The herald and mail. [volume] (Columbia, Tenn.) 1873-188?, 1878-03-22

1 MIN IN the H0e- -hOyaloan0 asked Din
the way to the very street in whicl
the Vouprez lived, and it was by tn
dress he identified her.
| Here, then, was q most impOrtan
point gained, The girl who personal
| ed Marie was attired in her clothes
which she wore at the very time sh
had quit the Blondin's. Marie
wardrobe was still at Madame Blon
din's, and thither an officer went at
/ cOmpanled by Madame Nouprez. Sh,
identified all her childs wardrobt
with the exception Of the attire she
| wore at her disappearance, which wa
wanting. Madame Blondin was il
bed and could not he seen, her maiC
said.
As AIarie's mother, however, wa.
passing Madame BlOndin's dressing
room. which adjoined her chamber
she opened the door and glanced in
A woman in dressing gown was
leaning out of the window, busily en-.
gagged with something. Madame
VOupreZ advanced toward her, and tC
her surprise discovered it was Mrs.
BlOndin, who, trembling and eager,
and perspiring at overy pore, was
working at something outside the
window with the handle of a broom.
Madame Nouprez craned over with
the natural curiosity of a woman to
see what Madame BlOndin was do
ing.
In front of the window was baico-
ny, and in one corner Of it wasa spout
to carry off the water Into this Ma
dame Blondin was thrusting white
muslin dress with green sprigs upon
it!
When Madame Nouprez rejoined
the detective, who was in the hall be-
low, she was deadly pale, and laying
a shaking hand upon the officers arm,
she said:
Come with me, Monsieur, and you
may find what your seek"
The officer was startled for q mo-
ment by the strange bearing of his
companion, but commanding himself
he said:
''What have you found, or what do
you suppose I SEEK"
Come with me, say she replied,
'and | will lead you to where my
child's dress is secreted, and you may
perhaps at the same time arrest her
murderer"
With a great effort the woman con-
trOlled herself and ascended the stairs,
followed by the officer. Halfway up
the woman paused and made sign to
the officer for silence. The same mo-
ment the strangely distorted face of
Madame Blondin appeared over the
banisters of the landing just above.
As she saw the mother of Marie and
the officer as they paused on the stairs
and gazed toward her she uttered a
wild shrek and fled.
"Now is your time" said Madame
NoupreZ, with an energy beyond one
in her painful position, and she sprang
upstairs, followed by the detective.
As she gained the door of Madame
Blondin's dressing-rOom, some one in
side wasattempting to flsten it.
"Quick, put yourself against it's
Madame NOuprez exclaimed.
The officer placed his shoulder to
the door, gave one powerful thrust,
and it was burst open. AS he entered
the apartment Madame Blondin
sprang through the window. The of
ficer rushed forward, expecting to see
her mangled form in the cOurt-yard
below. Instead of that, however, he
beheld her crouched in a corner of the
balcony, right over the mouth of the
spout.
"There, said Madame Eouprez, as
she came to the side of the officer,
"she is covering the very spot that
contains the explanation of my child's
disappearance and MURDER"
After a prolonged struggle with the
half frantic woman on the balcony,
the officer secured her, and from the
spout drew out the dress which Ma
dame NoupreZ had identified as her
child's.
1t may not be necessary to prolong
this remarkable narrative Concealed
in the attic were found the hat and
shawl belonging to Marie, and on ar
raging Madame BlOndin in the entire
suit, there was no doubts in the mind
of any of the parties, that had seen
her, that she was the party who had
persOnated Marie NOuprez on the
night of June 18th. 81
1t was in vain that Madame Blon-
din was questioned, for she persistent
ly refused TO say anything that would
shed any light on the mystery In the
meantime, however, some of the facts
had got wind, and a Madame Rupert
made an important communication to
the police, She said that, suspecting
her husband of infidelIity, she recent
ly employed Detective Place to watch
him, and he found that Monsieur Ru-
pert was accustomed to visit the Blon-
din's when the master of the house
was absent. Afterwards Place report
ed 10 her that he was mistaken, and
she employed a private detective, who
found that both Rupert and Officer
Place were OH intimate terms with
Madame Rlondin. Subsequently the
private detective obtained proof that
Place and the woman were criminally
intimate, though he could discover
nothing to justify belief in Ruperts
guilt.
This story opened the eyes of the
police, and Place was put under ar
rest. His house, which was on the
Rue POissy, was searched, and In the
small garden a Summer-hOuse was
found in the course of erection. The
gate Of the garden was within twenty
yards of where the severed hand was
found. The summer-house was torn
down and the ground dug up. Right
under the building was discovered Il
rough deal box ia which the remains
of the missing girl were found. The
body had been dissected, and the left
hand was missing.
When Place was aware of this dis
coVery, he made n confession. The
acquaintance begun with Madame
IDIOlluiI5 MllSIl eIllDlONSl DN NdOldillS
Rupert, ripened into familiarity, and
on fhe evening of June 2d, Marie Nou-
PREF came upon the guilty pair i'm the
midst of their sinful dalliaIlce. Thai
same evening when Marie had retired
! aHI was fast asleep, Madame BlOndir
stFapgled AeF la her bed, Next morn.
ing Place and his paFaNQqF Feaioyeo
! the body to the cellar, having got rio
| of all the domestics for three or fOul
| hours. The body was dissecJed and
thepieees were removed 10y Place, Z
| few AT a lime ald concealed in hi:
garden. How the hand had beet
dropped he could not tell, but tina
very night, after the general ordel
for the search of Marie was issued
1 Place removed the last parts of th'
! body and with them the hand that wa:
fQuHd saop afteyward. Then he pu
! up the i9G With MadaWs HlOHdip, e
,,5rsanate Marie, and the escaPe an'
! visIt 70 the VouPreE's was a part Q
the scheme.
On trial Madame BlOndin posiliVel,
denied all knowledge of the crime, bu
was utterly unable to explain how sh
came by the dress OF Marie, which sh
was found thrusting into the spout a
the time of the detectives visit, Bot
the man aud woman were convicted
the woman for life and the man 70
ten years.