Daily Kennebec journal. [microfilm reel] (Augusta, Me.) 1870-1975, 1884-01-29
GaIes ano Sketftes.
NJ yIGaf AT An Inn.
H. BARroS BAKER, IN BELGRAvIA An
NCAL-

We quote the following story from
Lyons paper: Recently. at a hotel cali
ed La Croix dor, in the town of La Tour
du-Pin in the southeast of France "A travel
er, who had arrived 10 the evening. was on
the following morning found dead IN his
bed. Medical assistance was immediate
ly summoned; the doctor pronounced that
lite had been extinct for several hours.
and that the cause of death way apoplexy.
This report, however. did not satisfy the
police. One OF the most celebrated pby-
sicians and surgeons of Lyons was sent
for, and strict inve ssigaiion OF the case
was set on foot. The Lyons doctor DIS
agreed in into with the opinion of his
provincial coufrere, and held that. as the
man was tall, thin, and long-necked. an
aDoplectic seizure was almost physical
impossibility. The post-mortem examiDa-
ton showed all the vital organs TO be
healthy, and minute analysis Of the con-
tents Of the stomach failed TO detect the
least trace OF poison the face was purple
and swollen the eyes were bloodshot and
pro,ruding. but there were no marks OF
violence about the throat or neck TO sup
port the idea OF strangulalion, which was
suggested BIZ this condition. A small
eliot Of blood was found on the brain, as
though a vessel had been ruptured, and all
agreed that this was the immediate cause
OF death, but how the vessel came to be
ruptured there was no cause TO show. A
traveller who was at the hote on the even
ing when the deceased arrived deposed
that the later drunk freely OF cognac be-
fore retiring TO rest, and that he should
Judge him TO have been a man who habitu-
ally INDUCED in stimulants; the slightly
infamed state of the coatings OF the
stomach supported this opinion. Across
both insteps was an indented livid line,
on either side of which the flesh was
slightly pulled this mark did not extend
to the back part of the leg. but terminated
abruptly upon the ankle bone. The doc
tors seem to attach considerable import
ance to this curious appearance. although
beyond the fact that it must have been
produced by pressure of some kind, they
have utterly failed to find any explanation |
that will account tor it. This completes |
the medical evidence but there are other |
suspicious circumstances connected with |
the case. The traveller whose testimony |
has been previously quoted states that
the deceased informed him that he had a |
large sum of money in his possession. yet
only few frances were found upon the |
body ; the lock of his portmanteau seems
to have been tempered with. and its con-
tents. chiefly wearing apparel. were in
general disorder. as though they had been |
hurriedly turned over and not properly |
replaced. No card or letter. or paper of |
any kind can be found to give clue to
his name or address. both of which are
unknown. 1t is with extreme reluctance
that the authorities have had to assent to |
a verdict of death from natural causes. |
The greatest excitement still prevails in
the usually quiet town. where all kinds of
rumors are afloat; it may be mentioned.
en- PEASANT. that the host and hostess of
La Crsix dor do not stand very high in
the estimation of their fellow-towns-pe o-
pie"
read the above paragraph in the frag-
ment of weekly newspaper that had been
wrapped round something had brought
home with me. one winters night as was
sitting alone in my bachelor chambers L
had been walking against bitter north
easterly wind for two or three hours be-
fore dinner, and the reaction effected by
food, warmth, wine. and tobacco had in
duced such ethargic state of Incidence
that even reading was too great au exer-
ton, and all felt inclined to do was to
pun out smoke and stare at the blazing
Goals, Looking about for something to
light fresh pipe, picked up the afore-
said fragment. ! was about to screw it
up when my eve fell upon the words, "A
Mysterious story" After the first few
lines | grew intensely interested and read
on to the end. There was nothing very
extraordinary about the story, but some
how it seized upon my imagination, and
all that evening could think Of nothing
else. Like the French doctors, the point
that struck me most was the mark across
the insteps. and racked my ingenuity to
find some plausible explanation for it. The
man met his death by foul means, and the
secret lies in that mark, was my deliber-
ate judgment. When went to bed nv
sleep was haunted by horrible dreams, in
which the dead man and those liyid marks
were the prominent figures. All the next
day could not get the story out OF my
thoughts. related it to everybody met.
but no one except myself seemed able to
perceive anything particularly mysterious
about il. For n whole week it haunted
me. pursued me, and do what | would |
was unable to Danish this nightmare. But
the most vivid impression will fade with
time, and by the end OF a month the
mystery of La Tur-de-Pin was almost for
gotten.
Six years afterwards. the summer of
1856. after having done a pedestrian tour
through the southwest and west of France.
found myself in Normandy. on my way
back TO England. I bad inherited from
my father asleeping partnership in COM
mercial house which does large trade
with France, and upon arriving at Caen
found "a letter from one of the partners.
in which was requested, as was in that
part of France. to run over to Rouen and
call upon a certain firm with which we
had been having extensive dealings. I'VE
have heard disquieting rumors about
Messrs. 10 ran the letter-.and