is. Now I'm in a position as superintendent of a flat building to
know a lot about what goes on among the bachelor tenants. I ain't
sayin' that the prisoner didn't go to Mr. What's-His-Name's flat
without an invitation. You bet your life he wasn't expected, if my
guess is correct. I tell you what I think,--and my opinion ought to
be worth a lot, lemme tell you,--I think there's something back of
all this that wasn't brought out in the trial. Now here's something
I bet not one of you fellers has thought about. What evidence is
there that this Chancy woman is that deaf man's sister? Not a blamed
word of evidence, except their own statement. She ain't his sister
any more than I am. Did you ever see two people that looked less
like they was related to each other? You bet you didn't. Now I got a
hunch that the prisoner follered her to that guy's apartment. What
for, I don't know. Maybe for blackmail. He got onto what was goin'
on, and makes up his mind to rake in a nice bunch of hush-money.
That's been done a couple of times in the apartment buildin' I'm
superintendent of. A feller I had workin' for me as a porter cleaned
up five or six hundred dollars that way, he told me. This robbery
business sounds mighty fishy to me. Now I'm only tellin' you the way
the thing looks to me. I don't think that woman is Wollop's sister
any more than she is mine. It's a frame-up, the whole thing is. Look
at the way this Wollop says he tied her up and all that.
Humph!--Can't you fellers see through this whole business? He tied
her up so's the police would find her tied up, that's what he done.
The chances are she's some woman customer of his that's got stuck on
him, tryin' hats and all that,--and maybe gettin' all the hats she
wants for nothin',--and this feller Smilk he gets onto the game and
goes out for a little money. See what I mean?"

So loud and so furious was the discussion that followed the