The Abbeville press and banner. [volume] (Abbeville, S.C.) 1869-1924, 1875-12-15
THE
PariiSiian Detective
OR,
A DESPERATE DEED.
EY
ERSKINE BOYD,
Author OF "rnn STOLEN CH!ID," "nR1TEN
FROM HOME" &c, &c.
CHAPTER I.
TIE CRlMR DISCOVERED.

Aforementioned yea. hFe WOlUeIl, DeiohEc
ing to the village of In Jouchere. appeared
al the police station Of Bougival, a small
town near Paris, and situated on the banks
Of the Seine.
Having asked to see tho commisaary OF
police, they informed him that one OF their
neighbours, widow named Lerouge, who
inhabited singly deatrhed cottage just
on the outskirts of the village, had not been
seen by any of its inhabitants for two en-
tire days. and notwithstanding their repeat
ed endeavours they had failed to gain ad-
mittance.
The shutters being up at each OF the
windows, and the doors being bolted and
barred, they had found it equally impossi-
hls to find even q crevice which might
have given them a peep ut the interior.
This strange silence, this sudden disappear
ance, had caused them great uneasiness and,
fearing a CRIME, or at least an accident, they
begged that the poRce would kindly break
open the door and relieve them from their
present anxiety.
Bougival is an agreeable sort of place,
overhowing on summer Sundays with Paris
folk, who have been l,ent up ut the desk or
in the counting house, or kept prisoners be.
hind the counter, on weekdays. "Small
misdemeanours" are of frequent occurrence
on these festive occasions; but anything in
the shape of crime had hardly ever been
heard of. Therefore the comnissary OF
police of this peaceable little town refused
at first to accompany his FIVE lady visitors,
and somewhat pooh-poohed their sohcita-
tons. However, finding them to be so evil
IDENTIFY in earnest, and seeing no other way
to rid himeelf of their presence, the weared
magistrate at last gave in, and, sending for
the brigadier of gentlarnerie, two police.
officers, and locksmith, set of for the
cottage of the Widow Lerouge, the FIVE wo-
men leading the way,
La Jonchere is an insignificant hamlet,
situated on the declivity of the hill, which
overlooks the Seine between Malmalson and
Bougival. A steep path, unconnected with
the embankment and high-road, takes you
TO it by short cut, but the little procession,
with the gendarmes at its head, followed
the road by the embankment, and after
sharp walk of about thrce-quarters OF an
hours duration, halted before habitation
of an unpretcnding yet respectable appear
ance.
This house, or rather cottage, had proba-
bly been built by some retired tradeslnan,
fond of IAN open view," for all the trees
had been carefully cut down, and any in
trusive ivy or other creeping plant as assid-
uollsly banished.
The cottage consisted Of two large rooms
ON the ground floor, with an attic or 30
above. Around it was a neglected garden,
badly protected from marauders by a stone
wall of about yard in height, which in
some places was crrmbing into ruin. A
wicket gate with an iron latch opened into
the garden.
"1,his is the place." said the women.
The commissary of police stopped at the
little wicket gate and turned round to his
men. During their walk their suite had
been considerably increased by all the
idlers of the neighhorhood, and now con-
sisted of about forty persons, all in very
in1l,isitire ard talkative condition.
aIet no one enter the garden" said the
colnmissary.
And to enforce his orders, he placed the
two gerdarmes before the gate, while he
advanced to the house. accompanied by the
b,igadier of gendarme' lie and the locksn1th.
First he knocked loudly with his loaded
cane several times at the front door, then
ut all the shutters. After each blow he
placed his ear to tho wood and listened at
tentively. Hearing no sound or movement
in an-wer, he turned TO the locksmith.
"Force the lock-" he said.
The workman unfasened his bag and
took out his tools. He had just introduced
one of his picklocks into the keyhole, when
great uproar burst from the group OF
idlers behind.
A boy, playing with one OF his comrades,
had picked up large key in the ditch by
the roadside, and, pushed by dozen offic-
ious hands, presented it in triumph to the
commissnry.
The key, on being tried was found to be
that of the front door and as it swung
back on its hinges, the commissary and the
locksmith glanced uneasily at one another.
"Ihis looks very suspicious" murmured
the brgadier, as he entered the house,
whilst the crowd, with difficulty held in
check by the gendarmes, stamped with i'm
patience, craning their necks and crawling
along the wall, in their vain endeavors to
see or hear what was going on within.
Those who had suspected foul play were,
unfortunately, not deceived In their conjec-
ture, for the practiced eye Of the commits
sary detected the awful presence OF crime
the moment he placed his foot on the thresh-
old.
The disorder that reigned in the room
they entered, denounced with dismal elo-
quence, the traces of its footsteps. Chairs,
tables, chest Of drawers, and two large
trunks were overturned, and thrown pel-
NELL on one another.
In the second room the confusion was, if
possible, still worse. 1t seemed as it the
hand of a mailman had taken q wild pleas
ure in tossing everything to right and left.
Near the fireplace, her face in the midst
of the ashes Of the burnt-out logs, lay the
corpse Of the Widow Leronge; 20 near, in
fact, that one of her checks had absolutely
been scorched by the heat and portion OF
the long, gray hair consumed. though by
some miracle the FIRE had not communicate
ed with any portion Of the unfortunate
womun's dress.
.The cowardly dogs" murmMred the
brigadrer of gendarmerie. "Couldnt they
have robbed without numbering the poor
womani"
but where has she been struck 7" asked
the commissary. II don't zee any blood"
Here, sir" answered the gendmme
Il lust between the shoulders. Two steady
blows and no mistake. I'd wager my next
months pny that she hadn't time to utter
even groAll.
He bent over the body, and touched it
with his hand.
ashes as cold ~ marble" he continued,
as he proceeded with his examination; land
If my experience goes FOR anything, more
than one day and night Lave elapsed -ines
the poor creature got her drath-strokc."
The comnissary shrugged his shoulders,
and, producing his writing impl"ments,
placed them on corner Of the table. and
proceeded to draw up the necessary judicial
report.
ats no me making long speeches. or
wasting onr time in surrositicns," said he
to the brigadier ave can do that when we
have discovered the assassins. All We have
TO do al present, is to inform the justice OF
the peace and the mayor of the facts in the
case The next, to start for Paris. and pre-
sent this letter at the Office of the public
prosecutor. Before two hours have elaps-
ed, the examining magistrate may he here:
In the meantime will make a provisional
inquest and endcavor to gain some addl-
tional evidence"
"Am I to take the letter r. incurred the