Evidence | Page 4

evidence th' other way. I want t' point out two things about this heah
case. Th' first is that Harry Temple has got money in bank, an' th'
second is that he never disputed a single thing Harkness said about him.
You know, an' I know, that a man with money in bank ain't goin' aroun'
doin' highway robbery an' murder. He cain't affo'd to. You jus' think
about that a while.
"An' heah's somethin' else t' think about. Did you notice that Harry
Temple said right off that he done jus' what Harkness said? Now ef he'd
shot ol' Abe Martin, you know he'd've tried t' make some o' that stuff
soun' jus' a little less incriminatin'. He'd've said he didn't go in th' house,
jus' to th' door an' knocked, and he'd've tried t' weaken eve'ything
Harkness said, jus' that way.
"But he didn't. He's tellin' th' truth so hard he cain't seem t' see it's

puttin' a rope aroun' his neck, in spite of his bein' jus' as innocent as he
says. As for his puttin' somethin' in his breas'-pocket, nobody puts
money theah--an' especially stolen money -- but mos' everybody puts
theah handkerchief theah."
"But--that ain't evidence," said the coroner disappointedly. "I tho't you
had some fac's t' give us."
"I'll give you one fac'," Jimmy offered. "Harry Temple didn' shoot Abe
Martin. Looka heah, Harkness himself don't believe he did. Do you?"
he demanded, turning to that person.
Harkness sat stolidly in his chair.
"You heard what I said," he grunted. "You heard what I seen him do."
"Sho I did," Jimmy admitted readily, "but you know he didn' shoot
Abe."
Jimmy seemed to be making a fool of himself. I tugged at his sleeve for
him to sit down, but he paid no attention.
"What do you mean?" demanded Harkness suspiciously.
"Nothin' whatever," said Jimmy with a gentleness I suddenly
recognized as dangerous. "Nothin' whatever, excep' what I said. You
know Harry Temple didn' shoot Abe."
"You mean t' tell me I'm lyin'," snapped Harkness angrily.
"No," said Jimmy in a cooing drawl. "Nothin' so harmless. I'm accusin'
you o' somethin' a damn sight mo' dangerous than lyin'. I'm accusin'
you o' tellin' th' truth-- th' exact truth."
There was a puzzled pause. I noticed, however, that Harkness was
watching Jimmy with a curious alertness.
"It's always mo' dangerous t' tell th' truth in a case like this, Harkness,"
said Jimmy, still in that gentle drawl. "You tol' th' absolute truth about

what you saw Harry do, an' that's th' mos' dangerous thing you could've
told, because there ain't but one man could've tol' that.
"Misteh Coroner, ef you'll look out o' the window, you'll see jus' wheah
Harry Temple walked down th' kitchen steps, jus' wheah he went back
to th' stables, jus' wheah he went into th' big barn, an' jus' wheah he got
a drink. An' then, ef you look, you'll see wheah he stopped his car, so
Harkness could see that it had a self-starter on it, instead of a crank."
I saw a light break on the coroner's face, as he looked from place to
place in the yard behind the house. He faced about, just as Jimmy
deliberately pulled a revolver out of his pocket.
"Harkness tol' th' truth," said Jimmy softly. "He tol' th' absolute truth,
but--theh ain't but one place you can see all them things from. With all
them barns outside, theh ain't but one place that you c'n see th' do' of th'
stables, an' th' big barn an' th' pump by th' quarters an' th' kitchen do' all
at once. An' theh wasn't but one man in th' world who could've seen
Harry Temple do all them things, because theh wasn't but one man in
that place.
"Th' only place you c'n see all them places from is this heah room, an'
th' only man in th' house when Harry Temple did them things was th'
man who'd shot Abe Martin an' hadn't had time t' get away when Harry
Temple come drivin' in!
"Harkness"--Jimmy's voice was suddenly like steel--"ef you pull that
gun on me I'll blow a hole right th'ough th' place yo' brains ought t' be!"

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