Claiborne guardian. [volume] (Homer, La.) 1877-188?, 1879-07-16

from his expedition equally delight.
ed.
81 am on the track of the man
with the rings in his ears said he;
"the siOop went down the river. |
have obtained an exact description
of Capt, Gervaise..
"What have you done. NJ. Taba.
retf said the iudge of inquiry.
The old fellow carefully emptied
the contents of the pannier--a huge
lump OF potter's clay, several large
sheets of paper, and three or four
small morsels of plaster yet damp.
Standing behind this table he pre-.
sented q grOtesque resemblance to
q moun,ebank coujuror who in the
public squares makes buildings in
hats, swallows swords and eats fire.
His dress was in singular state;
he was mud to the chin.
sin the first place." said he, ut
last, in tone of affected modesty,
"robbery has had nothing to do
with the crime that occupies our
attention"
"Ou the contrary" muttered Gev.
rol.
81 shall prove it,n continued Pere
Tabaret, "by the evidence. By and
by ] shall offer my opinion as to the
real motiSe.'
"In the second place, the assassin
arrived here before half past 8; that
is to say, before the rail fell. No
more than M. Gevrol have | been
able to discover traces of muddy
footsteps; but under the table, on
the spot where his foot rested. l
find dust. We are thus assured of
the hour. The widow did not ex.
pect her visitor. She had cOmmenc.
ed undressing, and was about to
wind up her cuckoo clock when he
entered"
"These are absolute Details" cried
the commissary.
"But easily established replied
the amateur. Examine this cuck
90 clock; it is one of those which
run fourteen or fifteen hours at
most. Now, it is more than proba.
BILE, it is certain, that the widow
wound it up every evening before
going to bed.
"How, then, should the clock
have stopped at 81 She must have
touched it at that hour. AT the
moment she was drawing the cham
the assassin knocked. In proof,
show this chair below the clock, and
on the seat very plain mark of a
foot. Now look at the dress of the
victim. The waist of her gown is
taken of. In order to open the
door more quickly, she did not wait
to put it OH again, but hastily threw
an old shawl over her shoulders
"Sapristi!" exclaimed the briga
dier, evidently filed with admira
ton.
The widow continued the old
fellow, "knew the person who
knocked. Her haste to open the
door gives rise to this conjecture
what follows proves it. The assas
sin then gained admission with
out difficulty. He was IL young
man, u little above the middle
height, elegantly dressed. He wor'
on that evening high hat. HI
carried an umbrella aud smoked I
trabucos with cigar holder
"Ridiculous" cried Gevrol. "Thi
is too strong"
"Too strong for you, perhaps,
retorted Pere Tabaret. "At al
events, it is the truth. If you hav,
, not been minute in your examina
!, tons there is no reason why
|, shouldn't be. search and l find
Too strong, say youi Well, deigl
to glance at these morsels of dam
, plaster. They represent the heel
Of the boots worn by the ASSASSIN
> of which found the most perfec
, impression near the ditch, wher
, the key was picked Up. On thes
> sheets of paper | have marked il
outline the imprint of the foo
q which l cannot take up because
! is in the gravel
g "Look! heel high, instep pre-
J. nounced, soul small and narrow
|, an elegant boot, belonging to a toe
e we'll cared for evidently. Look fO
}. this impression all along the rOat
o and you will find it twice repeated
a Then you will find it five times n
:. peated 10 the garden; and thes
i. footprints prove, by the way, tbs
|. the stranger knocked not at th
8 door but at the window shuttle
e beneath which shoBe q CLEAN
light. Near the entrance of tn
d garden the man made leap