The evening light. [volume] (San Antonio, Tex.) 1881-1883, 1882-04-22
Supplement.
Saturday, April 22, 1882.
A STRANGE STORY.
AFrench Inventors Secret Divulged at
the Confessional.

AFrench Inventors Secret Divulged at
the Confessional.
A strange story, which will have curios
law suit as corollary, comes from Nice.
Some weeks ago M. Fleury, well known to
the habitues of the Maison Dorce, died at one
of the small hotels. M. Fleury was an inven-
ter who pretended to have made discovery
by which he would become millionaire.
One day he received the visit of stranger,
with whom he was closeted for several hours;
in the night he was seized with violent
pains in the stomach ; his groans brought to
his assistance the inmates OF an adjoining
room, and, at his earnest request, priest was
sent for. Il want to confess" he shrieked,
81 can not die with my secret, for Gods sake
bring me priest immediately" The Able
Cognet, Citrate Of the Sainte Augustln Parish,
came; the chamber was cleared, and the dying
man lett alone with the ecclesiastic Sir"
he said, stake the wallet which contains my
secret. 1t is certain it is worth millions.
desire that it shall be forwarded to Madam.
the Countess de X, poste restante, Lyons
She knows part of my secret; the documents
in this portfolio will complete her, education in
this matter" SIS Nine. de X. your wife,"
ayes and no; that is to say. there has been no
marriage ceremony, butt wish that she alone
should inherit this secret, which is worth mil
lions" "And this secret is?'' "Cest lie Sc
cret de voler." gave this phase in French,
because on the word voler, which means "tc
fy'' and "to steaP' hingid all the after COM
plications. Naturally the Able was shocked,
but as his penitent died before he could en-
plain he was much embarrassed. 1t was a case
of conscience; the secret Of the confessional
could not be revealed without authority from
Rome, and he was meditating a journey thith-
er when his landlord, M. Depreta, noticed the
police of his lodger's decease, and the Com
missary made domiciliary visit to take an in
ventory and afix the seals on everything, pend
ing the appearance of the legal heirs. Among
the effects was an immense box, which, when
opened, was found to contain colossal fe-
male figure, provided with wings and a COM
plicated system of interior machinery; also
number of letters establishing the fact that sew
eral persons had advanced money for the per-
fiction of the invention, which was to have
been publicly experimental with at date fix
ed, according to the correspondence, few
days after M. Fleury's demise. This dscov-
cry set the Abbe's scruples at rest, and the ex-
planatory documents were at once dispatched
to Nine. de X, from whom came reply by
return OF post, expressive of her regreat, and
requesting to be furnished with the dead mans
bill. This, amounting to 5oof., was also sent,
but has not been paid, and M. Depreta claims
that, after the expiration of year and day,
he shall be put in possession of the invention,
unless in the meantime collateral heirs should
turn up and make an arrangement. The Mic
can Judges are puzzled; the Countess de X
seems to be mythical parsonage; there are
doubts whether the mysterious visitor who
came on the eve of Fleury's death may not
have been instrumental in it; the flying ma
chine, without the, explanations, can not be
used, and, to tangle the skein still more, some
letters found in a trunk establish that Fleury
was onlya pseudonym, that he was in reality
brother of the notorious Barre, who, with
Lebiez, was guillotned two Or three years ago
for cutting up milk-woman near the IIalles