The midland journal. (Rising Sun, Md.) 1885-1947, 1923-04-20

10
|.Want to spring him2" asked the
detective with grin.
BARLEY nodded, and Black went
away to arrange the matter. I 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 eff
feet his sudden introduction might
& have on those present. There. might
be someone so surprised by 1t that
he would give himself away.
In row of chairs, directly in front
of the ceroner'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 Peters 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.
case. When he arrived. he pushed his
way hurriedly, through the people at
the far end of the ROOM pausing only
for 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 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
heavy peal of thunder.
To my surprise, the doctor called
Il as his first witness Sykes sister-in-
law. AS rule, the first person
Z 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 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.
Slyke had asked her to come and run
his house for him, and for the last
ten years she had done so. In re-
Spouse to question as to whether
she had been paid for her services,
she flushed deeply and explained that
while no real salary had been paid.
whenever she had needed money she
had asked Slyke for it and he had
given 1t to her. The sum varied,
though she doubted if she had ever
received more than a thousand in any
one yean 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. glanced
nh he mot khA lN
tor. He was finding his position a
very difficult one, as he was the fam
lily physician as well as the coroner
He put his questions with as much
delicacy as possible. The whole affair
seemed to be very distasteful to
him. 1t was particularly trying for a
man who was still feeling the effects OF
a nervous breakdown. Miss Potter, for.
tunately, became more at ease as the
questioning proceeded. She kept her
eyes down and gave her answers, in
such low voice that at times it was
hard to hear them at all.
AL through the early part of Miss
Potter's evidence there were rumbles
of distant thunder. Leaning back in
my chair / pushed aside the heavy
draperies that hid the window, and
looked out. 1t was almost like night
A big storm was close at hand. The
thunder was still some miles away
and could see distant, almost con.
tinuOus flashes Of lightning. After a
quick glance l let the curtain fall
back into place.
When I turned my attention again
to the evidence. Doctor King was
questioning Miss Potter about the
3 finding of the body. She testified that
she was at breakfast when the butler
rushed Into the room, crying that
something was wrong with Mr.. Slyke
She knew her brother-in-law had in.
tended to go fishing that morning, and
was surprised to learn that he was
not yet up. The butler had told her
that he had called him. and receiving
no reply had entered his room and