The Wellington enterprise. [volume] (Wellington, Ohio) 1867-188?, 1885-01-28
A PARTISAN MYSTERY.
An Affair Which Troubled the Par
is Police.
The Singular Disappearance, the Account
Ing for which Battles All the Criminal
Experts In France--seeklng for
suficieAt Motives In Paris.
[Cor. Boston Journal

[Cor Boston Journal.
Paris, writes Edward King from Paris,
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 concierges
dote on it. They sit in their loges alter
nightfall, in this October season, when the
darkness falls early, and talk with bated
breath Of the latest sensation in the spec
ialty which they so much affect. This
sensation is Pei. Now Pei is scientific,
experimenting kind of clock maker, a man
of inventions-one whose restless, pierc-
ing eyes, flashing behind his spectacles,
have frightened many aperson who looked
into his face, say the concierges. One day
Pei came to live at Montreuil, near Paris.
lie had small house and only one servant,
named Marie Boehmer. He. shut himself
up in laboratory filed with strange in
struments and noxious-lo looking fluids in
green jars ON the shelves. He worked all
night, as II he had been seeking for the
philosophers stone. He now and then
walked abroad, but the neighbors seemed
to shun him as II by instinct. One day
tho servant Marie Boehmer fell Ill. She
constantly complained of burning pains
in her stomach. Some good souls went
to attend her, and spread in the sub
urb the report that she could not recover.
On 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 nightly
"Nevertheless, she has gone; she asked
me to go for a cab, which l 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 n hospital" Thh
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 of
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
- hatx q, ha xt,an nf NJ Pol
"Hs is a poisoner," said everyone, and the
concierges added that he was a magician
who had sold his soul to the devil.
In prison Pei behaved like true philoso.
pher, and the police authorities were very
much mystihed. They found nothing al
first in his dwelling which seemed to in
dicate crime. His laboratory was filed
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 trifling accident appeared tc
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 hal never
been married was presently shown to be
untrue by no less parsonage than the
brother of his deceased wife, who now ap-
peared upon the scene, and stated that he
had married his sister, who had quite n
little dowry, AID that shortly after her
marriage she died in horrible suffering.
P,l, who hid been living in the Avenue
Klescn, disappeared soon after the wife
was buried, Tor there was no investigation,
although some Of the friends thought the
circumstances Of the death unnatural.
"Now," says the brother, : | believe 2el
poisoned wife, and / propose to have
the body, which has been buried q 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 Montreuil, and this time succeeded In
fading n broken furnace, which showed
signs Of recent use. They conclude that he
first poisoned an | then cut up and burned
the Lody 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 pois her. Pei still de-
nies, but evidence seems accumulnting 10
crush him.
The mystery Is in the motive which has
ac.ualed Pei, T., indeed, he has committed
tIese crimes. 1he police incline to think
that he has done oil the crimes just for fun
-ss the Pomeroy boy tortured 9th ,r chill
dren. That he is an adops in the compost
tion Of poisons there is NJ doubt But he
had no reason for p ioaing his wife; he
has reasonably large income from his
own property, and as to putting hin serv-
ants out OF the way, 1t could only have
been done for the love OF crime. It Is
tho ight that he will be proven to be pro-
fessional poisoner. But he may bc inno-
cent and The "vlctlm OF circumstances. -
FJr the moment he is greater sensation
than the meeting OF the Chambers, or tho
n,w air-ships, or the forthcoming opera by
nt-Saens.
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