Ashtabula weekly telegraph. (Ashtabula, Ohio) 1880-1886, 1880-03-12
The Story Of Great Paris Mystery.

The Parisians, says a Paris oOrrespon-
dent, are determined to have a mystery
now and then. They have been fond
of something of the kind ever since the
time of the Tour de Nesle. Only the
other day they were Mortified with
blood-curdling descriptions of a house
in an obscure suburb which had been
rented by stranger, forbidding in ap-
pearance and evidently bent upon the
consummation of some hideous crime,
judging from the preparations which
he had made. Rumors ran in the neigh
borhood that he was darkly engaged in
plotting against the life of some one
for he had brought to the house huge
case made of solid wood, lined with
heavy cloth and pierced with air-hOles.
1t seemed Just the sort of a thing in
which to imprison some helpless crea-
ture whom he was desirous of tortur-
ing. The woman of whom he had hired
the house spied his movements in a
most indiscreet manner, and when one
day she saw him bring in half a dozen
chains, such as are ordinarily used for
dogs, she could not restrain herself any
longer, so she went off to the neighbors
with a terribly-magnifed version of the
whole matter, and the result was that
the police were called in. Meantime
the mysterious stranger appeared to
have gained some knowledge of the
movement against him, for he disap-
peared, and was heard of no more-at
that period.
The police agents came out from
Paris and spent day or two in the
house. There stood the wooden case,
gaping wide open, with its cushioned
sides and the staples driven into them,
seeming to indicate that a human being
was to be chained in there alive. The
agents began to think that some at
tempt at blackmail was to be made by
a band of clever criminals. Every en-
deavor was made to catch the supposed
culprit, and the concierges, shoemakers
and water carriers of the capital, with
bated breath nightly discussed the
mystery, until one fine morning the
Prefect of Police received letter from
wealthy gentleman who lives but a
little way from Paris, explaining the
whole matter. 1t appears that some
weeks ago this gentleman was bitten
by one of his dogs in such a manner as
TO awaken suspicious in his mind that
the dog was mad. He cauterized the
wound, but the thought that he was a
possible victim of hydrophobia so
preyed upon his mind that he deter
mined to separate himself from his fam
lily for a time, and to experiment upon
certain animals, by inOculating them
with his own blood, in order to ascer-
tain if the rage were really lurking in
his system. With this intention he
hired the house in the suburbs and pre-
pared case in which he proposed to
shut up three of his dogs, and to study
their symptoms until he felt sure either
that he was free from danger or that
there was crisis to fear. just as he
was about to bring the dogs to the cot
tage and to inoculate them there, he
found that the meddlesome neighbOrs
were likely to get him into temporary
trouble, so he gave up his design. He
inclosed to the Prefect the false beard
and spectacles with which he had been
disguised when he rented the cottage.
The Prefect smiled the peculiar smile
which men do when compelled to admit
that they are sold. and the great mys-
terry was at an end.