"Tell us, please, what you know of the circumstances attending the
murder of Mrs Inglewood."
The witness twirled his moustache nervously, and glanced at me; then, as
he saw my eyes fixed upon him, he scowled and turned away.
Yes. I felt convinced it was he. I could see guilt written upon his
face.
"The story is a rather long one, and there are some matters which I
cannot explain; however, I will tell you what occurred on the night in
question. The murdered woman, who, for certain reasons, assumed the
name of Mrs Inglewood, was my wife. She was called Rina Beranger
before I married her, a schoolfellow of my sister's, at Warsaw. After
our marriage it was imperative she should live in England, and for that
reason she left me. I resumed my position, that of an officer of
Cossacks, and for a year we were parted. At last I obtained leave and
travelled from St Petersburg to London. I landed at Hull on the
afternoon of the fifteenth of August, and at once telegraphed to my wife
announcing that I should arrive about midnight."
"Did you sign that telegram?" asked Mr Roland.
"With my initial only."
"Is that the message?" counsel asked, handing up the telegram which had
been put in as evidence against me.
"Yes; it is."
"I would point out, your lordship," observed Mr Roland, "that the
letter B. stands for Boris, as well as Burgoyne, the prisoner."
Continuing, the witness said: "I arrived home soon after twelve at
night, and was admitted by the woman I see sitting in the well of the
Court. Supper was laid in an upstairs room, and my wife, who I thought
appeared unusually nervous, called for it to be served at once. I do
not remember how long we sat together talking; it might have been a
couple of hours for aught I know. My wife was telling me certain
things, which it is unnecessary to repeat here, they being purely
business matters, when suddenly she recollected that she had a letter to
give me. It was downstairs in the drawing-room, she said, and begging
me to remain where I was she left the room, closing the door."
"Was this only a ruse on her part?" asked the judge.
"I'm afraid so. She--she did not return," he continued, with a sign of
emotion. "After she had been absent five or six minutes I heard a
shrill scream, and then a sound like the smashing of glass. At first I
believed that the servant had fallen with a tray, and fully expected my
wife to return and relate the occurrence; but as she did not come I
opened the door and listened. All was silent. The terrible quiet
unmanned me. I called to her, but there was no response, then,
suspecting that some accident had happened, I dashed downstairs and
entered the room--"
"And what did you find?" counsel inquired.
The witness appeared overcome with agitation, which he strove to
repress. But was it only feigned?
"There--I saw my wife--lying on the floor--murdered!"
"How did you act immediately after discovering the crime?"
"I--I fled from the house," he stammered.
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
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