Savannah morning news. [volume] (Savannah) 1868-1887, 1884-02-03

Levasseur. / saw, noticed with considera-
Die interest the look of greed and covet-
BUSINESS which / fixed on that same
pocketbOok. At length the stranger rose
to depart. l also hurried up and slipped
after him, and was quietly and slyly fol-
lowed by Levasseur. After proceeding
/ about a dozen PAGES / looked flrtiyeIv
about, but not behind; robbed Mr.. Trelaw-
ney of his pocketbook, which he had
placed ia one of the tails of his coat
crossed over the street and walked bnr,
rlediy away, followed as l could hear by
| LeYasseur. l entered another public
house, STROBE into an empty back room.
and was just in the act of examining my
| prize when in stepped Levasseur. He
/ looked triumphant as Lucifer, as he
clapped me on the shoulder and said in a
low, eXultant voice, 81 saw that pretty
trick, Williams, and can, if like, trans
port youl'
My CONSERVATION was naturally ex-
/ IRENE, and LevasSeur laughed immensely
at the terror he excited.
'SOyez trdnqWtte," he said, at last, at
tne same time ringing the bell; II shall
not hurt yOu." He ordered some wine,
and, after the waiter had filled the order
and left the room, said: ''ThOse notes of
Mr.. Trelawney's will of course be stopped
In the morning, but 1 think l once heard
you say you knew of market for such
articles"
hesltated, cOyly, unwilling further to
commit myself.
''COme, come" resumed Levasseur in a
sui low but menacing tone, mo non
sense. | have you now; you are, in
1act, entirely in my power; but be cam
dled, and you are safe. Who is your
| friend?"
HE is not in town now,'' l stammered.
''Stuf-humbug! | have myself some
notes to change. There now we understand
each other. What does he give, and how
does he dispose of themY'
''He gives about third generally, and
gets ria Of them abroad. They reach the
bank through bona fide and innocent hold
ers, and in that case the bank is of course
bound to pay"
rs that the law also with respect to
bills of exchanged
''Yes, to be sure it is"
"And is amount of any consequence to
your friend?'
None, believe, whatever"
well, then, you must introduce me to
him.''
''NO, that L can't" 1 hurriedly an
swered. HE won't deal with strangers
You must, tell you, or l will call
an officer"
Terrified by this threat, muttered that
his name was Levi Samuel.
land where does Levi Samuel liver"
THAT" replied, II can not tell; but
L know how to communicate with him."
FINALLY, 1t was settled by LeVasseur that
l should dine at Oak Cottage the nextday
but one, and that l should arrange with
samuel to meet us there Immediately af-
terward. The notes and bills be had to
dispose of, l was to inform Samuel.
amounted to nearly $4,000, and [ was
promised f5OO for efecting the bargain.
rive hundred pounds, remember, Will
iIams," said LeVasseur, as we parted; 'Or,
II you deceive me, transportation You
can prove nothing regarding me, whereas
could settle you Off-hand.''
The superintendent and I had a long
and rather anxious conference the next !
day. We agreed that, situated as Oak |
cottage was, in an open space away from
any other building, it would not be adyis- |
able that any officer except myself and |
the pretended Samuel should approach |
the place. We also agreed as to the |
probability of such clever rOgues having |
SO placed the notes and bills that they |
could be consumed or other wise destroy |
ed on the slightest alarm, and that the |
open arrest of Levasseur, and search of !
oak Cottage, would III all likelihood prove |
fruitless.
There will be only two of them" l |
SAID In reply to a remark of the Super !
lntendent as to the somewhat dangerous |
game was rlsking with powerful and des- !
perate men, seven should LIE Breton be /
there; and surely jackson and |, aided by
Inc surprise and our pistols, will be too /
many for them"
Little more was said, the Superinten-
dent wished us luck, and l sought out and
instructed Jackson.
] will confess that, on setting out the
next day to keep my appointment, | felt !
considerable anxiety. LeVasseur might
have discovered my vocation, and set this
trap for my destruction. Yet that was
hardly possible. At all events, whatever
the danger, it was necessary to face it;
and, having cleaned and loaded my pis-
tolls with unusual care, and babe nv wife
u HIVIO tiIua v.o..s>IIs-' a4.,--e~4 4s-aurafI
which, by the way, rather startled her.
| set off, determined, as we used to say in
Yorkshire, "to win the horse or lose the
saddle"
l arrived in good time at Oak Cottage
and found my host in the highest possible
spirits. Dinner was ready, he said, but
it would be necessary to wait a few min
utes for the two friends he expected.
1.-TWO frIendsV exclaimed, really star
tied. "YOu told me last evening there
was to be only one, Monsieur LIE Bre-
ton"
''True," rejoined Levasseur, carelessly;
"but 1 had forgotten that another party !
as much interested as ourselves would
like to be present, and would invite him
self if did not. But there will be enough
for us all, never fear" he added with
coarse laugh, especially as Madame Le-
vasseur does not dine with u.s."
At this moment loud knock was heard.
"Here they arer' exclaimed Levasseur,
and FASTENED out to meet them.
peeped through the blind and, to my
great alarm, saw that lie Breton was ac-
companied by the clerk Dubarle! My
first impulse was to seize my pistols and
rush out of the house: but calmer thoughts
Iad nd fbo D.; hot
a plan had been laid to entrap me re-
CURED forcibly. Still, should the clerk
recognize me? The situation was un-
doubleday a critical one; but 1 was in for
it and must, therefore, brave the matter
out in the best way l could.
Presently a conversation, carried on in
loud, menacing tone in the next room,
between Leyasseur and the newcomers, |.
arrested my attention and 1 softly APP
preached the door to listen. lie Breton,
soon found, was but half a villain, and
was extremely anxious that the property
should not be disposed of till at least an
other effort had been made at negotiation.
The others, now that a market for the
notes and securities had been obtained,
were determined to avail themselves of it
and Immediately leave the country. The
almost agOniZed entreaties of lie Breton
that they would not utterly ruin the house
he had betrayed were treated with scOrn-
Iul contempt, ana ne was at length SlI60cSQ
by their brutal menaces. lie Breton,
further learned, was a cousin of Madame
Levasseur, whose husband had first pill
LACED him at play and then suggested the
crime which had been committed as the
sole means of cOncealing the detalcations
of which he, Levasseur, had been the &C.
casiOn and promoter.
After brief delay all three entered the
dining-room, and a slight but significant
start which the clerk Dubarle gave, as
Levasseur, with mock ceremony intro
duced me, made my heart leap into my
mouth. His halffOrmed suspicious
seemed, however, to be dssipated for the
moment by the humorous account Levas-
seur gave him of the robbery of Mr.. Ire
lawney, and we sat down to a very hand
some dinner.
A more uncomfortable one, albeit,
never assisted at. The furtive looks of
Dubarle, who had been only partially re-
assured, grew more and more inquisitive
and earnest. Fortunately Levasseur was
in rollicking spirits and humor, and did
not heed the unquiet chances of the young
man, and as for lie Breton, he took little
notice of anybody. AT last the terrible
dinner was over and the wine was pushed
briskly round. / drank much more freely
than usual, partly with view to calm
my nerves and partly to avoid remark. 1t