The Holladay Case | Page 6

the coroner.
"He was lying forward on the desk, with his arms outstretched and his
head to one side."
"And there was a great deal of blood?"
"Oh, a great deal! Someone, apparently, had attempted to check it, for a
little distance away there was a handkerchief soaked in blood."
The coroner picked up a handkerchief and handed it to the witness.
"Is that the handkerchief?" he asked.
"Yes, sir," said Rogers, after a moment.
"Is it a man's or a woman's handkerchief?"
"Oh, a woman's undoubtedly."
The jury examined it and so did we. It was a small square of fine
cambric with no mark that I could see, soaked through and through
with blood--unquestionably a woman's handkerchief. Then Rogers told
the rest of the story--how he had summoned aid and informed the
police.
"Now, Mr. Rogers," said the coroner, when he had finished, "there is
one point more. Has there been anything in your knowledge of Mr.
Holladay or his business to suggest the idea of suicide?"
The witness shook his head decidedly.
"Nothing whatever, sir," he said positively. "His business was
prospering; he was happy and contented--why, he was planning for a

trip abroad with his daughter."
"Let us suppose for a moment," continued Goldberg, "that he did
actually stab himself in his daughter's presence; what would you
naturally expect her to do?"
"I should expect her to give the alarm--to summon aid," replied Rogers.
"Certainly--unquestionably," and Goldberg nodded to my chief. "I turn
the witness over to you, Mr. Royce," he said.
"Now, Mr. Rogers," began our junior impressively, "you know, of
course, that this whole case hinges, at present, on your identification of
the woman who, presumably, was in Mr. Holladay's office when he
was stabbed. I want to be very sure of that identification. Will you tell
me how she was dressed?"
The witness paused for a moment's thought.
"She wore a dress of very dark red," he said at last, "with some sort of
narrow dark trimming--black, possibly. That's all I can tell you about
it."
"And the hat?"
"I didn't notice the hat, sir. I only glanced at her."
"But in that glance, Mr. Rogers, did you see nothing unusual--nothing
which suggested to your mind that possibly it might not be Miss
Holladay?"
"Nothing, sir."
"Some change of demeanor, perhaps; of expression?"
The witness hesitated.
"I thought she was looking not quite so well as usual," he said slowly.
"She seemed a little pale and worried."

"Ah! It was dark in the office, was it not, at five o'clock yesterday
afternoon?"
"We had turned on the lights half an hour before, sir."
"Is your office well lighted?"
"I have a light over my desk, sir, and there's another on the wall."
"So you could not see your visitor's face with absolute clearness?"
"No, sir; but quite clearly enough to recognize her," he added doggedly.
"Yet you thought her looking pale and worried."
"Yes, sir; that was my impression."
"And when she asked for Mr. Holladay, did she use the words 'my
father,' as your evidence would suggest?"
Again the witness hesitated in the effort at recollection.
"No, sir," he answered finally. "Her words, I think, were, 'Is Mr.
Holladay engaged at present?'"
"It was Miss Holladay's voice?"
"I could not say, sir," answered the witness, again mopping the
perspiration from his forehead. "I have no wish to incriminate Miss
Holladay unnecessarily. I'm not sufficiently well acquainted with her
voice to swear to it."
"Well, when you answered her question in the negative, did she hesitate
before entering the private office?"
"No, sir; she went straight to it."
"Is there any lettering on the door?"

"Oh, yes, the usual lettering, 'Private Office.'"
"So that, even if she were not acquainted with the place, she might still
have seen where to go?"
"Yes, sir; I suppose so."
"And you stated, too, I believe, that you could have heard no sound of
an altercation in the private office, had one occurred?"
"No, sir; I could have heard nothing."
"You have been with Mr. Holladay a long time, I believe, Mr. Rogers?"
"Over thirty years, sir."
"And you are intimately acquainted with his affairs?"
"Yes, sir."
"Now, Mr. Rogers, have you ever, in all these years, ran across
anything--any item of expenditure, any correspondence, anything
whatever--which would lead you to think that Mr. Holladay was a
victim of blackmail, or that he had ever had a liaison with a woman?"
"No, sir!" cried the witness. "No, sir! I'm willing to swear that such a
thing is not possible. I should inevitably have found it out had it
existed."
"That will do for the present," said Mr. Royce. "I shall want to recall
the witness, however, sir."
The coroner nodded, and Rogers stepped down, still trembling from the
effects of