Frostburg mining journal. [volume] (Frostburg, Md.) 1871-1913, 1876-02-05
THE
Pariiciion Detective
OR,
A DESPERATE DEED.
ERSKINE BOYD,
AUTHOR OF "TnE STOLEN CHILD" "DRIvES
FROM IoME," &c, &c.
ERSKINE BOYD,
CHAPTER XIV.
OVERWHELMING PROOFS.

and their evidence taken. 1t was very
clear that one and all thought their young
master guilty.
The lie Of Albert from the commence
ment of that fatal week of the murder,
his lightest word, his most insignificant
actions, were reported, commented upon,
and explained.
The man who lives in the midst of thirty
servants il, like an insect in a glass box
under the magnltying lens of a natural
ist
His actions, day by day, hour by hour,
minute by minute, even to the writing OF
a letter 70 Glare d'Arl.,nge, We're all laid
before the magistrate. Poor Monsieur
Dablron was on the rack.
For about the twentieth time that morn
ing, hc cursed his fate for having mixed
himself up i'll this miserable affair.
As he passed the door - for he was
walking the room with the restlessness of
IL wild anim,l--he heard in the corridor
the heavy and measured steps of the po-
lice officers.
He had Just time to sink into chair
before his desk, and pretend TO be busily
searching amongst his papers.
Albert de Valcourt entered with head
erect. and t, firm step. His face was very
pale, bearing the traces of slr@pless nights
and mental anxiety; but his eyes We're
clear and brilliant.
Luckily for Monsieur Daburcn, he had
already prepared a plan OF questions, and
had only to follow them. irrespective of
his own inward thoughts.
OIL are. OF course, perfectly aware,
SIR he commenced in the most gentle and
persuasive tones his voice could u.sa;,ine,
"th,.t you haven't the slightest right to
the name yea have takent'
Il know, sir, that am the ill";5itimate
son OF the Count de E;slco,rt. am also
aware that. acror.iin. to The laws OF
lly country, nly father cau.!o. acilnoNl-
c,j:r, N >. eve, II Ii" wo.,ll, as I was ho.n
after his marriage VITA the C>nntess.'
"Ani what were Your fec!i. -, on learn
ing thatf'
ILL 40: hide them from you: they were
those OF III" most l.itrnse pain and ser
row. When any one has held as hi.i Il
position III the world lis l have. t.,e IL IS
both terrible and ;,2rolix;ns. However,
have na ,e3 Cor Il Sir~l. l,ln'n"nt Thought
OF ;,o:lasIiAs the ri .h;s Of lIou sea" y. BEL
Gcit!y."
"A.,dy yct,' said the ma~i,:s'at", losing
al SELF :ontrol, aud spr:.a,ias 10 his faa'.
.you destroyed the chief wi:nass in HIS
f,,y)r ,Iii4.l y0u murdered the Widow L.
r0Ise!'
This terrible accusation. thuniafnl
for;h as though delivered by III, ;,rc.iSin,
#n sHl, NJ ID no; III" slightest i:npl".i:io:l
urnn &. #. lie di;t.'t even start o:
ch..a.:, ,olD2.
"EAfo:c God" he answered, sand be-
fore al | hol.l sacred in this worl |, an
innocent! l am kept Ill rlo,a co!in .m"nt,
without the privilege even OF s-cIg m;
fiielljs. l ara, therefore, poIH-rls:,s. and
it is only in your sens" OF justice that l
hope to establish my Innocence"
':What an actor he would have made"
thought the judge. 81, it possible that
crime, by soAle mysterious force of its
or''. IN furnish Il man with nerves Of
stecl?"
A.. looked over his bundle of papers
concerning the ease ase-referrins to some
p iSsagcs, turning down the corners Of
pages, and marx; ~ others that con,.,inc 1
paragraph, of Importance. Suddenly he
brohn Sil nee.
"Wh-, you were arrested, you excl i'm
cd, II os;:--l'm lostr What did you
mean by ;httl"
"YeS," answered Albert; 81 perfectly
remember having done so. Like gla.m
Of lightning. my fearful position flashed
L
saw how hopeless it was. A voice seemed
TO whisper in my ears, Who could have
any interest in the death of the Widow
Lerouye but yourself 2 And the very
conviction Of the imminencc of the perl
in which | stood, caused the exclamation
you speak Of to burst from me-
Monsieur D;lhuron admired the pres
ence Of mind shown in thi= answer, and
the resources OF the perverted i!n.:ina-
ton, which, turned in another direction,
might have led to happy results.
"ln fact continued the Judge, You
appear to have been greatly Interested in
the death Of this poor woman; and there's
another fact of which we are equally Ger
tain-namcly, that the motive of robbery
had thing to do with this murder, for
all the property thai had been thrown in
the river has been recovered. We know,
also, that the papers were burned Could
those papers have compromised any other
person than yourself! Don't hold any
thing back. Its in your interest that l
speak,
81 have no answer to malle-I'm en-
tirely ignorant of the whole aft dr."
"Did you visit this woman of,en!"
"Threc four times, with my father"
"One Of your grooms asserts that he
NdS iflNSH You tN''Gc Il tipIcH tlLlt'S.
"lIe must be mistaken. Apart from
that, what matters the number of visi 4"
"Do you know the place, and the ar
rangencnt Of the roomsi"
"On, pclIec ly. Two rooms on the
ground floor; Cia"dine sept in the back
parlor"
"Supposing that any evening you had
raped against itrr shutters, would she
have adm ,ed you!'
"Certainly, sir, and given me the warm
est OF Welcomes
"You were very ill !. few days ago
why did yQu forbid your valet to call in
n doc.or.'
"My dear sir, what good could q doctor
have done me? All his science coal not
have RESTORED me to my former position
as Vi,c1unt de Valaouri."
nBut you b 'l;avrd in Il strange manner
~-destroyed your paparS and letters?"
II mad made ~ my m,nl {, quit the
house. tlsinl< my having taken tnat res
olution eSplaia5 anything eccentric in my
conduct."
TO al these questions Of the magistrate,
Albert answered promptly, i'll IL firm, cloar
voice, ans! witA-oo: the slightest embarrasa-