The Mankato free press. [volume] (Mankato, Blue Earth County, Minn.) 1879-1924, 1880-06-25

ignorance OF the transaction. believed
him; my husband was silent on the sub
ject, and ! felt thankful the Cape was 30
far of. We seldom referred to the cir
cnmstance before recorded, for / could
not bear to recall the horrors of that
evening in the dark, desolate house.
One morning, however, I was startled
by my husband saying suddenly, as he
looked up from letter he was reading:
II say, Madge, they think they have
found clew at last to your Partisan ex-
plot; read that"
He passed me over an ofiicial-looking
letter, and / read what follows:
BUREAU DE POLICE, PARIS.
To Captain BrdnscOD,be:
MoSsIEUR-We believe We have In custody
the boy who acted NJ prominent part in the
robbery committed on Madame, your wife, in
January, 1869. He il concerned in an affair
which bears a close resemblance Ia the one III
which your lady was the victim. Will she come
herself, and, if she can, identify him, and thus
help Ia clear up matter which has long puZ-
zled us all? (Signed) c.
The thought of proceeding III tins case
was Mt first very disiasteful to me; but so
much might be brought to light by my
making the effort, that l 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 II was robbery committed on the
wife of Colonel Styles, under circum-
stances closely resembling those of which
was made the dupe. In this case,
however, boy had been seized on
suspicion, and it was this same boy |
was called on to identify. l had not
hehad altered in the time that had elapsed
since that memorable evening, there
were still those remarkable ewes, with
the long dropping lashes, and the pale,
delicate face to bear witness to his
identity; and without the least hesitation
l 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 did not seem Mt all discon-
certed Mt my recognition, and even
smiled in slightly supercilious man
ner, us though he felt himself secure
from any discovery resulting from my
Identification. The authorities had been
unable, as yet, to elicit any information
from him; he baffied all their attempts
Mt questioning him with skill and cum
ming almost incredible to so young an
offender All mt once | was surprised ut
an exclamation from my husband, who
stood near me:
GOOD heavens!" he said half audibly,
81 believe / see through the whole
plant what a blockhead | was not to
6 hnf Il,,f
neatly planned and carried out, by Jove
ii was!"
He crossed the hall to where Colonel
Styles was sitting, and, afterspeaking to
him for few minutes i'll II low hurried
manner he asked leave to call a witness,
who, he believed, might throw some
light on the matterin hand. Permission
having been granted, he said i'll loud
voice:
THE man calling himself julie Fetier,
body servant to Colonel Styles, and now
present in this hall, is requested to stand
forward"
For the first time since our entrance
the boys face fell, and he looked per-
picked and rather dismayed. There was
movement i'll the crowd, as though
some one were trying to effect departure
from the door; but the attempt being
promptly frustrated, l saw them lead in
to the witness-box the French servant
who had accompanied my husband
abroad, but who had left his service on
his return to England. After some time
passed i'll making inquiries, and eliciting
very little from the cautious man before
us, he was searched, anu many letters of
his present employers were found upon
him; also a pocket book. which con-
tanned memoranda, proving great deal
against himself and his two accomplices
his wife and the boy i'll the dock be-
fore. No one else seemed concerned in
his fraudulent transactions.
On further search the whole system
of his rOguery was unfOlded piece by
piece. He would take service with gen
tlemcn about to travel, imposing on their
credulity with false references, and gain
ing their confidence by his well-trained
demeanor and intelligent conversation.
Once safely out of the country, he would
commence his nefarious schemes, and,
with the aid of his clever vie and child,
carry them out successfully. Nothing
vas ever forgotten that could lead to the
desired end. No fraud was started until
the details had been thoroughly mas
tered by his accomplices, and the plan
well matured. 1t is impossible to say
how many people he had defrauded in
different ways.
He had soon found out how matters
stood between my husband and brother
PARTLY from his own researches, and
partly from n conversation he overheard
between his master and brother officer
and considering the situation a capital
one for practicing his system upon, he
! had ut once communicated with his wife,
and unfolded his plans to her, sending
her the signature distracted from one of
Richards letters to act as a decoy; and
also the handkerchief, which Ralph hap
pcned to have taken among his own, to
throw suspicion on my brother as being
accessory to the robbery.
Before the examination concluded the
sergeant, who had been so long on the
lookout for the perpetrators of the deed.
asked my husband how he had recog-
nized the boy as being the son of his
former servant. Ralph laughed slightly
as he replied:
81 believe ! should have made the
best detective of you all had l been Oh
the spot. l thought recalled the boys
features as being in some way familiar
to me, but could not determine of whom
he reminded me; however, as he stopped
to speak to the warder, the mystery was
revealed in a moment by strange streak
of luck"
Turning to the boy, who had lost his
courageous air, and was looking crest
fallen and frightened, my husband babe
him hold down his head. For the mo-
ment he refused; but on the order being
peremptorily repeated, he obeyed re-
luctantly.
From one side of his head to the other,
contrasting strangely with his thick dark
curls, was streak of white hair, about
half an inch wide, which shone like sill
yer in the sunlight; then bidding the
elder man remove the cap he wore, he
babe him also stoop forward, which he
did, with muttered exclamation; and
there again we saw the same strange
white band shine out on his closely
cropped head.
No link seemed wanting to complete
the chain of evidence against the Of
tenders, and the elder was at length
forced to admit that the proofs were too
strong for him to battle against. He
begged that his wife-tO whom he
seemed really attached-might be treated
leniently, as she was slowly but surely
dying from cancer; the statement was
afterward proved to be correct, and the
woman was removed to a hospital, where
she fingered but short time. The
father and son were fully committed for
trial, and duly found guilty. The SEN
fences imposed upon them were of q