The true northerner. [volume] (Paw Paw, Mich.) 1855-1920, 1871-12-15
A Paris Mystery.

Inc mysteries Oh IdrlS are enuleSS.
If any day you 60 to Pere la Chaise and
quit Boulevard Voltaire lex Boulevard
du Prince Eugene) for Rue Rampon you
will see mansion which was probably
built in the eighteenth century for the
retreat of some wealthy farmer-general
of the taxes while enjoying the honey
moon of his last amour before custom
had stalled her novelty. There was
more than court, twas a garden in
front of it, and a larger garden stood
behind it. There are still a great many
market gardens in this northeastern
quarter of Paris, which is farther from
the heart and brain of this capital than
Versailles or st. German, or even
Nantes, the farthest of our suburban
homes.
Solitary as this mansion was it APP
peared still more solitary from its want
of animation. The door never opened.
The shutters remained closed the gar
dens were overrun by weeds. All these
things would have attracted little atten-
ton. There is many deserted house
in Paris whose very sight at summers
noontide would freeze your marrow, so
dark are the walls, so moss grown are
the doors and shutters, so desolate, so
mournful, is the look of everything
about it. You might disbelieve in
ghosts and still be unable to shake off
belief that there ghosts told masters
and the guests of auld lang syne) re-
vived departed hours, holding revel
from midnight to cockcrow, and witches
kept unhallowed saturnalia. There are
so many of these deserted, haunted
houses in Paris, the sombre cloud which
rested on the house in Rue Rampon had
remained unnotced, except for the
change which came over it at night
and if this change had been well ascer-
tanned, certain it would have remained
unchallenged but some people swore
lights had been seen flashing through
the interstices of the shutters, sparks
had been seen flying out of the Chin
news, and the roar Of subdued voices
NOISY despite every precaution, because
they were numerous) had been heard.
Then watch was set, and neither s. ght
nor sounds met watchers eyes or ears.
Again people saw and heard all those
things. Women crossed themselves
whenever the unhallowed house was
thought on; men talked Of it with
bated breath and looked at it only ask
ance. Some said it was La Tour de
Nesies. Girls were decoyed into it, raw.
ished, and murdered when lust cooled.
Others were sure a gang of counterfeit
ers prepared there fac SMILES Of bank
notes. These surmises in time reache ed
the ears of the police. Investigation
was made in the cautious tentative
method always adopted in doubtful cir
son to be cautious; for it is not enough
to detect crime, criminals should be ar
rested. To give notice of investigations
on foot would be to give warning
which would put to flight all the birds
of prey. The enigma seemed insolvable.
The eXpertest policemen were ordered
to examine the premises. Nothing could
be discovered The neighboring houses
were examined from top to bottom.
Nothing. Walls were sounded, still
nothing. Nevertheless occasionally q
CLEAN of light flashed through some
crevice in a shutter, a spark flew up
wards from a chimney, revealing life
within the bleak house. The police
were reinforced. The house was sur
rounded, skirmishers were thrown out
beyond this circle of policemen. AT last
a skirmisher, thrown out some two hun
dred and fifty yards from the house,
reported that he had seen people who
moved cautiously and rapidly about
midnight, disappear in a blind alley as
if the earth had swallowed them. This
alley was examined. In it the police
discovered a subterranean passage. They
entered it. 1t was so low they could
advance only in single file and bent
double. They were obliged at some
places to 90 on all-fours.
After going in this way two hundred
and fifty yards they found further pro
gress checked by a stalwart wrought
iron door, which .ieered all their efforts.
They returned. Entered house whose
blank walls had a small window on the
fourth story which overlooked the gar
den Of the bleak house. The police
procured a rope, entered this house and
after securing the rope inside the house
and tossing the other end into the gar
den, they crept down the rope one by
one. Their investigation of the house
showed every door and window plated
with wrought-iron. The Commissioner
of Police remembered one of his police
men was once blacksmith. He ordered
this brawny fellow to get the largest
sledge-hammer he could procure. When
he returned he swung the immense
hammer over his head and brought it
on the door with a force which splin-
tered the wood, started the bolts and
broke the locks. Bang! bang! came
two other blows, loud as thunderclaps.
The door was open. The police swarmed
in. Twas great gambling house.
Many gamblers, terrified at the sounds
of the hammer, lay fainting on the
floor.
Specific for Diphtheria.
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