Public ledger. [volume] (Memphis, Tenn.) 1865-1893, 1872-07-27

locked the door. All this had been done
so quietly, and in such a short space oi
time, that no one but the hotel keeper
and n few walters knew anything was
passing. uI5) tfr3
They then procured paper and ink
and the tall agent said Now if we are
mistaken, or it should happen that you
are only an accomplice, tell us all you
know truthfully, and you may get of
much easier. | have my own opinion
about that valise, he added, but tel
me truly, how did you come into posses
sion of the watchY' sI
L. told him all. He smiled signifi
cantly, and when / had finished, said
"Well, you may be innocent, but | sup
pose you are aware that the young man
who was found with his throat cut is the
same who pledged you that watch, and
whose diamond studs, which you must
have remarked that night, have been
found in your valise, or that of youI
friend, as you call it. Now, why did
you not make it known that you had the
watch, when you must have guessed il
belonged to Marietta Guadin, the former
mistress of the murdered man, to whom
he had made it present, but who re-
turned it?"
/ told him l had thought of doing so;
but had seen by the papers that she
had been arrested as an accompllce, and
/ had NO particular wish to get myself
mixed up in the affair.
The truth now flashed across my mind.
The man who left me the valise sought
to shift the murder on my shoulders; and
he was the murderer.
shuddered
The agent now told me he had sent
after the other man. aud that he would
no doubt be arrested before morning.
asked him how he would find out where
the carriage went to. He replied; "Why,
you see it is a frosty night; my agent
will get on horse, follow the tracks of
the carriage, aud will probably overtake
them before two hours, if he has left the
town, as there is but one road leading to
Rouen, and no trains leave here before
eight o'clock tomorrow morning, at
which hour you and | will start for
Paris; so if you have au INCLINATION to
sleep you can do SO. F."
slept but little that night The next
morning we left for Paris. was allowed
the privilege of newspaper, and could
not help smiling as | looked over the
news, rumors and facts of the great mur-
der which editors had hashed up for
their morning readers. After reading /
slept most Of the way, dreaming Of dia-
mond studs, prisons, hotels, valises and
agents de police, and wondered at the
reality when awoke, only to find the
gray eyes Of the agent fixed upon me-
those eyes that looked so bright, though
they had not closed in sleep for perhaps
two nights before he had arrested me,
We arrived in Paris at last, and | was
at once conveyed to prison.
That very day young lady came into
my cell, accompanied by an agent de
police, in whom l recognized the one
with the golden hair, whom had seen
in the gambling saloon in the Rue Neuve
des Petits Champs.
The agent said, pointing to me; DO
you recognize that manY She replied,
without hesitation, that she did.
Z" Well, we are ready to take your de-
position, mademoiselle," and the agent
added; " Henri, come and witness this.
A turnkey entered. The young lady
commenced in silver voice, as follows:
+" first saw this man in a mansion d
jeu in the Rue des Petits Champs; he
was playing at the same table as the
murdered man, whom have also recog
nized at the morgue. Sometimes they
would leave the table, and take their re.
freshments together in the saloon. They
drank in company several times and
had some private conversation The
prisoner left the house before the mur,
dered man, who did not leave until two
hours later, and had not won much that
night"
This deposition she signed with her
name, Eugene Dumont. a
Here the interview ended, and | was
left alone to reflect.
| heard next day from one Of the
keepers, that the friend who had left his
valise with me had been captured at La
Forge, near Rouen, where he had made
a desperate resistance, but had been
oyerpowered.
| spoke to the tall agent, and asked
him to recommend me good lawyer.
He did so, and / sent for him. In the
meantime the agent said the other
prisoner was very like me, with the ex-
ception that he wore q mustache, while
had a beard. / remarked: He had
a beard too when saw him last" oh,
we know all that, said the agent.
" When we entered the hotel he saw that
his game was up, SO be put his valise in
your room, cut of his beard, trimmed
his niustache, went straight to our carri-
age, which was waiting. and told the
driver coolly to drive him to another
hotel. OF course the driver never sus-
pected anything, as be thought the muir
derer was ONE of my party. But the
coolest part of the business was, that he |
cafae Oh as far as Rouen on the same |
train with ourselves, at least so he him
self says. In his room at the hotel we
found large clasp-knife, with the blood |
dried in the interstces also the hair he |
had cut OF.
The agent then told me the prisoner |
had confessed and in his confession had |
stated that he had followed me from
Rouen to Dieppe, to shift the murder on
me, as / looked SO much like him, aud |
as he had seen Ins leave the gambling
house, while he lay in wait for the mur-
iered man, and as be knew the detec.
lives were on his track.
What a singular stroke of luck it
would have been in his favor, the fact Of
my having the watch, had chance not
Fixed it otherwisel
Next day, through the kindness Of the
agent and the efforts of my lawyer, ]
vas released on bail. Iappeared at the
rial, which was very long, and was called
several times 10 the stand.
-...-l.-.- = - IL - Al "A ~ \ ]