Newark leader. ([Newark, Ohio]) 1917-1946, 1923-03-30

Ia rye living room In which the bur
glars had been found. Though it was
not a public hearing open to every
one. there were a goodly number of
people present
Doctor King and the other officials
had not yet arrived; and Black, who
was talking to a group of men, left
them and came to greet us. be told
US that the chauffeur, Briffeur, was to
he brought from the jail by Roche,
and that he thought his testimony
would make Il sensation. Bartley
seemed to understand what he meant,
though l did not. The chauffeur had
refused to talk and had answered all
questions by saying that he would tell
what he knew at the inquest. All at
kempts to find out what that might be
Rad failed.
BARLEY asked Black if he still
thought that the chauffeur was guilty
of the murder. Black countered ny
stating that he did not believe that
anyone else knew as much about the
affair as he did. 1t was his opinion
that. if the chauffeur had not killed
him, he at least knew something
about the crime. One thing the man
had admitted when questioned, and
that was that, when he testified, he
would ruin several regulations. Bart
| ley was much interested, and told
Black that he wished he would ask
Roche not to bring Briffeur into the
| courtroom until it was time for him
| to give his testimony.
want to spring himT' asked the
| detective with grin.
| BARLEY nodded, and Black went
away to arrange the matter. l could
see what BARLEY was after. Only the
| police and ourselves knew that the
man was to be placed on the stand,
and BARLEY wanted to see what et-
feet his sudden introduction might
have on those present. There might
be someone so surprised by it that
he would give himself away.
In row of chairs, directly in front
of the cOroner's desk and about SIX
feet away, were seated the members
Of Sykes household. Sykes step
daughter Ruth dressed in dark blue,
was between Miss Potter and an old
man, who, / decided, was the minister
uncle who had brought her home the
night of the murder. l could not see
Miss Potter'S face, but her hands
showed great nervous strain; they
were never still, picking necessarily
at the folds of her dress On her
right were two empty chairs for the
chauffeur and Roche, and beyond
them the butler and the other serv-
ants.
We had TO wait some time for the
doctor, who had been delayed by a
case. When he arrived, he pushed his
way hurriedly through the people at
the far end of the room, pausing only
for a moment to speak to the district
attorney. He took his place back OF
! the desk, and, after removing some
papers from his bag, stood for mo
ment looking over the crowd. He
seemed almost too worn and nervous
to preside.
A silence fell on the room, the curl
GUS, expectant silence that l have so
often noticed at inquests. To most
of the people present, the doctor had
ceased to be their familiar friend and
had become an impersonal officer of
the law, the instrument for unravel-
ing mysterious death. Perhaps
some were thinking of the man in
whose house they were and whose
dead body lay above awaiting burial
The silence was suddenly broken by
a heavy peal Of thunder.
To my surprise, the doctor called
as his first witness Sykes sister-in-
law. AS rule, the first person
called at an inquest Is the one who
discovered the body but for some rea-
son the doctor had decided to keep
the butler for q later moment
The first questions, after Miss Pot
ter had taken the oath, were the usual
ones. They related to her name and
her relationship to Slyke. She said
her name was Alice Potter, and that
she was the sister Of his dead wife
SIyke had asked her to come and ruI
his house for him, and for the last
ten years she had done so. In re
sponse to question as to whether
she had been paid for her services
she flushed deeply and explained tha
while no real salary had been paid
whenever she had needed money she
had asked Slyke for 1t and he hat
given 1t to her. The sum varied
though she doubted if she had eve
received more than a thousand In an!
one year. He always had been Willing
to give her as much as she asked for
and had not questioned the amounts
There had never been any trouble
over money matters between them.
This was all evidence that / knew
and, while she was giving it, l glanced
about the room, then watched the doc
tor. He was finding his position ;
very difficult one, as he was the fam
lily physician as well as the coroner
He put his questions with as mucl
delicacy as possible. The whole affai
Saamed m he very diStaRteful Il