The National tribune., 1882-03-11
FRENCH DETECTIVES.

to Farls fwent to see 4 friend, a French
gentleman had known for inauy years who
with his wife ana only daughter, lived in a
small house in the Faubourg st. Germain.
l found the family one and al in the great
est possible excitement. During the night
their domiclle lad been broken into and
property to the value of about 10000 francs
(@I,2Hol, consisting Of plate, jewels, money
ana bonds, had been stolen. bly, friend was
ny 10 means rich man, and the loss was to
him a very serious one. The strangest part
OF the asair WAS that no one seemed To have
the slightest idea by who or how the lost
thlnss had been taken. They were kept IN
a Large lron-cIamPed chest, which was never
moved out of the sale a manger, and which
was found in It's usual place next morning,
nut with the lock forced open. The servants
OF the family were only two in number, and
consisted OF an elderly man and his wife,
VINO mad been III the same service for more
ulan ten years. They did not sleep on the
same 1oor as their master and mistress; but,
as Is usual i'll Paris, occupied 4 room some
stories higher in the marsarde or attic. They
/ had key by which to let themselves in from
/ the back stairs to the kitchen IN the morn
ing; bu5 at the tine of the robbery neither
one nor the other had been in the din
! lng-Toom where the chest WAS kept until
after my friends daughter had found out
what had happened. The lady Of the house
had locked the ehest-it was her usual habit
before she had retired to rest the previous
night. The key was found hanging on nail
at the head of her bed, its usual place The
theft must have been committed between
eleven p. m, when the chest was locked, and
eight a. n, when the dauehter discovered
The loss. The concierge declared that no one
save those who lived in the house had passed
his lodge during those hours. The door of
the apartment opening OF to the main stair
case was found locked and the key on the
inside. Altogether it was a most mysteri-
Gus business, Of which no one could make
anything save that the property had vanish
ed ; therefore it must have been taken by
some one.
Ny friend resolved TO 60 ut once to the
Rue de Jerusalem-Ihe Scotland yard of
Paris-and ask the authorities to inquire
into the matter. | suggested an agent do
police or policeman from the nearest station
might be called, but was told that that was
not the way they did things in Paris The
policeman that kept order in the streets, and
those whose business it IS TO discover what
has become Of stolen property, are two de-
partments perfectly distinct from each other
Being anxious to see how our neighbor man
aged affairs Of this kind, aud whether they
were better up TO their work than our Lon
don detectives, accompanied my friend to
the Prefecture de Police where he sent in /
his card, aud we were at once uShered into !
the presence of quiet-lookjng elderly gem
tleman, one of the sous-cheiS of the depart !
ment. who looked more like bank man
ageT or head clerk in large mercantile |
house, than man whose occupation was to |
indicate where the thieves and others who |
were wanted" could be laid HAMS on
A Frenchman is nothing if he is not polite. |
The individual into whose sanctum we were
shown welcomed us with civility which
nothing could exceed. lie heard my friends
story from first 30 last made n few notes
with pen in 4 kind Of diary which he had
on his desk and now and then asked q oues-
ten or two respecting tie house and apart
mont which had been robbed, the servants.
visitors, and other matters But he did not
detain us long. The interview was over in
twenty minutes. The sOIs-chef then told
my friend that he would seld one of his sub
Ollinates to see the chest the next day. In
The meantime would my(riend prepare a
list and rs minute y description as possib|e
Of the property that had ben stolen? Asa
rule FrenChmen, no matter to what rank Of
life they belong, have the geatest possihIo
respect Cor all who are in an way connected
with the police, and never DEAN of disDut
ing what they say, but my fiend was some
what annoyed at what he Ceemed useless
delay, and asked whether tie police aren't
could not be sent at once. The sous-chef.
however, overrulcd his objection, and said il
was best, for many reasons tbeagent should
not go the house until next dy. an the
first place." lie said 81 do not 5ish any one
but yourselves to know that tle gentleman
who will call on you to-morr0y is in any ]
way connected with the polio, He will
send up a card, and you will be lnd enough
to receive him as friend-t2lII tOhim of the
robbery i'll the presence of your seryntsas Won
would to any casual acquaintance.' He then
turned to me and said, laughingly Owe do ,
not manage these affairs as you d in Lon i
don. We don't aifiche our police; 7e don't /
send constahles Che pronounced ne word ,
"conestabel'O to make fuss and pit every ,
one on their guard; we like to dcthjnrs
quietly; the result is better" II then =
bowed us out and we took our delrture. 7
not over assured as to what the upset of {
the affair would be. {
Gun monsieur qui desire vous voir, said 7
my friends man-seryant next day, plsine, !
a card into his masters hand, Just awe Z
were finishing our midday meal, an q
gentleman-like, middle-aged man as I
shown in He was close shaved as he t
chin and upper lip, but wore small Wis =
kers, more like an Englishman of busints +
of ten years ago than a native of Ia bek /
France He was well, but not fashonabl, t
dressed, and carried a small cane, with whic. 2
he kept gently tapping his boot when no G
speaking. When the servant was i'll the I