The Case of the Lamp That Went Out

by Auguste Groner

  CHAPTER VI. ALMOST CONVICTED

  The evening was already far gone when Muller entered Riedau's office.

  "You're in time, the man isn't here yet. The train is evidently late,"said the commissioner. "We're working this case off quickly. We willhave the murderer here in half an hour at the latest. He did not havemuch time to enjoy the stolen property. He was here in Vienna thismorning, and was arrested in Pressburg this afternoon. Here is thetelegram, read it."

  Dr. von Riedau handed Muller the message. The commissioner was evidentlypleased and excited. The telegram read as follows: "Man arrested here inpossession of described purse containing four ten gulden notes andfour guldens in silver. Arrested in store of second-hand clothes dealerGoldstamm. Will arrive this evening in Vienna under guard."

  The message was signed by the Chief of the Pressburg police.

  Muller laid the paper on the desk without a word. There was a watch onthis desk already; it was a heavy gold watch, unusually thick, with theinitials L. W. on the cover. Just as Muller laid down the telegram, adoor outside was opened and the commissioner covered the watch hastily.There was a loud knock at his own door and an attendant entered toannounce that the party from Pressburg had arrived He was followed byone of the Pressburg police force, who brought the official report.

  "Did you have any difficulty with him?" asked the commissioner.

  "Oh, no, sir; it was a very easy job. He made no resistance at all,and he seems to be quite sober now. But he hasn't said a word since wearrested him."

  Then followed the detailed report of the arrest, and the delivery of thedescribed pocketbook to the commissioner.

  "Is that all?" asked Dr. von Riedau.

  "Yes, sir."

  "Then you may go home now, we will take charge of the man."

  The policeman bowed and left the room. A few moments later the tramp wasbrought in, guarded by two armed roundsmen. His guards remained at thedoor, while the prisoner himself walked forward to the middle of theroom. Commissioner von Riedau sat at his desk, his clerk beside himready to take down the evidence. Muller sat near a window with a paperon his lap, looking the least interested of anybody in the proceedings.

  For a moment there was complete silence in the room, which was brokenin a rather unusual manner. A deep voice, more like a growl, althoughit had a queer strain of comic good-nature in it, began the proceedingswith the remark: "Well now, say, what do you want of me, anyway?"

  The commissioner looked at the man in astonishment, then turned asidethat the prisoner might not notice his smile. But he might have sparedhimself the trouble, for Muller, the clerk, and the two policemen at thedoor were all on a broad grin.

  Then the commissioner pulled himself together again, and began with hisusual official gravity: "It is I who ask questions here. Is it possiblethat you do not know this? You look to me as if you had had experiencein police courts before." The commissioner gazed at the prisoner witheyes that were not altogether friendly. The tramp seemed to feel this,and his own eyes dropped, while the good-natured impertinence inhis bearing disappeared. It was evidently the last remains of hisintoxication. He was now quite sober.

  "What is your name?" asked the commissioner.

  "Johann Knoll."

  "Where were you born?"

  "Near Brunn."

  "Your age?"

  "I'm--I'll be forty next Christmas."

  "Your religion?"

  "Well, you can see I'm no Jew, can't you?"

  "You will please answer my questions in a proper manner. Thisimpertinence will not make things easier for you."

  "All right, sir," said the tramp humbly. "I am a Catholic."

  "You have been in prison before?" This was scarcely a question.

  "No, sir," said Knoll firmly.

  "What is your business?"

  "I don't know what to say, sir," answered Knoll, shrugging hisshoulders. "I've done a lot of things in my life. I'm a cattle droverand a lumber man, and I--"

  "Did you learn any trade?"

  "No, sir, I never learned anything."

  "Do you mean to tell me that without having learned any trade you'vegotten through life thus far honestly?"

  "Oh, I've worked hard enough--I've worked good and hard sometimes."

  "The last few days particularly, eh?"

  "Why, no, sir, not these last days--I was drover on a transport of pigs;we brought 'em down from Hungary, 200 of 'em, to the slaughter househere."

  "When was that?"

  "That was--that was Monday."

  "This last Monday?"

  "Yes, sir.

  "And then you went to Hietzing?"

  "Yes, sir, that's right."

  "Why did you go to Hietzing?"

  "Why, see here, sir, if I had gone to Ottakring, then I suppose youwould have asked why did I go to Ottakring. I just went to Hietzing.A fellow has to go somewhere. You don't stay in the same spot all thetime, do you?"

  Again the commissioner turned his head and another smile went throughthe room. This Hietzing murderer had a sense of humour.

  "Well, then, we'll go to Hietzing again, in our minds at least," saidthe commissioner, turning back to Knoll when he had controlled hismerriment. "You went there on Monday, then--and the day was coming to anend. What did you do when you reached Hietzing?"

  "I looked about for a place to sleep."

  "Where did you look for a place to sleep?"

  "Why, in Hietzing."

  "That is not definite enough."

  "Well, in a garden."

  "You were trespassing, you mean?"

  "Why, yes, sir. There wasn't anybody that seemed to want to invite meto dinner or to give me a place to sleep. I just had to look out formyself."

  "You evidently know how to look out for yourself at the cost of others,a heavy cost." The commissioner's easy tone had changed to sternness.Knoll felt this, and a sharp gleam shot out from his dull little eyes,while the tone of his voice was gruff and impertinent again as he asked:"What do you mean by that?"

  "You know well enough. You had better not waste any more time, but tellus at once how you came into possession of this purse."

  "It's my purse," Knoll answered with calm impertinence. "I got it theway most people get it. I bought it."

  "This purse?" the commissioner emphasised both words distinctly.

  "This purse--yes," answered the tramp with a perfect imitation ofRiedau's voice. "Why shouldn't I have bought this purse just like anyother?"

  "Because you stole this purse from the man whom you--murdered," was thecommissioner's reply.

  There was another moment of dead silence in the room. The commissionerand Muller watched intently for any change of expression in the faceof the man who had just had such an accusation hurled at him. Even theclerk and the two policemen at the door were interested to see whatwould happen.

  Knoll's calm impertinence vanished, a deadly pallor spread over hisface, and he seemed frozen to stone. He attempted to speak, but was notable to control his voice. His hands were clenched and tremors shook hisgaunt but strong-muscled frame.

  "When did I murder anybody?" he gasped finally in a hoarse croak."You'll have to prove it to me that I am a murderer."

  "That is easily proved. Here is one of the proofs," said Riedan coldly,pointing to the purse. "The purse and the watch of the murdered man arefatal witnesses against you."

  "The watch? I haven't any watch. Where should I get a watch?"

  "You didn't have one until Monday, possibly; I can believe that. But youwere in possession of a watch between the evening of Monday, the 27th,and the morning of Wednesday, the 29th."

  Knoll's eyes dropped again and he did not trust himself to speak.

  "Well, you do not deny this statement?"

  "No, I can't," said Knoll, still trying to control his voice. "You musthave the watch yourself now, or else you wouldn't be so certain aboutit."

  "Ah, you see, I thought you'd had experience with police courts before,"said the commissioner amiably. "Of c
ourse I have the watch already.The man whom you sold it to this morning knew by three o'clock thisafternoon where this watch came from. He brought it here at once andgave us your description. A very exact description. The man will bebrought here to identify you to-morrow. We must send for him anyway, toreturn his money to him. He paid you fifty-two gulden for the watch. Andhow much money was in the purse that you took from the murdered man?"

  "Three gulden eighty-five."

  "That was a very small sum for which to commit a murder."

  Knoll groaned and bit his lips until they bled.

  Commissioner von Riedau raised the paper that covered the watch andcontinued: "You presumably recognised that the chain on which this watchhung was valueless, also that it could easily be recognised. Did youthrow it away, or have you it still?"

  "I threw it in the river."

  "That will not make any difference. We do not need the chain, we havequite enough evidence without it. The purse, for instance: you thought,I suppose, that it was just a purse like a thousand others, but it isnot. This purse is absolutely individual and easily recognised, becauseit is mended in one spot with yellow thread. The thread has becomeloosened and hangs down in a very noticeable manner. It was this yellowthread on the purse, which he happened to see by chance, that showed thedealer Goldstamm who it was that had entered his store."

  Knoll stood quite silent, staring at the floor. Drops of perspirationstood out on his forehead, some of them rolling like tears down hischeek.

  The commissioner rose from his seat and walked slowly to where theprisoner stood. He laid one hand on the man's shoulder and said in avoice that was quite gentle and kind again: "Johann Knoll, do notwaste your time, or ours, in thinking up useless lies. You are almostconvicted of this crime now. You have already acknowledged so much, thatthere is but little more for you to say. If you make an open confession,it will be greatly to your advantage."

  Again the room was quiet while the others waited for what would happen.For a moment the tramp stood silent, with the commissioner's right handresting on his shoulder. Then there was a sudden movement, a struggleand a shout, and the two policemen had overpowered the prisoner and heldhim firmly. Muller rose quickly and sprang to his chief's side. Riedauhad not even changed colour, and he said calmly: "Oh, never mind,Muller; sit down again. The man had handcuffs on and he is quite quietnow. I think he has sense enough to see that he is only harming himselfby his violence."

  The commissioner returned to his desk and Muller went back to his chairby the window. The prisoner was quiet again, although his face wore adark flush and the veins on throat and forehead were swollen thick. Hetrembled noticeably and the heavy drops besprinkled his brow.

  "I--I have something to say, sir," he began, "but first I want to begyour pardon--"

  "Oh, never mind that. I am not angry when a man is fighting for hislife, even if he doesn't choose quite the right way," answered thecommissioner calmly, playing with a lead pencil.

  Knoll's expression was defiant now. He laughed harshly and began again:"What I'm tellin' you now is the truth whether you believe it or not. Ididn't kill the man. I took the watch and purse from him. I thought hewas drunk. If he was killed, I didn't do it."

  "He was killed by a shot."

  "A shot? Why, yes, I heard a shot, but I didn't think any more about it,I didn't think there was anythin' doing, I thought somebody was shootin'a cat, or else-"

  "Oh, don't bother to invent things. It was a man who was shot at, theman whom you robbed. But go on, go on. I am anxious to hear what youwill tell me."

  Knoll's hands, clenched to fists and his eyes glowed in hate anddefiance. Then he dropped them to the floor again and began to talkslowly in a monotonous tone that sounded as if he were repeating alesson. His manner was rather unfortunate and did not tend to inducebelief in the truth of his story. The gist of what he said was asfollows:

  He had reached Hietzing on Monday evening about 8 o'clock. He wasthirsty, as usual, and had about two gulden in his possession, his wagesfor the last day's work. He turned into a tavern in Hietzing and ate anddrank until his money was all gone, and he had not even enough left topay for a night's lodging. But Knoll was not worried about that. He wasaccustomed to sleeping out of doors, and as this was a particularly fineevening, there was nothing in the prospect to alarm him. He setabout finding a suitable place where he would not be disturbed by theguardians of the law. His search led him by chance into a newly openedstreet. This suited him exactly. The fences were easy to climb, andthere were several little summer houses in sight which made much moreagreeable lodgings than the ground under a bush. And above all, thestreet was so quiet and deserted that he knew it was just the place forhim. He had never been in the street before, and did not know its name.He passed the four houses at the end of the street--he was on theleft sidewalk--and then he came to two fenced-in building lots. Theseinterested him. He was very agile, raised himself up on the fenceseasily and took stock of the situation. One of the lots did not appealto him particularly, but the second one did. It bordered on a largegarden, in the middle of which he could see a little house of some kind.It was after sunset but he could see things quite plainly yet for theair was clear and the moon was just rising. He saw also that in thevacant lot adjoining the garden, a lot which appeared to have beena garden itself once, there was a sort of shed. It looked very muchdamaged but appeared to offer shelter sufficient for a fine night.

  The shed stood on a little raise of the ground near the high iron fencethat protected the large garden. Knoll decided that the shed would makea good place to spend the night. He climbed the fence easily and walkedacross the lot. When he was just settling himself for his nap, he heardthe clock on a near-by church strike nine. The various drinks he had hadfor supper put him in a mood that would not allow him to get to sleepat once. The bench in the old shed was decidedly rickety and veryuncomfortable, and as he was tossing about to find a good position, athought came into his mind which he acknowledged was not a commendableone. It occurred to him that if he pursued his investigations in theneighbourhood a little further, he might be able to pick up somethingthat would be of advantage to him on his wanderings. His eyes and histhoughts were directed towards the handsome house which he could seebeyond the trees of the old garden.

  The moon was now well up in the sky and it shone brightly on themansard roof of the fine old mansion. The windows of the long wing whichstretched out towards the garden glistened in the moonbeams, and thelight coloured wall of the house made a bright background for the darkmask of trees waving gently in the night breeze. Knoll's little shed wassufficiently raised on its hillock for him to have a good view of thegarden. There was no door to the shed and he could see the neighbouringproperty clearly from where he lay on his bench. While he lay therewatching, he saw a woman walking through the garden. He could see heronly when she passed back of or between the lower shrubs and bushes.As far as he could see, she came from the main building and was walkingtowards a pretty little house which lay in the centre of the garden.Knoll had imagined this house to be the gardener's dwelling and as itlay quite dark he supposed the inmates were either asleep or out for theevening. It had been this house which he was intending to honour by avisit. But seeing the woman walking towards it, he decided it would notbe safe to carry out his plan just yet awhile.

  A few moments later he was certain that this last decision had been awise one, for he saw a man come from the main building and walk alongthe path the woman had taken. "No, nothing doing there," thought Knoll,and concluded he had better go to sleep. He could not remember just howlong he may have dozed but it seemed to him that during that time hehad heard a shot. It did not interest him much. He supposed some onewas shooting at a thieving cat or at some small night animal. He didnot even remember whether he had been really sound asleep, before he wasaroused by the breaking down of the bench on which he lay. The noise ofit more than the shock of the short fall, awoke him and he sprang up inalarm and listened intently to hear whether any o
ne had been attractedby it. His first glance was towards the building behind the garden.There was no sound nor no light in the garden house but there was alight in the main building. While the tramp was wondering what hour itmight be, the church clock answered him by ten loud strokes.

  His head was already aching from the wine and he did not feelcomfortable in the drafty old building. He came out from it, crept alongto the spot where he had climbed the fence before, and after listeningcarefully and hearing nothing on either side, he climbed back to theroad. The Street lay silent and empty, which was just what he was hopingfor. He held carefully to the shadow thrown by the high board fence overwhich he had climbed until he came to its end. Then he remembered thathe hadn't done anything wrong and stepped out boldly into the moonlight.The moon was well up now and the street was almost as light as day.Knoll was attracted by the queer shadows thrown by a big elder tree,waving its long branches in the wind. As he came nearer he saw that partof the shadow was no shadow at all but was the body of a man lying inthe street near the bush. "I thought sure he was drunk" was the wayKnoll described it. "I've been like that myself often until somebodycame along and found me."

  When he came to this spot in his story, he halted and drew a longbreath. Commissioner von Riedau had begun to make some figures on thepaper in front of him, then changed the lines until the head of a prettywoman in a fur hat took shape under his fingers.

  "Well, go on," he said, looking with interest at his drawing andimproving it with several quick strokes.

  Johann Knoll continued:

  "Then the devil came over me and I thought I better take this goodopportunity--well--I did. The man was lying on his back and I saw awatch chain on his dark vest. I bent over him and took his watchand chain. Then I felt around in his pocket and found his purse. Andthen--well then I felt sorry for him lying out in the open road likethat, and I thought I'd lift him up and put him somewhere where he couldsleep it off more convenient. But I didn't see there was a little ditchthere and I stumbled over it and dropped him. 'It's a good thing he's sodrunk that even this don't wake him up,' I thought, and ran off. Then Ithought I heard something moving and I was scared stiff, but there wasnothing in the street at all. I thought I had better take to the fieldsthough and I crossed through some corn and then out onto another street.Finally I walked into the city, stayed there till this morning, sold thewatch, then went to Pressburg."

  "So that was the way it was," said the commissioner, pushing his drawingaway from him and motioning to the policemen at the door. "You may takethis man away now," he added in a voice of cool indifference, withoutlooking at the prisoner.

  Knoll's head drooped and he walked out quietly between his two guards.The clock on the office wall struck eleven.

  "Dear me! what a lot of time the man wasted," said the commissioner,putting the report of the proceedings, the watch and the purse in adrawer of his desk. "When anybody has been almost convicted of a crime,it's really quite unnecessary to invent such a long story."

  A few minutes later, the room was empty and Muller, as the last of thegroup, walked slowly down the stairs. He was in such a brown study thathe scarcely heard the commissioner's friendly "goodnight," nor did henotice that he was walking down the quiet street under a star-gildedsky. "Almost convicted--almost. Almost?" Muller's lips murmured whilehis head was full of a chaotic rush of thought, dim pictures that cameand went, something that seemed to be on the point of bringing lightinto the darkness, then vanishing again. "Almost--but not quite. Thereis something here I must find out first. What is it? I must know--"