two in the morning
Witness had been private secretary to his partner , Mr. Isidore Bamberger , and while so employed Mr. Van Torp had fired a revolver at him in his private office in a fit of passion about a message witness was sent to deliver . Two clerks in a neighbouring room had heard the shot . Believing Mr. Van Torp to be mad , witness had said nothing at the time , but had left Mr. Bamberger soon afterwards . It was always said that , several years ago , on board of his steam yacht , Mr. Van Torp had once violently pulled a friend who was on board out of his berth at two in the morning , and had dragged him on deck , saying that he must throw him overboard and drown him , as the only way of saving his soul . The watch on deck had had great difficulty in overpowering Mr. Van Torp , who was very strong . With regard to the late Miss Bamberger the witness thought that Mr. Van Torp had killed her to get rid of her , because she was in possession of facts that would ruin him if they were known and because she had threatened to reveal them to her father . If she had done so , Van Torp would have been completely in his partner 's power .