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About The Red Cloud chief. (Red Cloud, Webster Co., Neb.) 1873-1923 | View Entire Issue (Nov. 3, 1905)
I'M g wtyWwV w . twWW)WwWwvyw wWE Id he Holladay Ca se JSirltrsfb!! ciLvrTBi: i. TIB atmosphere of the ofllce thnt morning was n shade le-s gen ial thiiu usual. Wo had all of us fought our way down town through siiHi a Htonn of wind, Kii'iw. hIusIi and sleet as Is to bo found nowhere save in tnld-.Miireh New York, and our tempers liad sulTered accord ingly. 1 had found a cab uuol)talual)le, and there was, of course, the inevitable jam on the elevated, with the trains many minutes behind the schedule. 1 was some half hour late In conse quence, and when 1 entered the inner otilce I was surprised to liud Mr. (.Jra hiini, our senior, already at his desk, lie nodded good morning a little curtly. "I wish you'd look over these papers in the Hurd ease, Lester," he said, nnd pushed them toward me. 1 took them and sat down, and Just then the outer door slammed with a violence extremely uiimuiI. I had never hoon Mr. Itoyce. our Jtm lor, so deeply shaken, so visibly dis tracted, as lie was when he burst in upon us u moment later, a newspaper In his hand. Mr. Graham, startled by the noise of his entrance, wheeled :iround from his desk and stared at him in astonishment. "Why, upon my word, Johu," he be gan, "you look all done up. What's the matter?" "Matter enough, sir," and Mr. Hoyee spread out the paper on the desk be fore him. "You haven't seen the morn Inn papers, of course. Well, look at that!" and he Indicated with a trem bling finger the article which occupied the first column of the llrst page, the place of honor. I saw our senior's face change as he road the headlines, and he seemed positively horror stricken as he ran rapidly through the story which fol lowed. "Why, this is the most remarkable thing 1 ever read!" he burst out at last. "Kemarkable!" cried the other. "Why, its an outrage, sir! The Idea that a gentle, cultured girl like Trances Hol laday would deliberately murder her own father, strike him down in cold blood, Is too monstrous, too absolute ly preposterous, too too" And he stopped, fairly choked by his emotion. The words brought me upright in my chair. Frances Holladay accused of Well, no wonder our junior was up set! Hut Mr. Graham was reading through the article again more carefully, and, while lie nodded sympathetically to .show that he fully assented to the other's words, a straight, deep line of perplexity, which I hud come to recog nize, formed between his eyebrows. Tiainly," he said at last, "the whole case hinges on the evidence of tills man Jtogers, Holladay's conlldentlal clerk, and from what 1 know of lingers I should say that he'd be the last man In the world to make a willful mis statement. He says that Miss Holla day entered her father's otilce late yes terday afternoon, stayed there ten minutes and then came out hurrlelly. A few minutes later Rogers went luto the olllce and found his employer dead. That's the whole ease, but It'll ho n hard one to break." "Well, It must he broken!" retorted the other, pulling himself together wlili n siiiireme effort. "Of course I'll lake the case." Of course!" "Miss Holladay probably sent for mo last night, but I was out at Habylon, you know, looking up that wltiioss in the Hurd affair. He'll be nil right, and his evidence will give us the case. Our answer In the Hrown Injunction can wait till tomorrow. That's all, I think." The chief nodded. "Yes, I see the inquest is to begin at 10 o'clock. You haven't much time." "No, I'd like to have a good man with me," and he glanced In my direction, "fan you spare me Lester V" My heart gave a jump. It was Just the (inestlou I was hoping he would i ask. "Why, yes, of course," answered the chief readily. 'In a case like this, certainly. Let me hear from you In the course of the day." ' Mr. Itoyce nodded as he started for tho door. "I will. We'll find some flaw iu that fellow's story, depend upon It. Como ou, Lester." I Bnatched up pen and paper and fol lowed hhu to the elevator. In a mo ment we were In tho street. There ...My ji.iliii In nlnnft twittr 1 lufrfWrtlntt their loadB and starting back uptown again. We hailed one, and In another moment were rattling along toward our destination with such speed as the . Btornj permitted. Thera were many I A Mystery Of Two Continents BUTTON E. STEVENSON Copyright, 1903, by Henry If oil and Company questions surging through my brain to which 1 should have welcomed an an swer. The storm had cut off my pa per that morning, and I regretted now that 1 had not made a more determined effort to get another. A glance at my coniiinloii showed me the folly of at tempting to secure any Information from him, so I contented myself w'th reviewing what I already knew of the history of the principals. 1 knew Hiram W. Holladay, the mur dered man, quite well, not only as ev ery New Yorker knew that multimil lionaire as one of the most successful ' operators In Wall street, but personal ly as well, since he had been a client of Graham & Hoyee for twenty years and more, lie was at that time well on toward seventy years of age, 1 should say, though he carried his years remarkably well. Ills wife had been long dead, and he had only one child, his daughter Frances, who must have been about twenty-live. Hie had been born abroad and bad spent the llrst years of her life there with her moth er, who had lingered on the Hivlern and among the hills of Italy and .Swit zerland In the hope ol regaining n health which had been falling, so I understood, ever since her daughter';! birth. She had come home at last, bringing the black eyed child with her, and within the year was dead. Holladay's affections from that mo ment see.'ncd to grow and center about his daughter, who developed Into n tall and beautiful girl too beautiful, as was soon apparent, for our Junior partner's peace of mind. He had met her llrst in a business way, and after ward socially, and all of us who had eyes could see how he was eating his heart out at the knowledge that she was far beyond his reach, for It was evident that her father deemed her worthy of a brilliant marriage as In deed she was. I sometimes thought that she held herself at a like value, for though there was about her a con stant crowd of suitors none of them seemingly could win an atom of en couragement. She was waiting, I told myself, walling; and I had even pic tured to myself the grim irony of a situation In which our Junior might be called upon to arrange her marriage settlements. The cab stopped with a Jolt, and I looked up to see that we had reached the Criminal Courts building. Mr. Hoyee sprang out, paid the driver and ran up the steps to the door, I after him. He turned down the corridor to tho right and entered the room at the end of it, which I recognized as the olllce of Coroner Goldberg. A consid erable crowd had already collected there. "Has the coroner arrived yet?" my companion asked one of the clerks., "Yes, sir; he's In his private olllce." "Will you take him this card and say that I'd like to see him at once, If possible?" The clerk hurried away card. lie was back again meiit. "This way, sir," he called. "We followed him across with In a tho mo tile room and through a door at the farther side. "Ah. Mr. Hoyee, glad to see you." cried the coroner as we catered. "We tried to find you last night, but learned that you were out of town, and I was Just calling up your olllce again." "Miss Holladay asked for me, then?" "Yes, at once. When we found avo couldn't, get you, we suggested your senior, but she said she'd wait till you returned." I could see our junior's face crimson wllh pleasure. "You didn't think It necessary to con line her, 1 trust?" ho asked. "Oh, no. Khe wasn't disturbed. She spent tho night at home under sur veillance." "That was right. Of course It's sim ply absurd to suspect her." Goldberg looked at him curiously. "I don't know, Mr. Hoyee," he suld slowly. "If Uie evidence turns out as I think It will, I Khali have to hold her the district attorney expects it." Mr. Hoyce's hands were clutching a chair back, ami they trembled a llttla at the coroner's words. "He'll be present at the examina tion, then?" he asked, "Yes; we're waiting for him. You see, It's rather an extraordinary case." "Is It ?" "Wo think so, anyway!" Bald the cor oner, Just a trifle Impatiently. I could boo tho retort which sprang to our Junior's lips, hut he choked It back. There was no use offending i ,',', "I should like to see Miss Holladay before the examination beglna," ho aid. "Is she present? ' ."She's in ttejast woi H&. You, shall see her. certainly, at once. .Ju lius, take Mr. Hoyee to Miss Holladay," he added to the clerk. I can see her yet, rising from her chair with face alight, as we entered, and 1 saw Instantly how 1 had mis judged her. She came a step toward us, holding out her hands Impulsively; then, with an effort, controlled herself and clasped them before her. "Oh, but I'm glad to see you!" she cried In a voice so low I could scarcely hear It. "I've wanted you so much!" I "It was my great misfortune that 1 could come no sooner," said my chief, his voice trembling a little despite him self. "I 1 scarcely expected to see you here with no one" "Oh," she Interrupted, "there was no one I eared to have. My friends have been very kind -have offered to do anything-but 1 felt that 1 wanted to he Just alone and think. 1 should have liked to have my maid, but" "She's one of the witnesses, I sup pose," explained Mr. Hoyee. "Well, now that I'm here, I shall stay until I've proved how utterly ridiculous this charge against you Is." She sank back into her chair and looked up at him with dark, appealing eyes. "You think you can?" she asked. "Can! Certainly I can! Why, It's too preposterous to stand for a moment! We've only to prove an alibi-to show OT fILIII 'Tin glad to sec you!" she (Tied. that you were" somewhere else, you know, at the time the crime was com mittedand the whole business falls to pieces In an Instant. You can do that easily, can't you?" The color had gone from Iier cheeks again, and Hie burled her face hi her hands. "I don't know," she murmured Indis tinctly. "I must think. Oh, don't lot it come to thnt!" I was puzzled, confounded. With her good name, her life perhaps, In the bal ance, she wanted time to think! I could see that my chief was astonished too. "I'll try to keep It from coming to that, since you wish It," he said slow ly. "I'll not be able to call you, then, to testify in your own behalf and that always hurls but I hope the case will break down at once. I believe it will. At any rate, don't worry. 1 want you to rely on me." She looked up at him again, smiling. "I shall," she murmured softly. "I'm sure I could desire no better cham pion!" Well, plainly, If he won tills case he would win something else besides. I think even the policeman In the corner saw It, for he turned away with a dis cretion rare In policemen and pretend ed to starc.out of the window. .'IWkWJW what my chief would Imre.ijV s Hiw were trembling su ho could nqt , speak for the moment, and just, then there came a tap at the door, niul the coroner's clerk looked In. "We're ready to begin, sir," he said. "Very well." cried Mr. Hoyee. "I'll come at once. Goodby for tho mo ment, Miss Holladay. I repeat, you may rely on me," and he hastened from the room us confidently as though she had girded him for the battle. In stead, I told myself, she had bound him hand and foot before easting him down into tho arena. CIIAPTKH II. outer room was crowded T TIE fr iiii end to end ami tue at- m m tsphero reeked with unpleas- C dampness. Only behind the little rail ug before the coroner's desk was therr breathing spnee, and wo sank into our eats at the table there with n sigh of relief. One no or realizes how many uowb papers tl ero are In New York until ono atten Is an Important criminal case that br :igs their people out in droves and awn ms. The reporters took up most of he space in this small room. Paper at i pencils were everywliero In evidence, and in ono corner there was a man iith a camera stationed, do-1 termlnod suppose, to get a lo0; graph of our client Bhould she be called to tho sland, since none could bo ob talned I any other way. I saw) Singleton, the district attor nejrcofao.in.and.Blt.down pear thej coroner, uud then the Jury Hied In from their room and took their seats. I examined them, man by man, with some Utile anxiety, but they all seemed Intelligent and fairly well to do. Mr. Hoyee was looking over their names, anil he cheeked them off carefully as the clerk called the roll. Then he hand ed the list up to the coroner with a little nod. "(Jo ahead." lie said. "They're nil right I guess they look all right." "It's a good Jury," replied the cor oner as lie took tho paper. "Hotter than usual. Are you ready, Mr. Sin gleton?" "Yes," said tho district attorney. "Oh, wait a minute," he added, and he got up and came down to our table. "You're going to put Miss Holladay on the stand, I suppose" "And expose her to all this?" And our Junior looked around the room, "Not If 1 can help It!" "I don't see how you can help ll. An alibi's the only thing that ean save lici from being bound over." "We'll cross that bridge when we come to It," retorted Mr. Hoyee. "I think the case against her will soon die of Inanition." "Oh, wry well." And Singleton abruptly went back to his desk, biting his mustache thoughtfully, lie had made something of a reputation, since his election a year bcl'o-c, as a solver of abstruse criminal problems and had seemed a conviction In two or three capital cases which laid throat ened for a time to bailie Ihe police, lie evidently scented something of the same kind here or he would have In trmled the case to one of his as sistants. It illicit I c add mI that, whPe his successi s had made him lininensel, poi'iilnr Willi llie multitude, there had horn about one or two of them a of unprofessional conduct, which made his brethren of the bar bint ; hail ; look rather askance at him. He nodded to the coroner after a moment, the room was called to order and the llrst witness summoned. It was Hogers, the confidential clerk. I knew Hogers, of course; had talked with him often hi a business way and had the highest respect for him. lie had been with Mr. Holladay much lon ger than 1 had been with Graham & Hoyee and had, as Mr. Graham had pointed out, an unimpeachable reputa tion. There were the usual preliminaries name, age, residence, and so on, Coro ner Goldberg asking the questions. He was a really good cross examiner ami soon came to the core of the matter. "What Is the position of your desk in Mr. Holladay's olllce?" ho asked. "There is an outer olllce for the clerks; opening from that a smaller room, where my desk is placed. Open ing from my room was Mr. Holladay's private olllce." "Had Mr. Holladay's olllce any other door?" "No, sir." "Could entrance lie had by the win dows?" "The windows open on the street side of the building. We occupy u part of the eighth Moor." "The lire escapes" "Are at the back of (he building there are none on (he street side nothing but a sheer wall." "So that any one entering or leaving Ihe private olllce must necessarily pass by your desk?" "Necessarily; yes, sir." "Could any one pass without your seeing him?" "No. sir; that would be quite Impos sible." The coroner leaned back in bis chair. There was one point settled. "Now. Mr. Hogers," he said, "will you kindly tell us. In your own way and with us much detail as possible, exactly what happened at your olllcu shortly before fi o'clock yesterday aft ernoon?" j I could see that Hogers was deeply moved. Ills face was very white, he moistened his lips nervously from time to time, and his hands grasped con vulsively the arms of his chair. Plain ly the task before lilni was far from an agreeable one. "Well, sir," he began, "we had a very busy day yesterday and were at 1 the olllce considerably later than usual, but by 5 o'clock avo had closed up 1 work for the day, and all the other clerks, Avlth the exception of the olllce boy, had gone home. I had made some notes from Mr. Hollnday's dictation and had returned to ni.v desk to ar range (hem Avhen the outer door open ed, and Mr. Holladay's daughter eaino In. She asked me whether her father was engaged, and upon my saying no opened the Inner door and entered ills olllce. She remained, I should think, about ten minutes, then she came out again, Avalked rapidly past without looking at me and, I suppose, left tho building. I finished arranging my notes and then entered Mr. Holladay's olllce to ask If he had any further In- struciions ror me, nim i louuu.uiip lying forward on ills desk Avlth a knife sticking In his neck and the blood upurtlug out. I summoned nld, but ho died Avlthout regaining consciousness. I Bhould say he avbs practically dead when I found him." I felt rather than heard the llttla I HUr whlch ran throuBh tho room. There AVtts an Indefinable horror in tho Btory and in the conclusion to which it in evitably led. Rogers, stopped and Now, let us go back a moment," Bald mopped his forehead feverishly. "I want the Jury to understand your story thoroughly. Mr. Holladuy hnd been dictating to you?" "Yes." "And was quite avoII?" "Yes; as well as usual. ITo'd been suffering with Indigestion for some time past." "Still he was able to attend to busi ness?" "Oh, yes, sir. Tliero was nothing at all serious In his Illness." "You then left his olllce and returned to your own. How long had you been there before the outer door opened?" "No( over live minutes." "And who was It entered?" "Miss Frances Holladay, the daugh ter of my employer." ( l'o be Coir tiui" d ) Do You Eat Meat? When you nro hungry and want Mimothig nice iu tho meat line, drop into my market. We have tho nicest kind of Home-made Sausages and meals, Msh, mill game in season. Wo think, uud almost, know, that wo urn please you. Give us u trial. Kcon Bros., Successors to KOMNSON & BURDEN. 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