The Jasper weekly courier. [volume] (Jasper, Ind.) 1858-1922, 1882-03-24

-csnfnry Mogazin<.
HOW FRENCH DETECTIVES WORK.
Some five or six years ago, being on
visit 10 Paris. ! went TO see a friend.
French gentleman ! had known for
MANY years. who. with his wife and only
daughter. lived az sscOnd in small
house in the Fanborg st. German. !
found the family one and AL In the
greatest possible excitement During
the night their domicile had been broken
into, and property 70 the value ~ about
thirty thousand francs, consisting Of
plate, Jewels. money and bonds had
been stolen. My friend was BY no
means rich man, and the loss was 20
him very serious one. The strange
part 81 the affair was that no one seemed
10 have the slightest idea by whom, or
how. the lost things had been taken.
They were kept in large iron-clamped
chest, which was never moved out Of
the sGiie q mdnqtr. and which was
found in It's usual place next morning.
but with the lock forced open. The
servants Of the family were only two in
number. and consisted Of an elderly
man and his wife. who had been in the
same service for more than ten years.
They did not sleep on the same floor as
their master and mistress; but, a. j.
usual in Paris. occupied room some
stories higher in the n1ansarde or attic.
Iney had key by which to let them
selves in from the back stairs 70 the
kitchen in the morning; but At the time
Of the robbery neither one nor the other
had been in the dining-room where the
chest was kept. until after my friend
daughter had found out what had
happened. The lady Of the family
had locked the chest-it was her usual
habit before she had retired 70 rest
the previous night. The key was
found hanging on nail at the head IL
her bed. is usual place. The theft must
have been committed between eleven
r. MI, when the chest was locked, and
eight a. m. when her daughter discov-
cred the loss. The concierge declared
that no one save those who lived ia the
house had passed his lodge during those
hours. The door Of the apartment open
ing on the main staircase was found
locked. and the key on the inside Al
together il was most mysterious bust
ness Of which no one could make anv-
thing save that the property had van
ished. therefore il must have been taken
by some one.
My friend resolved to 70 nj once to
the Rue de Jerusalem the Scotland
Yard Of Paris and ask the authorities
- inquire into the matter. | suggested
an agent De police or policeman from
the nearest station might be called. but
was told that that was not the way that
they did things in Paris The police
men that keep order in the streets, and
those whose business II Is to discover
what has become Of stolen property. are
two departments perfectly distinct from
each other. Being anxious 10 see how
our ncighbors managed affairs Of this
kind, and whether they were better up
~ their work than our London de-
tectives, accompanied my friend to the
Prefecture de Police. where he sent in
his card. and we were ut once ushcrcd
into the presence Of quict-looking
elderly gentleman. one Of the sons-chef
81 the department. who looked more
like bank manager. Or head clerk in
large mercantile house, than man
whose occupation was 70 Indicate where
The thieves and others who were
wanted" could be laid hands on.
A Frcnchman Il nothing II he j. not
polite. The individual into whose sane
tum we were shown welcomed rs with
\ ci,iIity which nothing could exceed.
He heard my friends story from first 10
last. made few notes with pen in 4
kind Of diary which he had on his desk,
and now and then asked question or
two respecting the house and apart
mcnt which had been robbed. the ser
wants. visitors and other matters. But
ne did not detain us long. The inter-
view was over IN twenty minutes. The
S0Ns-chef them told nv friend that he
would send one Of his subordinates 10
see the chest the next day. In the
meantime would my friend prepare
list. and rs minute description Ms pos
sible Of The property that had been
stolcnp A. arulc Frcnchmen, no mat
ter ID what rank Of life they belong,
have the greatest possible respect for
all who are hi any way connected with
the police. anu never dream of disput-
ing what they say; but my friend was
somewhat annoyed AZ what he deemed
useless delay. and asked whether the
policc-agcnt could not be sent AZ once.