The Redwood gazette. [volume] (Redwood Falls, Minn.) 1873-1940, 1879-03-27
A FRENCH DETECTIVE STORY.

THIS is how l came to be mixed up
with certain detectives of the Rue de
Jerusaleme, the Scotland Yard of Paris.
A friend of mine, q solicitor, had
among his clients firm of East India
brokers, into which had recently been
admitted, as q partner, the son of the
senior member of the house. This
young man had by no means turned out
well. He had not only been extrava-
giant, but utterly reckless in money
matters, and had lately capped his
previous offenses by absconding to the
Continent, and taking with him f1O, 900
worth of foreign bonds or securities,
tha were not only the property of the
firm, but formed the nest-egg on which
the partners relied in case of q rainy
day. Like most foreign securities,
these bonds were payable to clearer"
and were therefore all the more easy to
negotiate or dispose of. For several
reasons the firm did not wish to make
their loss public. In the first place,
doing so would have been a severe, if
not fatal, blow to their credit in the
city; and, secondly, the other partners
were naturally unwilling to publish the
father was the head of their establish
ment. Somehow or other it had been
ascertained that the absconded partner
had gone to Paris. The affair had
been placed in the hands of nv friend,
who, as have said. was their solicitor,
and his plan was to try and recover the
securities on payment of q certain sum.
AS matter of course, it was to be ex-
pected those persons in whose hands
they were pledged would ask as much
as possible for these documents; and
that, if they knew that legally there
was doubt if they could be looked
upon as stolen, their demands would
rise in proportion.
To me was intrusted the task of get
ting back the bonds. 1t was agreed
that was to start the next day; that l
was to pay as little as possible for the
recovery; and that | was to keep the
whole affair as much as possible in the
dark.
Some of the peculiarities of the
French detectives and their system
struck me very forcibly, even before l
landed at Boulogne. On board the
same steamer with me there happened
to be very few passengers; but among
them was an elderly, very gentlemanly-
looking Frenchman, who spoke English
well, although with a very decided &C
cent. l am what is called a good
sailor, and always enjoy a run across
the channel. even in the most stormy
days. As was smoking my cigar in
the bow of the steamer, and watching
an iron-clad in the distance that was
tOiling up channel, the Frenchman of
whom speak made his way up to me,
and begged the favor of q cigar-light,
evidently with the intention of there
and then commencing a conversation.
He was spare, middle-aged man, we'll
set up, about fifty years of age, with
iron-gray hair and mustache, no whis-
kers or beard, and with the omnipre-
sent red ribbon in his buttonhole. He
was well-dressed, had good manners,
and all the outward and visible signs
of retired officer of the French army.
After talking for some time on indiffer-
ent matters, he asked me If l was not
Mons. So-and-so. mentioning my right
name. Thinking he was some indi-
vidual had met in Paris or elsewhere
on the Continent, replied in the af-
firmative.
''Ah," said he, 81 never forget a
face or name. Let me introduce my
self as Monsieur X, of the Police Cor
rectionnelle Secret de Paris. have
been engaged in petite affair in Lon
don. Your police wanted some one
who could identify certain individual,
and was sent over for that purpose
l happened to be in the bureau at Scot
land Yard when monsieur came there
last " ednesday, and one of the In
spectors pointed you out as gentleman
about to proceed to Paris to recover
some securities which had been stolen.
If can be of any use to monsieur over
Wonder in the Rue de Jerusaleme, !
shall only be too happy"
thanked my new acquaintance very
much, and told him that though had
letter of introduction from the French
Embassy tn the Chief de Police Correc.
!ionnelle in Paris, should be very glad
indeed to avail myself of his services.
We then had little refreshment to.
gcther, and agreed to travel in cOmpa-
ny with each other to Paris.
In the train, as well AZ in the steamer.
my friend talked good deal about our
English police system, and more particu.
ularly about our English detectives.
The latter he declared to be "des excel.
lent gems" and des brave hommes.' -
but was not q little astonished at their
way of doing work, which, as he said,
would never suit Paris or France. "Youl
secret police" he said, "are no more
secret than your police in unifor IN
Everybody knows them, and they ever
dress 80 exactly alike that they nigh,
a. well wear the blue tunio with "a,
number on the eollsr. This II not Cd,
hrst or second time I have been In Lon
don, Rnd u he's always struek nde th6