FRANCISCO SILVA
It was not quite ten o'clock when Godfrey and I turned in at the gates
of Elmhurst, next morning, and made our way up the drive to the house,
but in the library we found a considerable company already assembled.
Goldberger was there, with Freylinghuisen his physician, his clerk,
his stenographer, and the men who were to constitute the jury;
Simmonds was there, and with him was an alert little man in glasses,
who, Godfrey told me in an aside, was Sylvester, the head of the
Identification Bureau, and the greatest expert on finger-prints in
America. The district attorney had sent up an assistant, also with a
stenographer, and altogether the room was decidedly crowded.
It became impossible a moment later, when a string of automobiles
puffed up the drive and disgorged a mob of reporters and
photographers. As many as the room would hold pushed into it, and the
others stood outside in the drive and complained loudly. The
complaints of the photographers were especially varied and forceful.
Goldberger looked around him in despair, mopping his face angrily,
for the crowded room was very hot.
"You fellows will have to get out of here," he said to the reporters.
"There's no room. I'll give you a transcript of the proceedings after
they're over."
The protests redoubled. How were they to get any human interest out of
a transcript? Besides, there were the photographers. What did he
expect them to do--photograph the transcript? And finally, the law
required that the hearing be public, so they had a right to be
present. It was a tense moment, the more so since Goldberger was by no
means insensible of the value of newspaper popularity to a man in
public life.
"Why not go out on the lawn?" Godfrey suggested. "It's only a question
of moving some chairs and tables, and the boys will all lend a hand."
The boys applauded, almost forgiving Godfrey his scoop, protested
their entire willingness to lend two hands if necessary, and, when
Goldberger nodded his approval, fell to work with a will. The lower
floor of the house was denuded, the garden seats pressed into service,
and at the end of five minutes, the court was established amid the
circle of trees, the reporters had their coats off and their pipes
lighted, the photographers ditto and their cameras placed. Good humour
was restored; peace reigned; and Goldberger smiled again, for he knew
that the adjectives with which the reporters would qualify his name
would be complimentary ones!
He took his place, rapped for order, and instructed his clerk to swear
the jury. Nobody paid much attention to the jury, for it was a
recognised device for paying small political debts, and its verdict
was usually in strict accord with the wishes of the presiding officer.
Then Goldberger looked at the vacant chair which I had kept beside me.
"By the way, Mr. Lester," he said, "I don't see Mr. Swain."
"He had to go back to the city last night," I explained, "to get some
fresh clothes. He had an errand or two to do this morning, and may
have been detained. I left word at the house for him to come over here
at once."
"You seem to have a good deal of confidence in him," Goldberger
remarked.
"I have," I answered quietly. "A great deal."
Goldberger frowned a little, but proceeded to open the case without
further delay. Godfrey was the first witness, and told his story much
as he had told it the night before. I followed him, but contributed no
new details. Both of us were excused without cross-examination.
To my great satisfaction, Swain arrived while I was testifying, and I
could not deny myself a triumphant glance at Goldberger, but he was
studying some memoranda and affected not to notice it. As soon as I
left the stand, Swain came and sat down beside me and gave me a
letter. It was addressed to Miss Vaughan.
"It's from Mrs. Royce," he said. "She's a trump! She's determined that
Marjorie shall come to her. She says if you don't bring her, she'll
come after her herself. Do you know how she is this morning?"
"No," I said; "I haven't seen Hinman. But how are you?"
"Oh, I'm all right again--head a little sore yet where I bumped
it--but otherwise as fit as a fiddle."
"You look it!" I said; and I was glad, because I wanted him to make a
good impression on the stand. I knew what weight appearances often
had; and no jury, I told myself, would believe that this bright-eyed,
fresh-coloured boy could have had any hand in a brutal murder.
Just then Hinman's name was called, and an officer hurried away to the
house after him. They returned together almost at once, and Hinman was
placed on the stand. He told of being summoned by Godfrey, and of the
events which followed. He said that the murder had been committed
about midnight, that death had been due to strangulation; and
identified the cord and the blood-stained handkerchief which the
coroner submitted to him. I fancied that Swain lost a little of his
colour when he saw the handkerchief and learned where it had been
found, but he made no remark.
"Will Miss Vaughan be able to testify?" Goldberger inquired, just
before the doctor stepped down.
"Unless it is absolutely necessary, I think she would better be
excused," Hinman answered. "She is still very nervous. The ordeal
might cause a serious collapse."
"We will try to get along without her," assented Goldberger. "If
necessary, I can take her deposition. Is she in bed?"
"Yes; I am keeping her as quiet as possible."
"Very well; we won't disturb her," said Goldberger, and Hinman was
excused, and Freylinghuisen called. He merely testified to the cause
of death and that the autopsy had shown that the deceased was in fair
health and without organic disease.
Then the servants were called, but their evidence was unimportant.
They had gone to bed about ten o'clock, and had not awakened until the
coroner himself had pounded at the door. They had heard no unusual
sound. Yes, they had slept with their doors locked and windows
shuttered because that was the rule of the house. Yes, even in the
hottest weather; that made no difference, since each of their rooms
was fitted with a ventilator.
Questioned as to the manner of life of the other inmates of the house,
the German and his wife were non-committal. They had been with the
family a long time; had taken care of the place when their master was
abroad; only after his return had it been necessary to get another
servant. He had been at home for a year, and the Hindus had arrived
about six months later. Yes, they knew their master was studying some
strange religion, but that was no affair of theirs, and they had never
seen anything wrong. He had always treated them well; was a little
strange and absent-minded at times; but neither of them really saw
much of him. He never interfered in the household affairs, Miss
Vaughan giving such instructions as were necessary. The man spent most
of his time in the grounds, and the woman in the kitchen. She was a
little petulant over the fact that one of the Hindus--the "ugly
one"--refused to eat her cooking, but insisted on preparing his own
food. Also, the housemaid had told her that there was a snake, but she
had never seen it.
From the Irish housemaid a little more information was obtained.
Neither Mr. Vaughan nor the yogi ate any breakfast; indeed, they
rarely left their rooms before noon. The other Hindu mixed himself up
some sort of mess over the kitchen stove. Miss Vaughan breakfasted
alone at nine o'clock. At such times, she was accustomed to talk over
household affairs with the maid, and after breakfast would visit the
kitchen and make a tour of the grounds and garden. The remainder of
her day would be spent in reading, in playing the piano, in doing
little household tasks, or in walking about the grounds with her
father. Yes, sometimes the yogi would join them, and there would be
long discussions. After dinner, in the library, there would also be
long discussions, but the girl had no idea what they were about. She
heard a fragment of them occasionally, but had never been able to make
anything of them. In fact, from the way they dressed and all, she had
come to the conclusion that Mr. Vaughan and the yogi were both a
little crazy, but quite inoffensive and harmless.
"And how about Miss Vaughan?" asked the coroner.
"Miss Vaughan, bless her heart, wasn't crazy," said the girl quickly;
"not a bit of it. She was just sad and lonely,--as who wouldn't be!
She never went out--in the five months I've been here, she's never
been off the place; and them front gates was never opened to let
anybody in. The only people who come in were the grocer and milk-man
and such-like, through the little door at the side."
"You say you have been here five months?"
"Yes, sir."
"How did you come to apply for the place?"
"I didn't apply for it. I was sent here by an employment bureau. Miss
Marjorie engaged me. I didn't see the Hindus till afterwards, or I
don't think I'd have took it. After that, I stayed for Miss Marjorie's
sake."
"You thought she needed you?"
"Yes, I did. With her father moonin' round in a kind of trance, and
the yogi lookin' at her with eyes like live coals, and a snake that
stood on its tail, and the other naygur going around with nothin' on
but a diaper, I thought she needed somebody to look after her; and
says I, 'Annie Crogan, you're the girl to do it!'"
There was a ripple of laughter and the pencils of the reporters flew
across their paper. It was the first gleam to enliven a prosaic and
tiresome hearing.
"Were the Hindus obtrusive in any way?" asked the coroner.
"Oh, no; they minded their business; I've no complaint on that
score."
"Did you see any of their religious practices?"
"I wouldn't call them religious--quite the contrary. I've seen them
wavin' their arms and bowin' to the sun and settin' in the dark
starin' at a glass globe with a light in it; that's about all. I got
used to it, after a while, and just went on about my work without
takin' any notice."
There was little more to be got from her, and finally she was excused.
The reporters yawned. The jury twitched nervously. Worthington Vaughan
was dead; he had been strangled--so much was clear; but not a
scintilla of evidence had as yet been introduced as to who had
strangled him. Then a movement of interest ran through the crowd, for
a policeman came from the direction of the house accompanied by two
strange figures. One was the yogi, in robes of dazzling white; the
other his attendant, wearing something more than a diaper, indeed, but
with his thin brown legs bare.
The yogi bowed to Goldberger with grave courtesy, and, at a word from
the attendant policeman, sat down in the witness-chair. Everybody was
leaning forward looking at him, and the cameras were clicking in
chorus, but he seemed scarcely aware of the circle of eager faces.
"Hold up your right hand, please," began Goldberger, after
contemplating him for a moment.
"For what purpose?" asked the yogi.
"I'm going to swear you."
"I do not understand."
"I'm going to put you on oath to tell nothing but the truth,"
explained the coroner.
"An oath is unnecessary," said the yogi with a smile. "To speak the
truth is required by my religion."
There was something impressive in the words, and Goldberger slowly
lowered his arm.
"What is your name?" he asked.
"Francisco Silva."
"You are not a Hindu?"
"I am of their faith."
"But by birth?"
"I am a Portuguese."
"Born in India?"
"Born at Goa."
The coroner paused. He had never heard of Goa. Neither had I. Neither,
I judged, had any one else present. In this, however, I was wrong.
Godfrey had heard of it, and afterwards referred me to Marryat's
"Phantom Ship" as his source of information.
"Goa," Silva explained, seeing our perplexity, "is a colony owned by
Portugal on the Malabar coast, some distance below Bombay."
"How does it come that you speak English so well?"
"I was educated at Bombay, and afterwards at Oxford and at Paris."
"But you are by religion a Hindu?"
"I am a Saiva--a follower of Siva, the Lord of life and death."
As he spoke, he touched his forehead with the fingers of his left
hand. There was a moment's silence. Goldberger's moustache, I noted
with a smile, was beginning to suffer again.
"You are what is called an adept?" he asked, at last.
"Some may call me that," said Silva, "but incorrectly. Among my fellow
Saivas, I am known as a White Priest, a yogi, a teacher of the law."
"Mr. Vaughan was your pupil?"
"Yes; for six months he was my pupil."
"In what way did you come to accept this position?"
"Two years ago, Mr. Vaughan visited the monastery of our order in
Crete. He was at that time merely a student of Orientalism, and came
to us from curiosity. But his interest grew; and after a year spent in
studying the holy books, he asked that a teacher be sent to him. There
was none at that time who could be spared; but six months ago, having
completed a task which had occupied me in Paris, I was assigned to
this."
"Do you always go to so much trouble to secure converts?" questioned
Goldberger, a little cynically.
"Usually we require that the period of study be passed at one of our
monasteries. But this case was exceptional."
"In what way?"
"It was our hope," explained the yogi, calmly, "that Mr. Vaughan would
assist us in spreading the Great Truth by endowing a monastery for us
in this country."
"Ah!" and Goldberger looked at him. "Did he agree to do so?"
"He did," answered the yogi, still more calmly. "This estate was to
have been given to us for that purpose, together with an endowment
sufficient to maintain it. Mr. Vaughan himself hoped to gain the White
Robe and become a teacher."
"What was to become of his daughter?"
"It was his hope that she would become a priestess of our order."
"You hoped so, too, no doubt?" inquired Goldberger sweetly.
"I did. It is an office of high honour and great influence. She would
walk all her days in the shadow of the Holy One. So sweet a cup is
offered to few women. The number of priestesses is limited to nine."
Goldberger pulled at his moustache helplessly. Evidently the witness's
calm self-control was not to be broken down, or even ruffled.
"Please tell me where you were night before last," said the coroner,
finally.
"I was in this house."
"Did you see Mr. Vaughan?"
"I did not."
"How did you spend the night?"
"In contemplation. It was, as I have told you, the White Night of
Siva, sacred to him from sunset to sunrise."
"Do you mean that you spent the whole night sitting before that
crystal?" asked the coroner, incredulously.
"That is my meaning."
"You know nothing, then, of the death of Mr. Vaughan?"
"I saw his soul pass in the night. More than that I know not."
Again Goldberger twitched at his moustache. He was plainly at a loss
how to proceed.
"Was your attendant with you?" he asked, at last.
"He was in his closet."
"At his devotions too, perhaps?"
"The White Night of Siva is also the Black Night of Kali," said the
yogi, gravely, as one rebuking an unworthy levity.
"What do you mean by that?" Goldberger demanded.
"Mahbub is of the cult of Kali, who is the wife of Siva," said the
yogi, touching his forehead reverently as he spoke the words. "He
spent the night in adoration of her attributes."
Goldberger's stenographer was having his difficulties; the pencils of
the reporters were racing wildly in unison; everyone was listening
with strained attention; there was, somehow, a feeling in the air that
something was about to happen. I saw Godfrey write a line upon a sheet
of paper, fold it, and toss it on the table in front of Goldberger.
The coroner opened it, read the line, and stared at the impassive
Mahbub, who stood beside his master with folded arms, staring over the
heads of the crowd.
"In other words," said Goldberger, slowly, "your attendant is a Thug."
The yogi bowed.
"Yes," he said, calmly; "Mahbub is Thuggee."