Oxford Democrat. [volume] (Paris, Me.) 1833-1933, 1862-08-29
MIS- CELLAN Y.
From the New York Ail..
THE SECRET STRANGERS.
A London Mystery.

THE SECRET STRANGERS.
A London Mystery.
Insidc OF the last ten years, some may re.
member how the newspapers Of the me,roP.
oils, and q msgaline. too. tsemed with par.
agrapbs with startling headings. on account
Of the numerous drowned men whose bod.
les had been discovered floating In the ed
dies OF the Thames formed by hcarily-laden
barges obstructins the tide. or tossed hall
out Of water or submerged by waves. even
as far out as the Downs. The frequency oi
such cases. combined with the fact tha.
every victim was person Of some standing
either IN Great Britain or on the Continent
(ior one had been secretary OF the French
Ambassador,) called down storm OF in.
digna,iou upon the authorities for no. put
ting q stop to this Wholesale taking OF life,
and bringing the guilty one. to justice.
Every member OF the detective force iha,
were no, otherwise engaged, at least. eighty
OF us. took the field, - TO say. according to
orders. Our honor was concerned in sue.
ccssful termination Of the affair.
I selected friend who bore some resem.
blancc to me. and travelling US quietly a.
possible. We passed into France, and through
Paris 10 Nancy. where We s,ah several
weeks. Then, after having our mous,ach.
los ,hinned 20 the then Parls fashion. and
playing the cadet Of the family with an
elder brother out for sight Of The world,
we returned 10 London. never once speak.
ing tie mother tongue all the way. Tor pre-.
cauuou's sake.
Once IN the metropolis. We took apart
men,s a, q stylish hotel, and mixed IN with
the station from which the victims Of the
.ecre, murdcrers had been selec,ed-,ha, is,
the upper portion of the middle class. De.
spite our broken English, we had many q
dinner out, and our new aeqaain'anees bad
many a.upper in our rooms, for money was
at our disposal Tor any kind Of reasonable
expenditure.
| One evening in June, over four months
from the frs, OF our en,erlrg into this bu'i-
ness, after coming ou, OF the Adelphi, my
comradc and were separated by two bands
Of intoxicated friends. one OF which dragged
the ono way, while my comradc went the
other. ! succeeded in shaking oa those
around me before 50, into any OF their
Wild .crares. and was glad TO retire 20 rect
on reaching the hotel, (which my 50 styled
brother had no, 20, arrived.
Next morning by ten O'Clock, ho was
waiting Tor me. with a meaning smile on
his lips.
We were 20 careful that We even took
the omnibu. to Camberwell, a, which que.
place wo could fnd 'po, where converse.
ton nigh, take place wi,hou, being over.
heard.
"well. Delfore, ?" .aid I. "you seem to
have acquired something Of moment"
"weIl, the truth is. ! horo We are on
the rieh, track, and yet cannot give the
reason"
You can tell me, though, what has
happened while We were apart"
$50 will" Dsl!ore, replied DO you
remember that man. wilder. who has won
a strange a.cendsncy over those young men
we meet?"
On reflection, though, mi.h, venture
TO assert tha, | had noticed him, though
only pas.inely.
/ Z" lie was in tho crowd that carried me
away, and tried to make himself agreeable
to me. and chuckled Deliore,, " he has
made me promise to keep secret from ev.
erybody, even you. brother. an invitation l
have accepted to apriya,e gamins.house.
/ | have q presen,iment that this will lead Us
TO our end"
At the end OF the month, as no reported
progress 10 me. who had no, been idle mean.
time. i, did Indeed look as il We were on
the high road to victory. Twice before, he
had received sundry hints that company
still more select. with more beautiful wo.
men as presiding genluse. Of the creen'table.
and everything on more luxurious scale
for nights enjoyment than the houses he
had been shown before. were open to an.
other gentleman, who he might as we'll be
as any one el.e. Twice, I cay, he had re-.
fused for Delforet was too shrewd to dis
play easerness, and was perhaps one OF the
kind who .corn and yet place credenco in
super.,i,lops he believed that the third
time was lucky. but forgo, that he was no
prophet to foretell which would be the win.
ming side.
Delforet following my advicc-for at any
risk it was OF vital importance for me to
know before. .hand-would not take my
money with him the fret night, and no
doubt to that owed his returning alive from
his new acquaintance's house. lie e1pati.
ated upon the brllliancy OF the decorations
Of the rooms he had passed through, upon
the flavor Of exquisite wine, upon the Eas'
tern.likc obedience Of the servants, and up.
on tho beauty Of the ladies whom he had
there met. lie had been made TO take o
iearlully.worded oath, the penalty Of break.
ing which, he laush'nsly told the. was
death. All this, you know, was supposed
to be kept secret from me.
Nearly q fortnight had passed over and
Delforet had no, received repitition OF bis
former invitation at last 1t came, but IN.
fortunately there was but q night and .
day to act in. The afternoon preceding