The Morning herald., 1877-09-03
"He was formerly poor clerk in law

| II IaOafet. lie mas constituted himself a
sort IF detective for his own amusement"
"And to augment his revenues, sup
poser sneered the commissary.
"Not he!' answered Lecoq. "Irs labor
of love with him. He's never so happy as
when he's ferreting after some difficult
case, that 'ud make another chaps head
ache for week. We call him Old Cork
screw, just as well as we might call him
Old Gimlet, because he can worm himself
into anything. Why, it was he in that bus.
mess Of the robbery at the bankers you
know, sir, who asserted that it was the wife
who was the thief, and proved it too."
"That's all very WE'LL" retorted Gevrol;
but how about the poor little tailor whom
he accused of having killed his wife, and
nearly got him condemned7 He's too clever
/ by half, that he sv'
"Come, comew interrupted the magis-
trate, impatiently, tive are wasting time"
Then, turning to Lecoq, he said, "Fetch me
this Monsieur Tabaret. I've heard great
deal of him, and should like to see him at
his favorite employment"
Lecoq was gone in an instant, while Gev-
rol looked much mortified.
"Of course, sir" he commenced, "you
have every right to employ any one that
Won may think proper; but
"Don't be offended Gevrol," said the
| magistrate, spontaneously. ut was not
yesterday that I made your acquaintance
Il know your value. Only to-day we diff.
fer completely in our opinions. You stick
to the tall, dark, elderly man in the blouse,
and am convinced you're on the wrong
scent"
II still think I am right" answered the
detective, "and hope soon to prove it. III
hunt up the rascal wherever he is."
~That's right. Let us alp do our best
aThere's only one thing, however, which
hope you will permit me to observe, with
out thinking that I'm taking liberty"
"What's that2"
"Well, sir, since you are 80 kind, just al
low me to warn you against Old Corkscrew--
I beg your pardon, Monsieur Tabaret' l
mean"
"Indeed! and for what r.ason7"
aBecause the old boy is too hot-headed,
too energetic, too eccentric; and as he is as
vain as a peacock, he is very likely TO lose
his temper and betray everything. The
| moment he is m" !, acquainted with
crime-like this Of TO- lay, for instance-he
has the impudence to explain every thing
off-hand. In short, sir, he'd think nothing
of inventing story to suit the situation.
| He pretends that from one fact he can build
up the whole scenes of an assassination,
like that learned chap-I forget his name
who, from the fragment OF bone embed
ded in the earth, was able to reconstruct
upon paper the entire bird. Sometimes he
guesses right, sometimes he guesses wrong.
How about that poor little tailor? l assure
| YOU sir, if hadn't interfered -"
"That's enough" said Monsieur Daburon.
am much obliged to you for your advice;
be sure shall profit by it. In the mean
time. we must find out at all hazards where
this widow lived before she came here, and
to what part of France she belongs"
The procession of witnesses brought IN
bv the brigadier of gendarmerie now COM
menced to defile before the magistrate. But
| nothing new was discovered.
The Widow Lerouge, when alive, must
certainly have been most discreet woman;
considering that, of all the words she had
! uttered-and as she was great talker,
the number must have been beyond hu-
man calculation-not one OF any slgnlfl-
canoe remained in the memory of any OF her
gossiping friends.
All the witnesses, however, were obsti-
nately bent on mak'ng the magistrate a
confident of their convictions and their per-
sonal opinions, and these conceded with
those expressed by Gevrol.
They unanimously, and as with one voice,
accnsed the dark man in the blouse of hav-
committed the crime.
Every one remembered his ferocious air,
his sinister aspect; and their lively magma
tions were not slow to add innumerable de-
tails to the somewhat fancy portrait they
had sketched.
One evening, somebody declared that ne
| had threatened a woman, while anotner as
| serted that he had cruelty beaten chl!d'
| It is true that neither the woman nor the
child were forthcoming; but such small
verifcations were not at all necessary, and
the public gave its ready belief to the Wild
est statement.
As an instance, while Monsieur Daburon
was impatiently pacing the. room, two fresh
witnesses were thrust upon him. .
One was a woman who kept sort OF
chandler's shop in Bougival, at which the
murdered woman had dealt; and the other
a sharp-eyed little ragamuffin of boy, both
Of whom, it was loudly asserted, knew "all
about it,"
The woman was the first who appeared.
She had heard the Widow Lerouge speak
of son still living, ,n
.Are you quite sure Of that'" said the
magistrate. - ~
.As Of my own existence, Mr.. judge" re-
nlied the chandler's shop keeper. "More
betoken that, on that very same evening e,
for it were an evening both wet and emily,
as we'll remember-she, the poor de1unct
one. az is now no more, was, if may ven
tire to state such thing before respect