The Filer record. (Filer, Idaho) 1919-1930, 1923-05-17

uuOlue Ol the boul. Que ltStincu lndt
she was at breakfast when the butler
rushed into the room. crying that
something was wrong with Mr.. Slyke.
She knew her brother-ln-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
found Mr.. Slyke still in bed When
he did not answer when spoken 10
again. be (the butler) had come at
once 10 her.
She stated that she had gone
up at once TO his room. the door OF
which had been left open by the but
Ter when he rushed out. She had
crossed to the bed "and called him by
name. When he did not answer. she
looked closer and saw that he was
dead. Her voice broke a little on this
last statement. but she soon recovered
and continued. The next thing she
had done, she said, was 10 call the
doctor.
For the first time. the district at
torney took hand in the proceedings.
TELL us how you found him."
She answered that he was lying on
his back, the bedciothes pulled up
around his chin. and his hands by his
side. She had not pulled the bed
clothes down from the body. nor dis
turbed them In any way. 1t was not
until she had noticed thu wound In
his head that she realized he had been
shot.
"Did you disturb the body7" was
the next question.
There was long silence, then halt
ingly, 'I-well, that Isl did close
his eyes. Their expression fright
ened me, so--I-closed them"
She received a rather disguised look
from the district attorney, who asked.
"Did you not know that the body
should have been left as you found It."
u" she made an appealing ges-
ture: II never thought of that. Only
OF his eyes. They frightened me.
they-stared so. simply closed them.
But ! did nothing else"
King then asked a question that
surprised me. you thought he had
committed suicide?"
She hesltated, started to speak.
stopped and at last found her voice.
"Why, yes. That-that isl did at
the time. But l don't know what to
think now"
"Why did you think he killed him
self?"
This seemed harder question to
answer than the other.
"Why, / don't know. You see, he
was shot; and / knew OF no one who
would want to kill him. AS far as
that goes, / know OF no reason why
he should have wanted to take his
own life"
The next questions were along the
line she had suggested by her answers.
Could she not think OF some reason
why he might have committed sui
eide Ill health or money troubles7
Had he quarreled with anyone latelyi
She seemed TO have more difficulty
with these last questions than with
any of the previous ones. She was
so long in answering that some OF
them had to be repeated several times.
She was so careful Of what she said
that she gave me the impression that
she was trying to keep something
back.
In response TO the first question,
she repeated that she knew no rea-
son why Slyke should want to com
NIT suicide. She had heard OF no
money troubles. and his health was
good. No, she had never heard OF
his having quarreled with anyone. II
was this last answer that she had hes
Itated longer over than over any OF
the others, and 1t was the one which
caused me to feel sure she was hiding
something.
The question regarding the revolver
that had been found in Sykes hand
she answered readily enough. He had
kept II in his room. just where. she
did not know; II was one that he had
bought year before.
When questioned as to her own do
ings on the night of his death, she
could tell us nothing Of value. There
had been I'd party, but she had
gone to bed about ten o'clock and had
not even heard the men go out. Dur
ing the night she had heard no sound.
As this was all she had TO tell she
left the stand. Though her testimony
had thrown no light on what had
taken place. I felt more strongly than
ever that she could have done so had
she wished. ] glanced at BARLEY, and
the queer smile he gave me limited
that he, too. thought as ! did.
The next witness was a Doctor
Webster. | knew that a second ply
stefan had been called In on the morn
ing Of the crime. but had not met him.
Doctor Kings position was a peculiar
one, as he was not only the physician
who had first seen the body. but also
the coroner. In order 10 have the
testimony Of second medical man.
he had sent Doctor Webster TO ex-
anime the body and testify as 10 its
condition As the doctor took the seat
near the coroner. examined him