oat Tim's story withstood the most vigorous cross-examination.
After him, Mr. Bronson from the theater corroborated Miss Hope's story
of Jennie Brice's attack of hysteria in the dressing-room, and told of
taking her home that night.

He was a poor witness, nervous and halting. He weighed each word
before he said it, and he made a general unfavorable impression. I
thought he was holding something back. In view of what Mr. Pitman
would have called the denouement, his attitude is easily explained.
But I was puzzled then.

So far, the prosecution had touched but lightly on the possible motive
for a crime--the woman. But on the third day, to my surprise, a Mrs.
Agnes Murray was called. It was the Mrs. Murray I had seen at the
morgue.

I have lost the clipping of that day's trial, but I remember her
testimony perfectly.

She was a widow, living above a small millinery shop on Federal
Street, Allegheny. She had one daughter, Alice, who did stenography
and typing as a means of livelihood. She had no office, and worked at
home. Many of the small stores in the neighborhood employed her to
send out their bills. There was a card at the street entrance beside
the shop, and now and then strangers brought her work.

Early in December the prisoner had brought her the manuscript of a
play to type, and from that time on he came frequently, sometimes
every day, bringing a few sheets of manuscript at a time. Sometimes he
came without any manuscript, and would sit and talk while he smoked a
cigarette. They had thought him unmarried.

On Wednesday, February twenty-eighth, Alice Murray had disappeared.
She had taken some of her clothing--not all, and had left a note. The
witness read the note aloud in a trembling voice:

"DEAR MOTHER: When you get this I shall be married to Mr. Ladley.
Don't worry. Will write again from N.Y. Lovingly,

"ALICE."

From that time until a week before, she had not heard from her
daughter. Then she had a card, mailed from Madison Square Station, New
York City. The card merely said:

"Am well and working. ALICE."

The defense was visibly shaken. They had not expected this, and I
thought even Mr. Ladley, whose calm had continued unbroken, paled.

So far, all had gone well for the prosecution. They had proved a
crime, as nearly as circumstantial evidence could prove a crime, and
they had established a motive. But in the identification of the
body, so far they had failed. The prosecution