Watertown republican. [volume] (Watertown, Wis.) 1860-1906, 1878-10-16
THE SEVERED HAND.
4 Partisan Mystery That Seemed IneX.
plicable.

On Ine evening Ol June {, lOO4, the
following general order was telegraph
ed to every police station in Paris:
"Look out for Marie Vouprez, aged
10, blonde, five feet four inches, we'll
built, abundant light brown hair. curl
ing naturally, blue eyes, missing since
June 2, 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
stepfather 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-
see her safe in the keeping of her
friends
The same evening, an hour later, q
police officer was on duty on the Rue
de Poissy. As he was passing the resi-
dence of a wealthy merchant he trod on
something that lay on the sidewalk. He
stopped down and laid hold of it. A
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 a human hand.
Though brave man, a feeling of
deadly talntness 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-
rlOr.
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
it had done work in its time. On the
finger next to the little one-it was the
left hand-was gold ring. Inside the
ring, engraved in minute letters, were
the words:
"To 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 g"
Scarcely had he said these words
when the telegrapher handed him slip
of paper containing dispatch from the
bureau of the chief of police It 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-
gend 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
Ofthe Vouprez family and was the rein
formed that they had ust received in
teligence that their child was safe with
a friend at Versailles. On inquiring
the source whence this information
came, the Vouprez's declined to say.
The chief of police for moment was
nonplussed The matter stood thus:
1, The Vouprez family had, at 6
o'clock that evening, notified the police
that Marie Vouprez had been missing
since June 2.
g. At 10 o'clock she was found and
sent to her friends.
3. At IL o'clock the officer found the
left hand of female on the pavement
in the Rue de Poissy, on finger of
which was a ring bearing the words
Marie Vouprez From August"
4. The girl claiming to be Maria es-
capped from the officer whose duty it
was to deliver her to her family.
.. The Nouprez people said that they
had deceived information that Marie
was at Versailles with friends.
Ihls complication formed an inter-
estlng mystery, and steps were taken to
solve 1t. 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 chamber
maid by Nine. Blondin, who resided
on the Rue Pellissier, and whose hus-
band was a broker. Marie, who was
very pretty, was 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