Wood County reporter. [volume] (Grand Rapids [i.e. Wisconsin Rapids], Wis.) 1857-1923, 1878-10-17
THE SEVERED HAND.
4 Partisan Mystery That Seemed mex
Hlicable.


following general order was telegraph
ed to every police station in Paris:
"Look out for Marie Vouprez, aged
10, blonde, five feet four inches, well
built, abundant light brown hair, curl
ing naturally, blue eyes, missing since
June ., had on when last seen. white
muslin dress with green sprigs, black
lace shawl, plain straw hat, trimmed
with blue and white ribbon. If found,
report here at once"
AT 10 o'clock the same evening Speci-
al Detective Place produced the missing
girl at the bureau Of the chief of police.
She accounted for her absence from
home by stating that her mother and
stGpfather had quarreled, and that she
went to the house Of an aunt. where she
had since remained. She promised to
return home at once, and Place was di-
rected to accompany her thither and
see Der safe i'll the keeping of her
friends.
The same evening, an hour later, a
police officer was on duty on the Rue
dc Poissy. As he was passing the resi-
dence Of a wealthy merchant he trod on
something that lay on the sidewalk. He
l.
thrill of horror ran through him, and he
dropped it, Turning the light of his
bulls eye on it as it lay there, his first
dreadful impression was realized, and
he found it was 4 human hand.
Though brave man, n feeling Of
deadly faintnesS crept over him. Never
theless, he bore up under it, and, tax
ing his handkerchief, wrapped the
CHASTITY object in it, and in due course
reported the circumstance to his supe-
riOr.
On examination it was discovered that
the hand, which had been separated at
the wrist, was that Of woman. It was
plump and fair, but seemed as though
II had done work in It's time. On the
finger next to the little one-it was the
left hand-was a gold ring. Inside the
ring, engraved ia minute letters, We're
the words:
''Fo Marie Vouprez. From August"
When the officers superior read this
hesaid:
Marie Vouprez? Why, that is the
name in the general order we received
tonight"
Then he glanced over it and said
eyes, it is so, sure enough: and she
has been missing since June 2"
Scarcely had he said these words
when the tclegrapher handed him slip
of paper containing dispatch from the
bureau of the chief Of police. 1t ran
thus:
marie Vouprez found at her aunt's
and returned TO her friends"
A few minutes afterward the discov-
cry Of the hand with the ring and its le-
Send was reported at headquarters, and
an order was Immediately received
therefrom to send the hand thither by
the officer who found it. BY the time
he had obeyed this order there was an
other remarkable complication.
Detective Place had returned to head
quarters and reported that the girl had
escaped from him, and that, after a
fruitless chase, he had gone to the house
of the Nouprez family and was the rein
formed that they had just received in
telligence that their child was safe with
. friend at Versailles. On inquirine
the source whence this information
came, the NOuprez's declined to say.
The chief of police for moment was
nonplussed. The matter stood thus:
l, The Vouprez family had, at G
o'clock that evening, notified the police
that Marie Nouprez had been missing
since June ?.
,. At 10 o'clock she was found and
sent to her friends.
3. At II o'clock the officer found the
left hand of a female on the pavement
in the Rue de Poissy, on finger OF
which was a ring bearing the words
Marie Nouprez. From August"
4. The girl claiming to be Maria es-
capped from the officer whose duty il
was to deliver her to her family.
.. The Nouprez people said that they
had deceived information that Marie
was ut Versailles with friends.
This complication formed an inter
esting mystery, and steps were taken to
solve it. The father, mother and two
brothers of the girl, Marie Vouprez,
were brought to the bureau Of the chief
and questioned. The following facts
were elected:
Marie was employed as a chamber
maid by a Nine. Blondin, who resided
on the Rue Pellissier, and whose hus-
band was 4 broker. Marie, who was
very pretty, was 4 pet of her mistress,
and considerable affection seemed to
exist between them. Things went on
very pleasantly for the eighteen months
during which Marie was with Nine.
Blondin, and consequently the Vouprez
parents were greatly surprised when
they were informed on the morning of
June Z, when the mother carried clean
linen to her daughter, that Marie had
quilted the dwelling of the Blondins on
the evening of June 2, declaring that
she was sick, and intended to go home
and remain there until she recovered.
When questioned as to how they
learned that their daughter was at Yer
sailles, Mons. and Nine. Vouprez said
that between 10 and II o'clock that eve
ming girl called at their residence, and
said that she had just come from Yer
sailles, where she had been at service
for some time, ana that girl calling
herself Marie, VINO had taken the place
which their infyrmant had left, request
ed her to call at the Nourprez's and
tell them that Marie was safe and sent
her love, and that she would soon see
them and explain why she had left
Madame Blondin's. Their informant
made them promise not to reveal the
the fact that she had given this news.
A few inquiries were sufficient to show
the chief of police that the VoupreZs