The Mystery
TheYellow Room
By GASTON LEROUX
Copyright. 1008. by Brentano'i
8YN0PSIS.
CHAPTER I A mysterious at
ttmpt ia made at midnight to mur
der Mile. Stangerson, daughter ano
assistant of Prof. Stangerson, who is
at work on his theory of the dissoci
ation of matter in a pavilion near hit
chateau. Pistol shots and the young
woman s crie3 for help are heard
behind the lockel and bolted door of
her chamber, the yellow room. The
cries are answered by Professor Star.-
. J.i and Daddy Jacques, an aged
servant. Aided by' the concierges,
bernler and his wife, they break open
the door and find Mile. Stangerson
i voonlng and half strangled, with a
wound in her temple, but find no
trace of her assailant. The only
possible outlet from the yellow room
. 'i the do jr. The weird cry of the
"tete du bon Dieu," a cat belonging
to -Mother Angenoux, a recluse, if
heard Just, before Mile. Stangerson's
v ei. II Joseph Rouletabllle, a re
porter-detective, is introduced to the
reader by M. Salnclair, the narratoi
of the story. Rouletabille declares
the revolver was fired by Mile. Stan
gerson, wounding her assailant in
lhA hand Salnclair is to use his
triendship with M. Darzac, Mile. Stan
person's lover, to introduce Rouleta-
t Me Into the chateau. Ill Rouleta
bille induces M. de Marquet, the ex
amining magistrate, and M. de Ma
leine, his registrar, to talk about the
case. The ' only poslsble point of
egress from the pavilion for the
murderer has been the window of the
pavilion's vestibule, near which blood
stains have been found. The win
dow, however, was found latched af
ter the assassin's escape. A bullet
bole Is found in the celling of the
yellow room. IV. Shortly before
the attack the announcement of the
engagement of Mile. Stangerson and
M. Darzac had bean made. V Rou
letataillfi and Sinclair are informed
by Frederic Larsan, a famous detec
tlvA wnrklne on the case, that the
concierges have been arrested. Meet
ing M. Darzac, Rouletabille utters a
mystic sentence, ' "The presbyery
has lost nothing of its charm nor the
garden Its brightness," which seems
to terrify Darzac, VI The arrest of
the concierges is due to the fact
that they were seemingly near the
the pavilion when the crime was com
roltted. Their denial of guilt is doubt
ed. Rouletabille and Darzac become
friendly, A mutton bone such as is
used by French assassins, has been
found la Mile. Stangerson's room and
Rouletabille finds in one of the
profesosr's retorts a partly burned
paper bearing the strange sentence
bout the presbytery. VII In the
yellow room Rouletabille finds a wo
man's hair, which he declares to
important evidence.
be
CHAPTER VIII.
The Examining Magistrate Ques
tions Mile. Stangerson.
mWO minutes later, as Rouleta
bllle was bending over the foot
prints discovered In the park,
under the window of the vesti
bule, a man, evidently a servant Of. the
chateau, came toward us rapidly and
called out to M. Darzac, then coming
out of the pavilion:
"M. Robert, the magistrate, you
know. Is questioning mademoiselle."
M. Darzac . uttered a muttered ex
cuse to us and set off running toward
the chateau, the man running after
him.
"We must know," said my friend.
"Let'a go to the chateau." And he
drew me with him. But at the cha
teau a gendarme placed in the vesti
bule denied us admission up the stair
case of the first floor. We were obliged
to wait downstairs.
This is what passed in the chamber
of the victim while we were waiting
below.
The family doctor, finding that Mile.
Stangerson was much better, but fear
ing a relapse which would no longer
permit of her being questioned, had
thought It his duty to Inform the ex
amining magistrate of this, who de
cided to proceed Immediately with a
brief examination. At this examina
tion the registrar. M; Stangerson and
the doctor were present Later 1 ob
tained the test of the report of the ex
amination, and 1 give it here in all ita
legal dryness:
"Question. Are you able, mademoi
selle, without too much fatiguing
yourself, to glre some necessary de
tail of the frightful attack of which
you have beeu the victim? Answer. 1
feel much better, mousleur. anu i win
tell you all 1 know. When I entered
my chamber I did not notice anythlug
unusual there.
Q. What did you do on that day
I want you to be as minute and pre-
else as possible. 1 wish to Know an
jou did that day if It Is not asking
100 much of you. A. I rose late, at id
o'clock, for my father and I had re
turned home late on the night previ
ously, having been to dinner at the re
ception given by the president of the
republic in honor of the Academy of
Science of Philadelphia. When I left
my chamber at half past 10 my father
was already at work In the laboratory.
We worked together till midday. We
then took half an hour's walk in the
park, as we were accustomed to do,
before breakfasting at the chateau.
After breakfast we took another walk
for half an hour and then returned to
the laboratory. There we found my
chambermaid, who had come to Bet my
room In order. I went Into the yel
low room to give her some slight or
ders, and she directly afterward left
the pavilion, and I resumed my work
with my father. At 5 o'clock we again
went for a walk in the park and after
ward had tea.
"Q. Before leaving the pavilion at 5
o'clock did you go into your chamber?
A. No, monsieur. My father went Into
It, at my request, to bring me my hat
"Q. And he found nothing suspicious
there. A. Evidently no, monsieur.
"Q. It Is. then, almost certain that
the murderer was not yet concealed
under the bed. When you went out
was the door of the room locked? A.
No; there was no reason for locking it
"Q. You were absent from the pavil
ion some length of time, M. Stangerson
and you? Ay About an hour.
"Q. It was during that hour, no
doubt, that the murderer got into the
pavilion. Eut how? Nobody knows.
Footmarks have been found in the
park leading away from the window
of the vestibule, but none has been
found going toward it. Did you notice
wuetner the vestibule window was
open when you went out? A. I don't
remember.
"M. Stangerson It was closed.
"Q. And when you returned?
"Mile. Stangerson I did not notice.
"M. Stangerson It was still closed.
I remember remarking aloud, 'Daddy
Jacques must surely have opened it
while we were away.'
1 "Q. Strange! .Do you recollect, M.
Stangerson, If - during your absence
and before going out he bad opened it?
You returned to the laboratory at 0
o'clock and resumed work?
"Mile. Stangerson Yes, monsieur.
"Q. And you did not leave the labo
ratory from that hour up to the mo
ment when you entered your chamber?
"M. Stangerson Neither my daugh
ter nor 1, monsieur. We were engag
ed on work that was pressing, and we
lost not a moment, neglecting every'
thing else on that account.
"Q. Did you dine in the laboratory?
A. For that reason.
"Q. Are you accustomed to dine In
the laboratory? A. We rarely (line
there-.
"Q. Could the murderer bare known
that you would dine there that even
lng? "M. Stangerson Good heavens J
think not. It was only when we re."
turned to the pavilion at 6 o'clock that
wo decided, my daughter and I, to dine
there. At that moment I was spoken
to by my gamekeeper, who detained
me a moment to nsk me to accompany
him on an urgent tour of Inspection (q
a part of the woods which I bad de
cided to thin. I put this off until the
next day aud begged blm as be was
going by the chateau to tell the stew
ard that we should dine in the lab
oratory. He left me to execute the
errand, and I rejolued my daughter,
who was already at work. ,
"Q. At what hour, mademoiselle, did
you go. to your chamber while your
father continued to work there? A. At
midnight. ,
"Q. Did Daddy Jacques enter the
yellow room lu the course of the even
ing? A. To shut the blinds and light
the night light.
"Q. He saw nothing suspicious? A.
He would have told us If he had seen.
Daddy Jacques Is an honest man and
greatly attached to me.
"Q, You affirm, M. Stangerson, that
Daddy Jacques remained with you all
the time you were u the laboratory?
"M. Stangerson I am sure of It I
have no doubt of that.
"Q. When you entered your cham
ber, mademoiselle, you immediately
shut the door and locked and bolted
It? Was not that taking unusual pre
cautions, knowing that your father
and your servant were there? WTere
you in fear of something? A. My fa
ther would be returning to the cha
teau. 'and Caddy Jacques would be go
ing to bis bed. And, In fact, I did
fear something.
"Q. You were so much in fear of
something that you borrowed Daddy
Jacques' revolver without telling him
you had done so? A. That Is true. I
did not wish to alarm anybody, the
more because my fears might hare
proved to have been foolish.
"Q. What was it you feared? A. I
hardly know how to 'tell you. For
several nights I seemed to bear, both
in the park and out of the park,
around the pavilion, unusual sounds,
sometimes footsteps, at other times
the cracking of branches. The night
before the attack on me, when I did
not get to bed before 8 o'clock in the
morning, on our return from the Ely.
see I stood for a moment before my
window, and I felt sure I saw shad
ows. "Q. How many? A. Two. They
moved round the lake. Then the moon
became clouded, and I lost sight of
them. At this time of the season every
year I have generally returned to my
apartment in the chateau for the win
ter, but this year I aald to myself that
I would not quit the pavilion before
my father bad finished the resume of
bis works on the 'Dissociation of Mat
ter" for the academy. I did not wish
that that Important work, which was
to have been finished In the course of
a few days, should be delayed by a
cnange iu our uau, u-u.w v- .....
I well.understand that I did not wish to
spes'k of my childish fears to my fa
thei . nor did I say anything to Daddy
Jacques, who, I knew, would not have
been able to hold his tongue. Know
ing; that be had a revolver in his room,
I took advantage of his absence and
borrowed It. placing it In the drawer
of my night table.
"Q. You know of no enemies you
have? A. None.
"Q. You understand, mademoiselle,
that these precautions are calculated
to cause surprise?
"M. Stangerson Evidently, my child,
such precautions are very surprising.
"A. No, because I have told you that
I had been uneasy for two nights.
"M. Stangerson You ought to have
told me of that. This misfortune would
uuve ueeu avoiueu.
"Q. The door of the yellow room
locked, did you go to bed? A. Yes, and,
being very tired, I at once went to
sleep.
"Q. The night light was still burn
ing? A. Yes, but it gave a very feeble
light.
"Q. Then, mademoiselle, tell us what!
hnnneiipd. A. I itn not- knnw whpthor T
had been long asleep, but suddenly I
awoke and uttered a loud cry.
"M. Stangerson Yes, a horrible cry,
'Murder.' It still rings In my cars.
"Q. You uttered a loud cry? A. A
man was lu my chamber. He sprang
at me and tried to strangle me. I
was nearly stifled when suddenly I
was able to reach the drawer of my
night table and grasp the revolver !
which I had placed in it. At that mo-1
ment the man had forced me to the
foot of my bed and brandished over
my head a sort of mace. But I had
fired. He Immediately struck a terrl-
ble blow at my head. All that, mon
sieur, passed more rapidly than I can
tell It, and I kuow nothing more.
"Q. Nothing? Have you no idea as
to hew the assassin could escape from
your chamber? A. None whatever. I
know nothing more. One does not
kuow what is passing around one
when one is unconscious.
"Q. Was the man you saw tail or
short, little or big? A. I saw only a
shadow which appeared to me formid
able. "Q. You cannot give us any Indica
tion? A. I kuow nothing more, mon
sieur, than that a man threw himself
upon me and that I fired at blm. I
know nothing more."
Here the interrogation of Mile. Stan
gerson concluded.
Rouletabille waited patiently for M.
Robert Darzac, who soon appeared.
From a room near the chamber of
Mile. Staugerson he had heard the in
terrogatory and now came to recount
It to my friend with great exactitude,
aided by an excellent memory. His
docility still surprised me. Thanks
to hasty pencil notes, he was able to
reproduce almost textunlly the ques
tlons and the answers given.
It looked as if M. Darzac were be
ing employed as the secretary of my
young friend and ncted as if he could
refuse him nothing nay, more, as If
under a compulsion to do so.
The fact of the closed window struck
the reporter as it had struck the mag
istrate. The circumstance of the din
ner in the laboratory also seemed to
Interest him In the highest decree,
end ha had It repeated to him three
times. He also wanted to be sure that
the fcrest keeper knew that the pro
fessor and his daughter wern going to
dine In the laboratory aud bow he bad
pome to know It
When M, Durznc bad finished I said.
"The examination lias not advanced
the problem much."
"It bus put It buck," said M. Darzac.
"It has thrown light upon it" said
Rouletabille thoughtfully.
(To be continued.)
Railroadit Sued for Land
Portland Another step
Sold.
in the
tight of the federal government tc
recover possession of the land In
cluded In the immense grant to the
Oregon & California Railroad Com
pany was taken Saturday when D.
D, Townsend, special assistant to tht
attorney-general, filed in te Federal
court in Portland 35 suits in equity
against the Oregon & California and
Southern Pacific Companies and over
100 other defendants.
These suits are supplementary tc
those previously filed against the
ttarriman companies and are for the
purpose of recovering land included
Id the grant and already sold by the
railroads, or, where title to the land
cannot be regained, of securing foi
the government all monies paid foi
the lrmd in excess of 12,50 an acre,
the prloe at which it was stipulated
in the original grant the land would
be sold. Besides the railroads, the
defendants In the suits are those who
have purchased land from these com
panies. The suits Involve more than
118,000,000 and also more than
853,288 acres of land. All of the
land la located In Oregon,
Will Celebrate Admission of State.
Eugene On Friday, February 12
tha University of Oregon will holt
an Oregon or Commonwealth day,
which will hereafter be an annual
affair, the same as a number of othei
special university days. The day It
to commemorate the day that Oregon
Vas admitted to the Uulon as a state
and will be held hereafter on Feb
ruary 14, which Is the date on which
Oregon was admitted; but as the
date comes on Sunday this year the
data of the commemoration has been
changed to February 12.
THe object of Commonwealth day
Ic to brUg the people of the state in
Closer touch with the State Universi
ty, and to give the citizens of Ore
gon a chance to see the university ia
actual working order.
Never-sllp horseshoes at Keltner'a.
T NATION'S CAPITAL
Roosevelt Is Not Consulted by
Taft About Selections
for Cabinet.
YEW STATEHOOD BILL UP
Preparations Are Being Made for An
Elaborate Inauguration of Taft
and Sherman.
Washington. Feb. 3. Mr. Taft U
not keeping President Roosevelt
Psted on the formation of his cabl-
net.
He is neither seeking the ad
vice of the President nor submitting
names for his approval after selec
tion has been made. The fact Is that
Mr. Roosevelt Is entirely in the dark
with regard to the Taft cabinet; ho
knows no more than he gathers from
the newspapers.
Th-re is some truth in the report
, lat the President feels slighted be
cause Mr. Taft has not seen fit to
otler Secretary Loeb a place in hla
cabinet, but the President is more
disturbed because Mr Taft is in-
ui.uu iv uuuunc ttu eiiurtMy new cno
Inet, retiring all members of the
present body with the possible excep
tion of Secretary of War Wright,
who was appointed on recommenda
tion of Mr. Taft Just prior to hla
retirement from the Roosevelt cabi
net. The definite statement can be
made that James R. Garfield, secre
tary of the Interior, will not he a
member of the cabinet of the next
administration. Neither will he be
an ambassador to a foreign country.
He will return to his home in Ohio
and take up the practice of law.
An omnibus bill providing sepa
rate statehood for the territories of
New Mexico and Arizona was Intro
duced in the house by Hamilton, of
Michigan, chairman of the house
committee on territories. The hill
was framed by the Republican mem
bers of the committee and submitted
to the minority members, who ap
proved it.
New Mexico is given two represen
tatives in the house, to be elected
at large, and the city of Santa Fe is
designated as the capital of the state
until 1920.
Four sections of land In every
township are granted to New Mexico
for the support of common schools.
Two of these had been previously
granted to the territory.
When adopted Into the Union,
New Mexico Is to be attached to the
eighth judicial district. One hun
dred thousand dollars is appropriat
ed for the expenses Incident to tho
elections and constitution provided
for in the bills.
Most of the provisions for Arizona
are similar io those for New Mexico.
Phoenix is designated as the capital
until 1920. Arizona Is given one
representative in the house; 120,000
acres of land are granted for uni
versity purposes and other grants
are equal to those made for New
Mexloo.
Great preparations are being
made for Taft's inauguration. The
programme Is divided into five im
portant feature and others of loss In
terest, among which are:
An Imposing military parade is be
ing arranged on a big scale by Ma-Jor-General
J. Franklin Boll, who
has been appointed grand marshal.
A great display of fireworks on the
White Lot, JuBt in front of the
White House, in combination with
the illumination of the streets of
Washington throughout the down
town section, the dome of the Capi
tol and the Washington monument
and a drill and display of pyrotech
nics by the Republican Flambeau
Club ot Minneapolis.
The Inaugural ball will be held In
the pension building, the largest
brlok structure In the world.
With the convening of a new con
gress scarcely more, than a month
distant, the selection of standing
committees of the next house and
particularly the award of chairman
ships has become the subject of keen
speculation.
The understanding among mem
bers Is that the rule of seniority will
be used In the selection of a chair
man. There are, however, important
committees whose chairmen will not
be members tof the next house and
the selection of their successors is
causing no little speculation.
The American National Rod Cross
Association has cabled to Ambassa
dor Griscom at Rome $225,000,
which he will present to Queen
Helena for the purpose of beginning
an agricultural colony In Calabria
or Sicily for the orphans in the Ital
ian earthquake district.
For the purpose of shipping lum
ber for houses for the earthquake
sufferers, the Red Cross has given
(100,000 to the navy department.
The delivery of a package contain
ing Intoxicating liquor to any person
but the consignee is prohibited by
the provisions of a bill Introduced
by Representative Miller, of Kansas.
A fine of not more than (5000 or
Imprisonment for two years is fixed
as a penalty for any violation. The
bill applies to Interstate shipments.
Names Noted
President Elect Tart's Youngest
Brother, Horace Edmund
Ciliincs end Kts Mis
sion to Italy.
THE rul'lle h:is
heard a good
deal about sev
eral members of the
Taft family, but the
youugest of the
brothers now so
much In tho public
eye has thus far
managed to escape
publicity better than
the rest. lie Is Hor
ace D. Taft. The
eldest of President
Elect Taft's broth
II. I). TAFT.
ers. Charles P. Taft of Cincinnati, has
boon talked of considerably because of
the contest for the' Ohio sonatorship. In
which lie met ilcfont at the hands of
Theodore E. r.urton. Henry W. Taft
of New York lins boon prominent as a
member of the bar and In connection
with various occasions on which his
brother William II. has boon his guest.
Horace has boon teaching school In
Connecticut anil content to remain In
tho shade, not even enjoying the re
flected light which might be shed upon
him from the presidential chair at
Washington wore lie to got in an nttl
tuilo to receive It. They wanted to
elect him a member of the Connecticut
legislature last fall, but he would not
take a nomination. He said "Brother
Bill" was getting enough glory for tho
family, and lie was satisfied to tench
"Brother Bill's" kid, young Charlie
Taft. The latter Is In attendance at
his school In Wutertown, nu Institution
which has a high educational standing.
Indeed, Mr. Horace Tnft ranks high
among -members of his profession, ns
was attested In bis recent election ns
president of the Head Musters' asso
ciation. He is n graduate of Yale, like
all the rest of tho family.
Tho Rev; Dr. William J. Dawson of
England Is one of the most eloquent
evangelists this country has known
since the time of Moody. Unlike some
revivalists, he la a man of culture and
scholarship, and tils methods are not
sensational, although he does not hesi
tate to depart from beaten paths upon
occasion. This was Illustrated during
a mission ho conducted recently at the
famous St. George's Episcopal church,
New York, the church of Dr. Stephen
H. Tyng and Dr. William S. Rains-
1IEV. DR. WILLIAM J. DAWBON.
ford, now presided over by the Rev.
Dr. Hugh Blrckhoad, a young man
who is determined that mere tradi
tions or fear of criticism shall not
stand In the way of his making his
church as beneficial as possible to the
thousands of poor und struggling peo
ple In the midst of whom It la placed.
The mission nt St. George's brought
within the sound of prayer and praise
and words of exhortation many who
do not often darken church doors, but
lu order that still more should be
reached a procession was organized
which wended Its way through the
streets In the neighborhood of the
church and made Its appeal to the in
terest of the wayfarers or dwellers In
the vicinity. At the head of the pro
cession a large cross was carried, 11 lu
jnlnati'd by elect rl:; lights. At either
side were men curry lug the batteries
that furnished the uncut for the in
candescent lamps. Then came a band,
and behind It Dr. Blrckhoad nnd the
other clergy of the parish In their
robes and the' iiilss-:lonor. Dr. Dawson
Following them were seventy choris
ters, who lid the Hinging ns the march
proceeded, und behind them were
many others, making up a parade 700
Htrong altogether. On tho return to
the church a great meeting was held,
nt which r. Dawson delivered n most
stirring uppeal.
Dr. Dawson has a magnetic presence
s lid a most effective delivery.
Dr. Dawson was born In Northamp
tonshire In 1.4 and is a son of a
Wesleyan minister, lie was educated
nt Dl'lsbury college. Manchester, mid
was for a time lu the Wesleyan min
istry, but from W.)1 to llXMI was min
ister of Highbury Quadrant Congre
gational church, JMidou. He Is a
voluminous writer, and his works com
prise not only books on religious sub-
ff 1
In the News
Next President of Harvard. Abbott
Lawrenco Lowell Other
Figures In the Pub
lic Prints.
lects, but lyric ni:d dramatic poetry,
lictiou and essays.
Abbott Lawrence Lowell, who has
been chosen to succeed Charles W.
Eliot as president of Harvard univer
sity, may be described as author, law
yer and professor of the science of gov
ernment. He is a brother of I'rofessor
PllOFKSSon ABBOTT LAWRKNCB LOV.iill-
I'ercival Lowell, also of Harvard,
whoso astronomical discoveries have
given him wide fame.
Wheu President Eliot tendered his
resignation in November, to tuLo ef
fect lu the spring, there was" nt first a
strong sentiment lu favor of reletting
u comparatively young muu as his i.uj
eessor. President Eliot himself was a
young man only thirty-live when he
became Harvard's head. But ll is ad
mitted that he was exceptionally well
qualified for the post for a man of hla
years wheu he took it. Tho ticntlmc!t
in favor of choosing a scholar and- mii.i
of affairs of large experience and wide
reputation grew stronger as the weeks
passed by and resulted iu the i-brlco
of I'rofessor Lowell. He is lifty-two.
but lu full vigor, anil It Is believed ho
will have twenty years of activity be
fore him. Ho has proved hla ability In
every field he has entered and la u raro
combination of the nan of tho worl 1
und of tho university lender, lie U
not only tho most popular but tho
keenest lecturer in the university.
And so fur as concerns the amenities
of the president's position, InclinUiig
tho proper entertainment of guests and
the relations between' tho head of t'ia
university -and tho undergraduates, ho
can bo counted upon.
Professor Lowell was born lu Bos
ton on Dec. 13, 1S."(I, and was gradu
ated from Harvard In 1S77. He then
took a law course, receiving hl.i de
gree from Harvurd Law school lu
18S0 nr.d being admitted to the bar
tho same year. In 1S77 he married his
cousin, Miss Anna Parker Lowell. For
seventeen years the practice of law
demanded the greater port of his at
tention, but ho continued to pursue his
favorite study of comparative govern
ment. Several books on government
and on polities In continental Europe,
published during this time, gave him
high standing as nu authority on tho
science of government, and in 1897 bo
was called to be lecturer in that de
partment nt Harvard.
Three years later on tho establish
ment of the Eaton professorship of the
science of government he was appoint
ed to that chair.
In the last year he has published a
work on "The Government of Eng
land." which lias attracted wide atten
t -n e -til brought to him the honor of
election as president of tho American
i'oi; leal Science association In succes
sion to Ambassador Ilryce, whoso
"American Commonwealth" brought
him the same distinction.
One of the AinerlcaiiH prominent In
the relief work lu the regions of Italy
and Kielly devastat-
R, od by earthiuako Is
9 '''Sk Edmund Billings of
nosion. iur. Hil
lings had charge of
similar work in Bos
ton ufter the Chel
sea fire. Ho went
to Messina us the
olllclul represent
ative of the state of
Massachusetts and
took with him n
fund of $500,000
with which to uhl
kumu.no iiim.i.nos. i sieving the dis
tress, ne sailed on the Kaiser Wll
heliu dor Grosso anil left tho steamer
at Cherbourg, taking train from there
to southern llnly In order to roach tho
scene of the earthquake as quickly as
possible.
Hov You?
"You have a very nice home here."
"Yes, Indeed. Why, we huve all the
comforts of a modern penitentiary."
Boston Herald.
, Thinking of a Phon. '
" 'The receiver Is us bad as' Waat's
the rest of It, my child?"
"Tho transmitter, pa." New York
Tress.