Grand Rapids morning telegram., 1884-12-01
PARTISAN MYSTERY.
An Affair Which Troubled the Par
Is Police.
Ths Singular Blsappsaranee, the Aec0ans-
tsz for Which Hafiies AN the Criminal
kxperts fn France--Seektng for
samcisnt Motives IA Paris.


Paris, writes Edward King Iron farls,
Is still the city of mysteries-of weird
and strange crimes-and the populace
dearly loves a good old fashioned blood
curdling criminal mystery. The conclerges
dOts on it. They sit ia their loges after
nightfall, ia this October season, when the
darkness falls early, and talk with bated
breath OF the latest sensation in the spec
ialty which they 50 much affect. This
sensation is Pei. Now Pei Is a scientific,
experimenting kind Of clock maker, man
of inyentions-one whose restless, pierre
ing eyes, flashing behind his speetacles,
have frightened many person who looked
into his face, say the eoncierges. One day
Pei came 20 live at Montreuil, near Paris.
He had small house and only one servant,
named Marie Boehmer. He shut himself
up in a laboratory filled with strange in
struments and noxious-looking fluids In
green jars on the shelves He worked all
night, as IL he had been seeking for the
philosophers stone. be now and then
walked abroad, but the neighbors seemed
to shun him as if by instinct One day
the servant Marie Boehmer fell i'll. She
constantly complained Of burning pains
to attend her, and spread in the SUBJ
urb the report that she could not recover.
On a certain evening they left her, prom
ising TO return at early morning. When
they came next day they were met by
the philosopher Pei. 'She has gone
away" he said. "Gone away" they re-
peated, in astonishment. "Why, we feared
she would not live through the night"
Nevertheless, she has gone; she asked
me TO 20 for a cab, which / did; she
arose, dressed herself. and went off in the
cab. | did not hear the direction she
gave TO the driver; but probably
she has gone to hospital" This
singular statement satisfied the neigh
bors for only twenty-four hours,
at the end of which time they
searched the hospitals. No Marie Boeh-
mer. Then they began to gossip, and from
gossip they proceeded to denunciation.
The result was that the philosopher Pei,
who was found calmly pursuing his abb
struse studies, was arrested and walked off
TO Paris prison on suspicion of having
murdered and concealed Marie Boehmer.
Now came one person who told how Pei
had been seen carrying mysterious pack
ages away at night to throw into the
stream since the girls disappearance.
Now came another who had found pack
age OF human hair in the well Of M. Pei.
"He is poisoner," said everyone, and the
concierges added that he was magician
who had sold his soul to the devil.
In prison Pei behaved like a true philoso-
pher, and the police authorities were very
much mystifed. They found nothing at
first in his dwelling which seemed to in
dHate crime. His laboratory was filled
with things which indicated that he was a
profound student of toxicology. He said
that he was an inventor-that he had in
vented a new powder which the Govern
ment had tried, and which would have been
adopted had not a cannon charged with
this powder exploded on the day of the de-
cisive experiment and blown an officer to
pieces. This trifing accident appeared to
have prejudiced the Government against
Pel's invention. His story concerning the
powder proved true. He added that he
had never been married, had always lived
quietly with only one servant, like the one
who had just disappeared, and, heaven
bless her, he didn't know whittier she had
gone.
But Pel's statement that he had never
been married was presently shown TO be
untrue by no less a parsonage than the
brother of his deceased wife, who nov ap-
peared upon the scene, and stated that he
had married his sister, who had quite a
little dowry, ard that shortly after her
marriage she died in horrible suffering.
Pei, who had been living in the Avenne
Klesen, disappeared soon after the wife
was buried, for there was no investigation,
although some Of the friends thought the
circumstances of the death unnatural.
"Now," says the brother, Il believe Pei
poisoned his wife, and 1 propose to have
the body, which has been buried year,
exhumed and examined" At this, Pei,
who had shown agitation on being con-
fronted with this brother, was greatly dis
tressed. The police returned to his house
at Montreuf, and this time succeeded in
finding a broken furnace, which showed
signs of recent use. They conclude that he
first poisoned and then cut up and burned
the body of Marie Boehmer; that he pois-
oned his wife, and meantime dreadful
story has come in about servant leaving
his service in 1876, declaring that her mas
ter was trying TO poison her. Pei still de-
nies, but evidence seems accumulating TO
crush him.
The mystery is in the motive which has
sctuated Pei, If, indeed, he has committed
these crimes. The police incline to think
that he has done all the crimes just for fun
-as the Pomeroy boy tortured other chill
dren. That he is an adept in the compost
tion Of poisons there is no doubt. But he
had no reason for poisoning bis wife; he
has reasonably large income from his
own property, and as to putting his serv-
ants out of the way, IL could only have
been done for the love of crime. It IL
thought that he viii be proven to be a pro-
fessiOnal poisoner. But be may be inno-
cent and the "victim of circumstances
Fer the moment he is greater sensation
than the meeting of the Chambers. or the
new air-ships, or the forthcoming opera by