t outside the
inclosure, with her face half-hid by her hand.

A sigh of relief swelled from the crowd. Paul Brauner sobbed.

"Why, she's our witness!" exclaimed Hanlon, forgetting himself.

The magistrate rapped sharply, and, looking toward the woman, said,
"Stand up, Madam. Officer, assist her!"

The court officer lifted her to her feet. Her hand dropped and
revealed the drawn, twitching face of Sophie Liebers.

"Your Honor," said Hanlon hurriedly, "that is the woman upon whose
statement we made our case. She told us she saw Hilda Brauner coming
from the family entrance just before the alarm was given."

"Are you sure she's the woman you saw?" said the magistrate to Wielert.
"Be careful what you say."

"That's her," answered Wielert. "I see her often. She live across the
street from Meinert's."

"Officer, bring the woman forward," commanded the magistrate.

Sophie, blue with terror, was almost dragged to the platform beside
Hilda. Hilda looked stunned, dazed.

"Speak out!" ordered the magistrate.

"You have heard what this witness testified."

Sophie was weeping violently. "It's all a mistake," she cried in a
low, choked voice. "I was scared. I didn't mean to tell the police
Hilda was there. I was afraid they'd think I did it if I didn't say
something."

"Tell us what you saw." The magistrate's voice was severe. "We want
the whole truth."

"I was at our window. And I saw Hilda come along and go in at the
family entrance over at Meinert's. And I'd seen Mr. Feuerstein go in
the front door about an hour before. Hilda came out and went away.
She looked so queer that I wanted to see. I ran across the street and
looked in. Mr. Feuerstein was sitting there with a knife in his hand.
And all at once he stood up and stabbed himself in the neck--and there
was blood--and he fell--and--I ran away."

"And did the police come to you and threaten you?" asked the magistrate.

"Your Honor," protested Captain Hanlon with an injured air, "SHE came
to US."

"Is that true?" asked the magistrate of Sophie.

Sophie wept loudly. "Your Honor," Hanlon went on, "she came to me and
said it was her duty to tell me, though it involved her friend. She
said positively that this girl went in, stayed several minutes, then
came out looking very strange, and that immediately afterward there was
the excitement. Of course, we believed her."

"Of course," echoed the magistrate ironically. "It gave you an
opportu