The Louisiana Democrat. [volume] (Alexandria, La.) 1845-1918, 1870-08-24
Singular Detection Of o Murderer.

AS illustrating quick perception and
rare presence of mind, Chambers
Journal vouches for the truth of the
following story, which was originally
published in the guise offiction:
Caroline G-,a good looking, fine
ily proportioned young girl, lived as a
lady's maid with a fashionable young
widow, rather passe. One evening af-
ter having assisted at her mistress toll
ct for dinner party, she amused her
self, before putting away the various
articles scattered about the room, in
trying on pair of silk stockings and
dress shoes belonging to her mistress,
and having done SO, she viewed htr
well-turned limbs with complacenCy,
saving aloud: "There's. a leg for o
stocking. and there's a foot for Shoe
Having satisfied herself as to their
symmetry, she Invested herself of her
borrowed plumes, put the room to
rights, and awaited the return OF her
mistress, whom she saw into bed.
! That was the last time she saw her
alive. She was found in the morning
murdered in her bed, the jewel case
and plate chest broken open and
robbed. The robber and murderer
left no trace by which he could be cap
tured, and, in spite of the most dill
gent search, escaped. Three years at
ter Caroline was enraged in a similar
capacity by a lady who took her TO
Paris. She had almost forgotten the
murder, and, if she thought of it, 1t
was not with any hope of discovering
the criminal.
It happened that she was walking
in one Of the public promenades one
| afternoon, when, as she passed a
group of men. she heard these words !:
"There's leg for a stocking and
there's foot for shoe.n In mo-
3 ment the events of the evening before
$ her mistress was murdered flashed on
her memory. And now for her mar
velous presence of mind. Pretending
not to have heard anything, she glanc-
S ed sideways It The group of men. She
= saw there were three, but could moi
q tell which of them had spoken She
walked slowly past them, then she
stopped in an undecided manner, and
finally turned back, and, walking up Il
e them, she asked to be directed to a Ger.
n tain street. AS she expected, all o.
them had a word for her, and among
the voices she easily recognized thu
y one that had just spoken. Their Ian
d guage and looks were both very free
d but she only told them that they wer'
very impertinent, and that she woult
get the information she wanted from
n the first gendarme. She thus averte'
J. suspicion, if they watched her speak
d ing to a policeman. The next Difficult
- ty was how to inform gendarme wha
e she wanted she had only been a fori
IN night in France and knew scarcely
c. word of French. She, however, cal
Mt ried a pocket dictionary with her, t
a. assist in making purchases, and as
~ means of acquiring a little French
ne Going over to bench she sat dowr
I'd and searching through the dicti0nar
Or found the words she wanted, and sll
N then wrote them with pencil on th
~ fly leaf of the dictionary. The ser
~ tence ran thus: "Gendaymes je roir b
IFS sOin rOus drreter an meuteiier." I'll
n grammar was not very correct, as di,
n. [tionaries do not teach syntax, but tt
gendarme understood it, and in al
III other minute held the murderer in b
d. grasp. He was afterward convicts
Dts and hung on the girls testimony.