The Oakley herald. [volume] (Oakley, Idaho) 1908-1961, 1923-03-02

This Is the weapon that killed
Briffeur. You wonder why l allowed
you to touch 1t Instead of keeping II
for finger prints. You will find no
finger prints; for whoever used 1t had
sense enough to have his hand COW
cred"
Suddenly remembered that he had
said the same thing about the MUIR
derer of Slyke. There had been no
finger prints found in the rooms or
on the revolver. / wondered IL there
could be any connection between the
two deaths.
1T is of course. significant" Bart
ley continued, his voice grave, that
this man was killed as he was about
| to testify. 1t looks very much as If
| someone in the room feared that he
might tell who killed Slyke, and. to
prevent 1t. took a great chance and
killed him in room full of people"
Doctor King. in a rather excited
voice, broke in TO say. but, Mr.. Bart
ley, no one could have known that
the lights would go out. l myself did
not even know that Briffeur was to
testify. and doubt If anyone else
did"
BARLEY listened to the doctors
words with grave face. THAT Is so.
King. So far as know, only Roche.
Black. the district attorney and my
self knew that the chauffeur would
testify. None of us knew, however,
what he was going to say, for he had
refused to tell us. 1t is absurd to
think that any of us killed Brit
feur. Pelt, Black and myself were at
the rear of the room. The district
attorney was at least seven feet away
from him. The only person near him
was our friend Roche"
The red face of the police chief
turned even redder. IN establishment he
hastily stammered, "bIy G., Mr. Bart
ley. you don't think l killed him, do
your"
Under any other circumstances his
dismay would have been so humorous
that we all would have laughed. but
we had no desire to do so now. We
all agreed with BARLEY, when he as
sured him that no one had even
thought for moment that he had
committed the murder. He added
that his remark had been intended
simply to show how mysterious the
crime was.
ut seems almost Incredible" he
continued after a short pause, that
the chauffeur could have been killed
while we were all in the room with
him. But he has been, and we must
find out who did it. / think the best !
thing to do will be for each of us to |
seat himself just where he was when |
the lights went out. But first, we |
had better remove the body"
Black. Roche and Doctor Webster
raised the chauffeur's body and car
ried him from the room, followed by |
Doctor King. While they were gone,
BARLEY got down on his knees before
the chair in which the chauffeur had
sat. and examined the heavy dark
blue carpet which covered the floor
He was searching for clue, l knew,
that would give hint as to how the
murder had been committed. Miss
Potter and Ruth, who had resumed
their old seats, watched him with
white faces.
When he rose to his feet BARLEY
stood looking silently down at the
loor with a little frown on his face.
At last he turned to me and said,
when Briffeur came into this room
md took his chair, Pelt, he was, of
course. facing the coroner and the dis
riot attorney. When we found him
lfter the lights came on. he had sunk
o the floor in position directly OPP
'osite to that in which he was seated
hat Is, with his back to them. Il
nay be that, at the moment of the
'low. he had half turned to see what
lad happened to the lights, or he
nay have swung around after the
low as he was slipping to the floor"
I nodded, and he continued. "You
otice that the blow came very close
erer knew where to strike. If his
nife had reached the place aimed for,
he chauffeur would have died with
ut uttering word. In fact"
He was prevented from saying more
y the return of the others. At his
they took the places they
ad occupied when the lights went
ut. / was asked to take the chair
lnt Briffeur had been In. This placed
.oche on my left, so near that
lmost touched him, and Miss Potter
bout foot away on my right. Doc :
IT King took his station behind the
esS, which was directly in front Of
lie and about eight feet away. The
hair of the district attorney was at I
Is side Black and Webster stood Q
ear BARLEY, who had seated himself
4 the desk.
For several moments he glanced
round the room. trying to recreate
II himself the way the row of chairs
nd looked when the lights had been
As his keen eyes
udied us, a frown came to his face
ngered a second. then faded away.
'You people in the front row." he
''were the nearest to the
iauffeur. If anything was heard,