Staunton vindicator. [volume] (Staunton, Va.) 1860-1896, 1885-04-10


mo ont; his hand to me. l think still see the
expression on his face--half-wistful, half
cheerful. took up my hat and portfolio, and
departed.
CHAPTER ".
was strolljng down the Boulevard st.
Michael, after attending the lecture on Ro-
man law, when met by chance Thouvenot, q
friend of mine, and a law student like myself.
Thouvenot proposed game of billiards; and,
feeling the need of distraction after my late
effort Of industry, agreed.
We went to the Cafe de La Cigarette, where
the young ladies whe serve you are all dressed
alike in red, aad where everything is very
gorgeous. We played several games at bill
lizards and had several glasses of beer, spend
ing the afternoon thus very agreeably. Then
Thouvenot said all at once:
''My dear fellow, have a proposal tc
make"
'sWhat is thatg'
ssThat we go for a walk; that we visit the
Morgue." ;,
ssAnd why the Morgue, Of all placesg'
ssWhy? because all the world is running
there to-day, and we may as well run too.
Have you not read in the journals this morn
ing of the murder of Joseph Meissners"
81 An, nave Deeu UOlu OIL uue 1uuuei VI UulS
man. Did you know hims"
s'To my cost; he was the closest-fsted Jew
in the Quarter"
Impossible. Think Of my friend Levi
Jacob"
ssHe was infinitely worse than even your
friend Jacob Some poor devil has murdered
him out of revenge, fancy. But you really
m1st hear the details of the affair; they are
icf tho T,oOct
ino mystery since the affair of Menilmontant.
F1lphraise, my angelic one Of the young
ladies in red-ssbe good enough to bring me
The Figaro. All, here is the paragraph.
Listen!'~
The paragraph which Thouvenot read me
from The Figaro was as follows:
ssM1RDER IN THE PASSAGE DE MAZARIN.-
Last evening the inhabitants Of the Quarter
DIES Ecoles were thrown into excitement by
the intelligence that frightful and lnysteri-
ons crime had been committed in their midst.
Mons, Joseph Meissner, Of Jewish nationality,
and by profession money-lender, had been
found murdered in his room, No. ID Passage
de Mazarin. The facts, 50 far as yet known,
are these: About q quarterspast seven last
evening a man out Of breath and in state
of extreme agitation presented himself at
the bureau of police, Rue DIES Saints Peres,
declaring that murder had been committed.
Interrogated as to his name and avocation,
declared that he was called Jean Mouton, and
that he was janitor of the house No. ID
Passage de Mazarin, between the Rue ut.
Andre and the Rue de Biche. Declared
further that one Of the tenants of the house was
Monsieur Joseph Meissner, Jewish money
lender, who had room and cabinet on the
second floor. That Joseph Meissner was a
man Of eccentric habits, and, among other
singular instructions, had given him, Mouton,
this-that if on any day he failed to appear at
o'clock, the hour at which he Invariably
went out to dine, his room shoula be forcibly
entered without loss Of time. On this even
ing-the evening Of Tuesday=-6 o'clock had
sounded from the church Of st. Augustin,
and Meissner had not appeared. Such thing
had never happened before, the old money
lender being always remarkably punctual.
The janitor became uneasy, remembering
the instructions that had been given him.
He waited till the bells Of st. Augustin tolled
the quarter, then went upstairs and listened at
the door of the room. Not sound was to be
heard. He sought to peer through the key
hole, but the interior Of the room was quite
dark, and he could see nothing. He came
downstairs again; went up second time;
the same dead stiffness. His uneasiness grew
to alarm; nevertheless, he waited till struck
from the church tower, then went to ask
the advice of his friend and neighbor, the
sieur Francois Bastoul, publican. Bastoul,
having heard Moutons story, strongly advised
him to do as the old man had hidden him, and
offered to help him in breaking open the door.
Having provided themselves with crowbar,
they went up to Meissner's room; listened,
called, knocked, shook the door; no an
swer They then forced the door open
with their crowbar. The sight that met their
eyes filed them with horror. The corpse Of
Joseph Meissner lay before them on the
floor, in the middle Of great red stain that
covered the planking. The body lay upon
it's face, huddled together as if it had fallen
from the chair that stood in front Of the
writing table. The furniture of the room
had been thrown into confusion, and the cab
inets and lock-fast places bore the appearance
of having been forcibly opened and ransacked.
At first the janitor and his companion
were too much Mortified to do, or think Of,
anything; but at length Bastoul proposed
that they should instantly close the door,
without touching the body where it lay; and
that while he himself kept watch outside,
| Mouton should run at full speed to fetch the
police. This he did; and Superintendent
| Ledru, having taken down his story, at once
accompanied him to the scene of the crime.
| Everything was found there as Mouton had
described it. We are informed that the
notice have discovered. beside the cornse Of