"My name is Babette Graumann, and I live
with my nephew, Albert Graumann, engineering expert, in the village
of Grunau, which is not far from the city of G--. My nephew Albert,
the dearest, truest--" sobs threatened to overcome her again, but
she mastered them bravely. "Albert is now in prison, accused of
the murder of his friend, John Siders, in the latter's lodgings
in G--."
"Yes, that is the gist of what you have already told me," said the
commissioner. "Muller, Miss Graumann believes her nephew innocent,
contrary to the opinion of the local authorities in G--. She has
come to ask for some one from here who could ferret out the truth
of this matter. You are free now, and if we find that it can be
done without offending the local authorities--"
"Who is the commissioner in charge of the case in G--?" asked Muller.
"Commissioner Lange is his name, I believe," replied Miss Graumann.
"H'm!" Muller and the commissioner exchanged glances.
"I think we can venture to hear more of this," said the commissioner,
as if in answer to their unspoken thought. "Can you give us the
details now, Madam? Who is, or rather who was, this John Siders?"
"John Siders came to our village a little over a year ago," continued
Miss Graumann. "He came from Chicago; he told us, although he was
evidently a German by birth. He bought a nice little piece of
property, not far from our home, and settled down there.
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