Little Falls transcript. [volume] (Little Falls, Morrison County, Minn.) 1876-1894, 1880-05-14
The Story of a Great Paris Mystery.


Leave the critics their nag, 'ts privileged horse
Aud, without an old hobby to ride, they would die.
The Story Of Great Paris Mystery.
The Parisians, says a Paris CORE
spondent, 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 q
house in an obscure suburb, which had
been rented by stranger, forbidding
in appearance, and evidently bent upon
the contamination of some, .hideous
crime, Judging from the preparations
which he had made. Rumors ran in
the neighborhood that he was darby
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. It seemed just the sort of
thing in which to imprison some help
less creature whom he was DESTROYS of
torhlring. The woman of whom he had
hired the house spied his movements
in most ildiacreet manner, and when
one day she saw him bring in half
dozen chains, such as are ordinarily
used for dogs she could not restrain
herself any longer, so she went off to
the neighbours with terribly-magnifed
version of the whole matter, and the re-
suit was that the police were called IN.
B, Meantime the mysterious stranger
appeared to have gained some knowl-
edge of the movement against him, for
he disappeared, and was heard Of no
more-at that period.
The police agents came out from
Paris and spent q 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
band of clever criminals. Every en-
deavor was made to catch the supposed
culprit, and the concierges, shoemakers
and ,wa,ser-carriers of the capital, with
bated breath, nightly discussed the
mystery, until one fine morning the
Project Of Police received letter from
wealthy gentlemen who, lives but a
little way from Paris, explaining the
whole matter. It appears that some
weeks ago this gentleman was bit
ten by one of his dogs in such
q manner as to awaken suspicious
in his mind that the dog was mad.
He cauterized the wound, but the
thought that he was possible victim
OF hydrophobia SO preyed upon his
mind that he determined to separate
himself from his family for time, and
to experiment. upon certain animals, by
inocrllaing them with his own blood, in
order to ascertain if the rage were real
~ lurking in his system. With this in
tention he hired the house in the
suburbs and prepared case in which
he proposed to shut up three of his
dogs, and to study their symptoms I'M
/ TIL he felt sure either that he: was free
from danger, or that there was q crisis
| to fear. just as he was about to bring
the dogs to the cottage and to inoculate
them there, he found that the meddle-
some neighbors were likely te get him
into temporary trouble, 50 he gave up
his design. He inclosed to the Project
the false beard and spectacles with
which he had been disguised when he
! rented the cottage. The Project smiled
the peculiar smile which men do wher
compelled to admit that they are sold,
and the great mystery was at an end.