Omaha daily bee., 1884-03-22
HI MAD MARKSMAN,

OF ms own special uWelllnS. Inc Cele-
brated physician, whose particular field
was insanity, was explaining to me the
case of one of his patients whom we had
met in all alley and who had saluted us
with a %patroniaing air.
At that momen an explosion resounded
a few PAGES from us. | grasped my hosts
arm.
"What's that | asked. HAS one of
your patients shot HIMSELF
Doctor Noirot smiled.
"No," said he; treasure yourself. It's
still another curious case want you TO
seo.N
And turning obliquely to the left, he
drew me toward a small pavilion, hidden
behind a grove f trees. He unlocked u
door, led me across q narrow vestibulo,
and we found ourselves in a sort of long
court. surrounded by walls. \ man was
there, of lofty stature, clad in a strange
hunting costume, recalling 10y certain
details the Mexican fashion. He had
his back against tho wall of the pavilion
and, at the moment we entered, raised
his right hand, armed with a pistol. Our
arrival did not disturb him. He aimed
SLOWLY, with n sure hand. | followed the
direction of the weapon and saw, about
twenty PAGES distant, ut tho foot OF the
opposite wall, n white face with u dark
hole in the center of the forehead. 1t
was, as well rs | could Judge at that
distance, the plaster mask of a Greek
head, III which ] thought ! recognized
the classic type of Diana, the huntress
The pistol was discharged. The head
did not move and not a fragment ieN
from it.
Look" said the doctor to me in a low
voice. "It's very curious. He never
misses his mark
"He mover misses"
mo. All the balls are lodged IN the
same place, in that dark hole, smallertha
a piece of a hundred sous"
The man had drawn another pistol from
his belt. He fired. AS before the
mask remained intact. The weapon
being loaded with several bullets, IN the
American fashion, the marksman success
sively discharged five more balls. Not
one of them cnt the forehead of the white
face.
The doctorlaid his hand upon the shout
der of the marksman, who wheeled about.
His visage, though Unframed by a strong
heard, had an expression at once emerge
tic and sad.
s.Stop an instant" said the doctor to
him.
The man made with his head a sign of
consent. Then the doctor led me to the
other end of the court, and, behind the
plaster mask, showed me a plate OF
: blackened iron hat protected the wall,
| In the center of the plate a round spot
7 glistenedw with reflections of lead produced
5 by the tiattening of the balls.
'sYou see," said he, showing me the
exact correspondence of this brilliant spot
, with the hole that pierced the plaster
mask, ''you see that all the balls pass
!, through there. You will not lind II OF
! them elsewhere"
@ s.It is marvelousl" answered j. But
e what strange history is associated with
this MANI" ~,
n Come" said the doctor to me; 81 will
tell YOU all about it outside"
$ We again crossed the court and the
d vestibule of the pavilion. And this is
e what Doctor Noirot told me, whlIe
r behind us the detonatlons recon-
u menced with regular intervals between
them: -, j,
o '.This unfortunate man." said my host
'calls himself Guido Ventura. is he al
c Italian, a Spaniard or an American
That's what we don't exactly know
a Probably he is an American, for it is th'
u new world particularly that sends us thes'
yirtuosos of the revolver and the rifle. |
l. was from there, at all events, that thi
IL one came to France. You may have sesl
him last year at the AlcaZar d Automne
u where he gave four or five exhibition
l. and would have had al! Paris running t
see him if a terrible event had not sud
denly interrupted the course of his re
presentations. But we must begin at tn
'e beginning. There is an exciting stor
&c involved, that / certainly am the oui
u person acquainted with, having withou
y aid, during the six months this man ha
W been an inmate here, succeeded in reco,
structing the details of it, thanks to Gel
tain words that an intermittent deliriut
snatcbes from him. Hence | will give
TO you as ! see it, sure that my WHOM doc
not deceive me.
"Guido Ventura, when he came to Pa
% ris, was accompanied by a young woma
10 named Miss Arabella. She was a super
creature, scarcely twenty years of aye
with the head of a goddess and the iigur
of a statue. Admirers were not lackin.
l and in less than n week it had become tn
fashion to go see the splendid Arabell
. aid in his exercises the celebrated mark
10 man, Guido Ventura. She stood proud,
VI her arms folded, her visage impassibl,
lg fifteen PAGES from Guido Ventura, wi
81 directed upon her the vain menace of h
30 pistol, the infallible ball of which cut
card between her fingers, broke the DO,
of a PIP two inches from her lips al
crushed the shell of a nut placed upo
wv her head.
y "A slight trembling of the mark
Id mans hand and all would have be,
Sc over with the superb Arabella. b
the hand of Guido Ventura never treI
pl- bled.
d. evidently Guido Ventura loved IL
creature like an idol. To be convinced
nd it is sufticed to surprise one of tho
lg- flashes that shot from his eyes each tir
be when in the foyer of the theater, whe
he was awaiting his turn to go upon t
stage, some gallant was unusually atte
tive to thehandsome girl Was he jealol
also? Certainly; and he must have 81
.b. fered atrociously, for his companion,
ed coquettish as beautiful, seemed 10 delig
he in eXAsperatinp his jealousy.