The Cincinnati daily star. [volume] ([Cincinnati, Ohio]) 1875-1880, 1876-04-24
A MYSTERY OF '1N1oU1TY.


House, In Baltimore, TO strangely
| dressed elderly man, who was brought
before him about 10 O'Clock on the eve
ming Of the 17lh OF July, 1887.
The prisoner stared at the Serge ant
for u minute or two. and then made an
indistinct reply. Several repetitions of
the question ELECTED no more satisfac-
tory answer from the prisoner.
| "Rollins," said the Sergeant to the
officer who had taken the prisoner to the
station-house, ''you say you found him
flying drunk on the sidewalkT'
"Yes, Sergeant" answered the officer,
sand good deal of trouble did l have
to make him get up. He is vicious old
| fellow, 80 he is. When he was on his
| feet he swore an oath in language
something like Choctaw, and then
Istruck me a blow with his tist; but l
gave him a couple Of whacks with my
club, and that made him 60 along with
lme."
| The prisoner, who seemed to be in a
stale 6f stupefaotion, was searched, but
lneither papers TO identify him nor valu-
tables OF any description, except bit OF
gold chain hanging to one OF his vest
buttons, were found on his. person.
/ Then a charge Of "drunk and disorder
| ly" was entered against him ON the
blotter, and he was hustled in a cell
| uOb even CulbdluluR a pChCA lOl ullA w
rest upon. Next morning he was found
| STONE DEAD
| on the cold floor. The Coroner was sum-
moned, jury was impaneled, and a
| verdict that "Lhe unknown man had died
of some cause unknown to the jury"
was rendered. Ia the afternoon the
stranger was buried in PLAIN pine cot
| lin in Potter's Field.
| The elotnes of the deceased, including
the piece OF gold chain, We're sold tor
lew dollars TO Isaac Bergman, a jew,
who kept small secondhand store on
Harrison street.
| About six months after the events
which we have just related, Bergman
went to New York with all the old jew
elry which he mad purchased during the
preceding year, and which he now
offered for sale TO a manufacturing gold
smith. The latter examined the goods
somewhat carelessly until he caught
sight of the broken gold chain.
"Where did you get that" he asked,
eagerly,
Bergman explained show he got it, and
then the jeweler told him that
| A REWARD OF $5, QUO
was offered tor it. Tue chain belonged
to Monsieur Percy Norette, one OF the
wealthiest real-estate owners Of Havre,
in France. NJ. Norette was bachelor
of eccentric habits. He disappeared
mysteriouSly from that city In the pre-
ceding April. No one knew whltber he
had gone, and his nephew, Granier
Maurel. claimed his estate as the next of
kin on the ground that his uncle was
dead. The courts of HaYre, under the
peculiar laws of France, granted the
apploation, but ordered that the heir
should advertise for Information con-
corning has uncle in several French,
German and English papers. This was
done, but no clue was elicited. How
ever, there were vague suspicious thai
Granier Maurel, the nephew and heir,
mad something to do Win M. Norette's
disappearance. Those suspicious were
contil med when, on the 13tn of August,
Lysander Thore, asklpper, was arrested
tor drunkenness III hayre, whiLher he
had just returned from "a trip to Phila-
delpnia, Upon being searched at the
staLion-house, a watch and broken
chain were found on his person. Both
were OF peculiar workmanship, and they
were speedy recognized as having
| belonged to The missing Mr.. Norette.
He could NOT give auy plausible account
| OF how he Obtained possession OF this
watch and chain. He SAID ne had never
seen M. n Norette in his lie, nor ever met
| Granier Maurel; but ne was proved to
have been at the latter's house on the
night preceding his arrest. Maurel
denied this emphatically to be the TACT,
but 1t was proved beyond cayiL There
upon Maurel was also arrested. and The
CITY authorities OF HaYre, to which
municipality the NoretJe estate would
| have taIen in case Lhe nephew OF tue
missing man should De proved to have
| put his uncle out OF the way, resolved
70 leave no stone unturned until
THE STRANGE SECRET
| was unVeiieu. Lhorr, Lue skipper, 1t
| was ascertalned, had sailed in small
| vessel from BresL TO Southampton, with
a British crew, and from thehce gone to
Philadelphia, where he nad sold his ship
and discharged The crew. A detective
came to this country with the waLcu and
cham, and an accurate description OF the
1 appearance anu clothes o. M. N0IeLte.
\ He offered a reward 'of $5 000 l6r trust
| worthy information in regard to The
missing man. But after long search,
Dotn ia Philadelphia and New York, he
returned 10 Hayre, leaving the French
Consul at Philadelphia tull power to pay
| the reward 10 whoinsoever would clear
up the mystery.
Bergman lett Immediately for the
| City OF Brotherly Love, where his ap-
| yearance at the French Consulate with
| buG VohU GOiu WulSn was
found 10 tit exactly 70 The piece still at
| tached TO the watch still in The posses
sion of the Consul, created a great SEN
| sation. The Consul went win hin to
| Baltimore, and the remains of
THE MYSTERIOUS STRANGER
| were exhumed. 1hey We're found in
remarkable state OF preservation, and
several prominent physicians were EN-
ployed to examine them.
On the head several long bruises were
found. These had undoubtedly been in
flcted upon the unfortunate prisoner by
Policeman Rollins, but there was also a
deep cut in the scalp-undoubtedly pro-
duced by sharp instrument. In the
stomach large quantity Of narcotic
poison was found.
These disclosures created profound
sensation in Baltimore. The Coroner
was compelled by the indignation OF the
public TO resign his position, while the
Mayor promptly discharged Rollins and
the Police Sergeant who had sent the
prisoner to the cell.
The Consul then took step which did
more than anything else 70 tasten the
guilt OF
THE DREADFUL CRIME
| which had been committed upon its in