes search
ing, she began survey Of the big
room, looking intently from one figure
to another. On and on-fnally to
reach the spot where stood Robert
and Harry, and there they
stopped. A lean finger, knotted by
darkened by sun and
wind, stretched out.
Eyes, know who did it, and know
who got killed. It was 'Slssle' Larsen
-he was murdered The man who
did 1t was a fellow named Thornton
who owned the mine-if
amt mistaken, he was the father Of
this young man"
81 objectP Farrell, the attorney,
was on his feet and struggling forward,
jamming his horn-rlmmed glasses into
a pocket as he did so. 'This has
ceased to be an inquest; It has re-
solved itself into some sort of an in
luisltion y
II fail to see why" The coroner
had stepped down and was facing him.
"Why? Why-you're inquiring into
! death that happened more than
wenty years ago-and you're basing
hat inquiry upon the word of wom-
IN who is not legally able to give tes-
Imony in any kind Of court or on
my kind of easel Have you any
'urther evidence upon the lines that
he is going to give?"
"Not directly"
"Then / demand that all the testi-
nony which this woman has given be
tricken out and the jury instructed
0 disregard It,"
The official smiled.
Il think otherwise. The jury is en-
tiled to all the evidence that has any
caring on the case"