Daily Kennebec journal. [microfilm reel] (Augusta, Me.) 1870-1975, 1880-08-28
NO. 2O3.
Gales ar,D Skettbes.
TRICKED AND TRACKED.
BY Mary Mark.Lcmon.
Continued from yesterday. }
PART U.-TRACkEp.

after my husbands return from abroad,
and, on his quitting the army, we took up
our residence in London. | had mean-
while received several letters from my
brother. written from the Cape, and in
answer to one wrote him in reference to
the robbery; he replied with the most
solemn assertions of his entire ignor-
ance of the transaction. | believed him;
my husband was silent on the subject, and
| felt thankful that the Cape was so far off.
We seldom referred to the circumstances
before recorded, for could not bear to re-
call the horrors of that evening in the
dark. desolate house.
One morning. however, was startled
by my husband saying suddenly, as he
looked up from letter he was reading,
Il say, Madge, they think they have
found a clue at last to your Partisan eN-
ploits; read that"
He passed me over an oiiicial-looking
letter. and read what follows;
BUREAU DE Police. PARIs.--To Cap
tain Branscombe Monsieur-We believe
we have in custody the boy who acted so
| prominent part in the robbery commit
ted on Madame, your wife, in January.
| 1869. lie is concerned in an affair which
bears close resemblance TO the one in
| which your lady was the victim. VIII she
come herself and, if she can. identify
him, and thus help to clear up matter
which has long puzzled us all F.?
(Signed) c."
The thought of proceeding in this case
was at first very distasteful to me; but 50
much might be brought to light by my
making the effort. that | resolved. by
Ralph's advice, to face the disagreeable
task; and. accordingly we started for
Paris that night.
| will not enter into the details of the
case then under examination, suffice TO
say 1t was a robbery committed on the
wife Of Colonel Styles, under circumstan-
ces closely resembling those of which |
was made the dupe. In this instance,
however, a boy had been seized on suspis
cion, and it was this same boy was called
on TO identify. had not much difficulty
in the matter; although he had altered in
the time that had elapsed since that me-
morable evening. there were still those
remarkable eyes, and their long dropping
lashes, and the pale delicate face to bear
witness to his identity; and without the
least hesitation declared him to be the
same boy who had guided me to the house
where ! had been robbed on the evening
of January %, 1869.
The boy dld not seem at all Disconnected
| at my recognition and even smiled in Il
| slightly superciious manner, as though he
felt himself secure from any discovery re-
sulting from my identification. The au-
thorities had been unable. as vet, to elicit
any information from him; he bailled all
their attempts at questioning him with a
skill and cunning almost incredible in so
| I...
prised at an exclamation frommy husband,
who stood near me:
"Good heavens ~ he said half audibly,
Il believe see through the whole plot
what a blockhead was not to have thought
oft before! But it was neatly planned
and carried out, by ,Jove it was!''i
He crossed the hall to where Colonel
Styles was sitting, and, after speaking to
him for few minutes in low hurried
manner, he asked leaye to call witness.
who, he believed, might throw some light
on the matter in hand. Permission hav-
ing been granted. he said in loud voice ::
1.-The man calling himself Jules Feter,
body servant to Col. Styles, and now pres
ent in this hall, is requested to stand for
ward
For the first time since our entrance the
and rather dismayed. There was move
in the crowd as though someone were try
ing to effect a departure from the door !;
but the attempt being promptly frustrated
saw them lead to the witness-box the
French servant who had accompanied my
husband abroad but who had LETT his SER
vice on his return to England After some
time passed in making inquiries, and eic-
lifting very little from the cautious man be =
fore us. he was searched, and many letters
of his present employers were found up
on him; also n pocket book, which con-
tained memoranda, proving a great deal
against himself and his two oacconplices-
his wife and boy in the dock before us. No
one else seemed concerned in his fraudu-
lent transactions.
On further search the whole system Of
his roguery was unfoldcd piece by piece.
He would take service with gentlemen
about to travel, imposing on their creduli-
Ity with false references, and gaining their
lconfidence by his well-trained dcIheanor
and intelligent conversation. Once safely
out OF the country, he would commence
his nefarious schemes, and. with the aid
Of his clever wife and child. carry them
out successfully. Nothing was ever for
gotten that could lead to the desired end.
No fraud was started until the details had
been thoroughly mastered by his accom-
plices. and the plan well matured. 1t is
impossible to say how mary people he has
defrauded in different ways.
He had soon found out how matters
stood between my husband and brother
ipartly from his own researches, and part
ly from a conversation he overheard be-
tween his master and a brother officer
land considering the situation a capital one
for practicing his system upon. he had at
once communicated with his wife, and un-
folded his plans to her, sending her the
signature abstracted from one Of Richard 5
letters to act as decoy; and also the
handkerchief, which Ralph happened to
have taken among his own, to throw sus-
picion on my brother as being accessory
to the robbery.
| Dr. At