Rensselaer Semi-Weekly Republican, Volume 39, Number 28, Rensselaer, Jasper County, 7 December 1906 — Madame Midas [ARTICLE]

Madame Midas

By Forgas Hom e

CHAFTER XXVlll.—(Continued.) Kitty Marchurst all this evidence IB dumb horror. She now knew that lifter this man “wanteSßfter to die * felon’s death. She arose to her feet and stretched oht her hands in protest •gains) him. lmt befeve s!m> eeuM speak a word the place seemed “to whirl round her. and she fell down in a dead faint. This •rent caused great excitement in court, and many began to assert positively that she must he guilty, else why did she faint/ Kitty was taken out of court, and the examination was proceed®! with, whue Madtnt Midas sat pale and horror struck at ♦he revelations which were now being made. Vandeloup further deposed that the bottle Kit ty took from his desk was. quite full; and, moreover, when the other bottle which had i*s*n found in her room -was shown to him. be declared that it was as nearly ns possible the . same size as the —missing bottle. - So the .-inference drawn from this was that the bottle produced being three-quarters empty, some of the poison had been used. - . The question now arose that, as the guilt of Miss Yhirchnrst seemed so certain, how was it that Selina Sprotts was poisoned instead of her mistress? Hut this was settled by Madame Midas, who, being reea 1 led, -deposed- that. Kitty did uqt know Selina slept with her on that-night, and the curtains being drawn, could not •yaibly toil ;wo people were hi the lied.' This Vas all the evidence Obtainable, and the corOder now proceeded to sum up. The jury retired, and the court was very much excited. Every one was quite certain that Kitty was guilty, but there was a strong feeling against M. Vandeloup as having been in some measure the cause, though indirectly, of the crime. But that voting gentleman, in accordance with his usual foresight, had left the court and jjour straight home, as lie had »o wish to face a crowd of sullen faces, and perhaps wojfse. Madame Midas sat ♦till in court awaiting the return of the jury, with the calm face of a marble sphinx. Hitt, though she suffered no appearances of suffering wer seen on her serene face. Site never had believed in human nature, and now the g.r'. wh en she bad rescued from —comp.mutve- poverty and placed in opuleirbe hittf wanted to .-hill-her. --iXYilh—clasped hands, a>thing. bear!, hut passlfi face, she sit waiting for the end. _=• The jury resumed in abdut half an hour and there wakT il ilen'd silence as the foreman stood up to deliver the verdict. The jury found as follows: That the deceased, Selina Jane Sprotts, died on the, - Jlst day of November, from ♦he effects of poison, namely, eonia, feloniously administered by one Katherine Marchurst. and the jury, on their oaths, say that the said Katherine Marchurst feloniously, willfully and maliciously did murder the said deceased. That evening Kitty was arrested and lodged in the Melbourne jail, to await her trial on a charge of willful murder.

CHAPTER XXIX. Of two evils it is always best to choose ♦he least, and as M. Vandeloup had to choose between the loss of his popularity *r his liberty, lie chose to lose the former kastead of the latter. At last the torture of wondering how much Kitty knew was too much for him. •nd he determined to go to the Melbourne gaol and interview her. So he obtained •n order From the authorities to see her *nd prejwred to start next morning. He cent the servant out for a hansom and by the time 1t was at the door M. Vandeloup. cool, calm and well dressed, came down•tirs pulling on his gloves. The first thing he saw when he got outside was Pierre waiting for him with his old hat pulled down over his eyes, and his look of sullen resignation. Gaston nodded coolly to him and told the cabby he wanted to go to the Melbourne gaol, whereupon Pierre slouched forward as the young man was prepares to enter the cab and laid his hand on Bis arm.

“Well.” said Vandeloup, in a quiet ▼oice, in French, shaking off the dumb Sian's artn, “what do you want?” Pierre pointed to the cab. whereupon 11. Vandeloup shrugged his shoulders. "Surely you don't want to come to the gaol with me." he said, mockingly, “you'll jet there soon enough.” The other nodded and made a step toward the cab, but Vandeloup pushed hi* back. “Well,” he muttered to himself. “I’ll have to humor him or he’ll be making a scene —you can't come,” he added aloud, fcut Pierre still refused to go away. This conversation, or rather monologue, was carried on in French, so the cabman and the servant at the door were quite ignorant of its purport, but looked rather •stonishcd at the conduct of the dirty tramp toward such an elegant looking gentleman. Vandeloup saw this and therefore determined to end the scene. “Well, well," he sajd to Pierre in French, “get in at once,” and then the dumb man entered the cab, he explained to the cabman in English : “This poor fellow k a pensioner of mine, and as he wants to see a friend of his in gaol I'll take him with me.” As they drove along Vandeloup said aothing to Pierre. They went along in silence. and when they arrived at the gaol Vandeloup told the cabman to wait for him and walked toward the gaol. “Yon are coming inside. I suppose,” he said, sharply, to Pierre, who still slouched alongside. The dumb man nodded sullenly. Vandeloup smiled blandly and agreed to let him enter with him. There was some difficulty with the warder at the door, as the permission to see the prisoner was wnly made out in the name of M. Vandeloup, but after some considerable trouble they succeeded in getting in. “My faith!" observed Gaston, lightlv, m they went along to the pell, conducted * ‘

by a warder, “It’s almost as hard to get into gaol as to get out of it.’’ “Why have you come here?-"- asked Kitty, as he appeared in' her presence. "Hecnnse I am your friend,” he answered coolly, - —“My—friend!’- she echoed —scornfully-,-looking at him with contempt ; “you ruined niy life a year ago, now you have endeavored to fasten the guilt of murder on rati, and yet you call yourself my friend; a good story, truly,” witttwi bitter laugh. “I could not help giving the evidence I did,” replied Gaston, coolly, ohruggipg Ills should, rs; "if you are innocent, what 1 say will not matter.” “If I am innocent!” she said, looking at him steadily ; “you villain, you know I am innocent!" ' *• *'“■

She* looked vacantly round the cell and caught of Pierre shrinking back into tie- shadow. “Why did you bring your accomplice with you ?’’-she-said.--looking at Gaston. ■ “Really, my dear Bebe,” he said, lazily, “1 don’t know why you should call him ..my accomplice, - as.. i-have- couimitted noerime;” — -—- “Have, you not?" she said, rising to her feet and bending toward" him, “think again.” “No, I do not think I have,” he answered, glancing keenly at her; “I suppose you want me to be as black as yourself?” “You coward!” she said, in a rage, turning on him, “h«>w dare you taunt me in this manner? Is it not~enough ..that you have imperiled my life, without jeering at me thus?” “Bah!” retorted Vandeloup, cynically, brushing some dust off liis coat, “this i« not the point; you insinuate, that.l committed a crime, perhaps, you will'lell die what kind of n crime?” , “Murder,” she replied, in-a whisper. "Oh, indeed,” sneered Gaston, coolly, thofigh his lips twitched a little, “the same style of crime as your own? and whose murder ’‘am I guilty of, pray?” “Randolph Villiers.” “Who can prove it?” be asked, contemptuously. “lean!” “You,” with a sneer, “a murderess?” “Who can prove I am a murderess?" she cried, wildly; "J can,” lie answered, with an ugly look; “and I will if you don't keep a quiet tongue.” ———— sc. . . «- ■ "I will 'keep quiet no longer.” boldly rising and facing Vandeloup. with her hands clenched at her sides ; "1 have tried to shield you faithfully through all your wickedness, but now that you accuse ipe of committing a crime, which accusation you know is false, I accuse you, Gaston Vandeloup, and your accomplice, yonder,” wheeling round and pointing to Pierre, who shrank away, “of murdering Randolph Villiers, at the Black Hill, Ballarat, for the sake of a nugget of gold he carried.” . i “Yoh are mad,” said Vandeloup, in a cold voice;* “this is the. raving of a lunatic; there is no proof of what you say : jr* was proven conclusively that myself and Pierre were asleep at our hotel while Mr. Villiers was with Barty at two o’clock in the morning.” “I know that it was proved,” she retorted, “and by some jugglery on your part; but, nevertheless, 1 saw you and "him,” pointing again' to Pierre, “murder Yilltersv “You saw it," echoed Vandeloup, with -a- disbelieving smile ; “tell- me how-.” — “Ah I” she cried, taking * step forward, “you do not believe me, but I tell you it is true —yes, I know now who the two men were following Madame Midas as she drove away: one was her husband, who wished to rob her, and the other was Pierre, who, acting upon your instructions. was to got the gold from Villiers should be succeed in getting it from Madame. You left me a few minutes afterwards, hut I. with my heart full of love—wretched woman that I was—followed you at a short distance, unwilling to lose sight of you even for a little time.' I climbed down among the rocks and saw you seat yourself in a narrow part of the path. Pierre —that wretch that cowers iti the corner —came down the path and you spoke to him in French. What was said 1 did not know, but 1 guessed enough to know you meditated some crime. Then Villiers came down the path with the nugget in its box under his arm. I recognized the box as .the one which Madame Midas had brought to opr house. When Villiers came opposite you you spoke to him; he tried to pass on. and then Pierre sprang out froth behind the rock and the two men struggled together, while you seized the box containing -the gold which Villiers had let fall, and watched the struggle. You saw that Villiers. animated by despair, was gradually gaining the victory over Pierre, and then you stepped iu—yes; I saw you snatch Pierre’s knife from the back of his waist and stab Villiers in the back. Then you put the knife intd Pierre’s hand, all bloody, as Villiers fell dead, and 1 fled away.” She stopped, breathless with her recital, and Yandjdoup, pale but composed, would have answered her, when a cry from Pierre startled, them. He had come close to them, and was looking straight at Kitty. “Then!” he cried; “I am innocent?” “You!” shrieked Kitty, falling back on her bed: •“who are you?" The man pulled his hat off and came a step nearer. “I am Randolph Villiers!” Kitty shrieked again and covered her face with her hands, while Vandeloup laughed in a mocking manner, though his pale face ana quivering lip told that his mirth was assumed. “Yes," saitT'Ajllier*, throwing his hat on the floor of tEV cell, “it was Pierre Lemaire, and not I, who died. The struggle took place as you bare described, but be,” pointing to Vandeloup. “wishing to get rid of Pierre for reasons of his own, stabbed him, and not me, in the back. He

thrust the knife into my hand, and % in my blind fury, thought that I had murdered the dumb man, 1 was afraid of being arrested for the murder, so, as suggested by Vandeloup, I changed clothes with the dead man and wrapped my own up in a bundle. We hid the body and the ,nugget in one of the old mining shafts and then came down to Ballarat. I‘ was similar to Pierre in appearance, except that my chin was shaven. I went down to the Wattle Tree Hotel as Pierre after leaving my clothes outside the window of the bedrodto which Vandeloup pointed out to me. Then he went to the' theater and told me to rejoin him there as Villiers. I got my own clothes into the room, dressed again as myself; then, locking the door so that the hotel-might suppose that Pierre slept, I jumped out of the window of the bedroom and went to the theater. There 1 played my part as you know; and while we were behind the scenes Mr. Wopples asked me to put out the gas in his room. I did so, and Itookfrom liis dressing table a black beard, in order Ed disguise myself as 'Pierre till my beard had grown. We went to supper, and then I parted with Barty at 2 o’clock in the morning, and went back to the hotel, wh*re I climbed into the bedroom through the window and reassumed Pierre's dress forever. It was by Vandejoup’s advice I did not go to the Pact6l us, where my wife would have recognized me. Then I. as the supposed Pierre, was discharged, a,s you know. Vandeloup, aping friendship, drew the dead man's salary and bought clothes and a box for me. In the middle of one night I, still disguised as Pierre, slipped out of the window and went tip to Black Ilill where! found the nugget and brought it down to my room aTYlie U.tytie Tree Hotel. Then Vandeloup brought in the box with my clothes, and we packed the nugget in it, together - with the suit 1 had worn at the time of the murder. Following his instructions, I came down to Melbourne, and there disposed of the nugget—no need to ask how, as there are always people ready to do things of that sort for payments Whgn I was paid-for the nugget, and I only got eight hundred pounds, the man who melted it down taking the rest, 1 had to give six hundred to Vandeloup, as I was in bis power as I thought, and dare not refuse in case hq, should denounce me for the murder of Pierre Lemaire. And now I find that I have been-innocent all the time, jfnd he Ims been frightening me with a shadow. Hu, not E was the murderer -of Pierre Lemaire, and you can prove it.”

CHAPTER XXX. Madame Midas, now that Melbourne was so hateful to her, determined to leave it, and sent, up to Mr. Calton in orded to confer with him on the subject. Calton came down to St. Kilda and was shown into* the drawing room. . “It was kind of you to come quickly,” she said; in-her usual quiet, self-contained manner; “I wish to consult you on some matters of importance,” “I am at your service, re plied Calton. taking a seat and looking keenly at the marble face before him. " “I am going to England,” she said. - “After the trial, I presume?” observed Calton, slowly. : “Yes," she answered, hesitatingly; “do you think they will—they will —hang the girl?” "I can’t tell you,” answered Caton; “if she is found guity—well—l think she will be imprisoned for life.” “Poor Kitty,” said Madame, sadly, “it was an evil- hour when she met Vandeloup.” A sudden exclamation made him turn his head, and he saw Madame Midas, white as death, staring at the open French window, on the threshold of which was standing a man—medium height, black beard, and a haggard, hunted look in his eyes; “Who, is this?” cried Calton, rising to his feet. -

Madame Midas tottered, and caught at he mautepieee for support. (To be coutinued.)