Staunton vindicator. [volume] (Staunton, Va.) 1860-1896, 1885-04-17

QsWhat has become OF it now!
A. Isdd it shortly after it came into my
possession
| @. The dagges which you say was given
you by your uncleaad sheath; can you de
scribe it?'
A The sheath was made of green silk and
dark lacquered wood, and in shape resembled
| a closed fan.
Q. Itwas, then, like thisa Here the ac-
cused was shown a sheath of a dagger taken
| from the private collection of NJ. de st.
Florent, an exact counterpart of the weapon
used in the murder Of Meissner).
A. Like that, exactly.
| Q. After finding, as you say, the corpse of
| Meissner lying before the writing table, did
| you disturb any of the articles in the rooms-
did you open any of the drawers, or remove
anything from the lock-fast placess
| A. Assuredly not; after seeing my uncle's
body, had but one impulse-to escape from
the room as quickly as possible; that is, as
| soon as had recovered from the shock of the
| dreadful spectacle.
@. How long do you suppose you were in
| the room?
A. should imagine, for several minutes
| only.
Q. And you left it, howe
A. By the same way that had entered it
| by the window of the cabinet; clambered
| down the trellis-work and then hastened from
| the court.
@. You see this ivory wrist-stud which has
been handed to me by the detective officer Ply.
Do you recognize it as your propertys
A. Yes, believe it to be my property
Here the accused Raoul Girard requested
permission to make statement, and did SO in
the following terms:
tsMoy,cior,r. ho Ind ho1l II,
you in few words my connection with this
dreadful affair. I have to explain that my
late UNCLE Joseph Meissner, never treated me
with kindness. was brought up at Provins
in the house of the brother of Joseph, Simeon
Meissner, now dead. He was by trade a
clockmaker, and was very poor. I came to
Paris five years ago, and very soon had spent
all the money left me by my father; both my
parents had died while I was yet a child.
After my money was gone had to earn a
precarious living by my pen. Meanwhile,
my uncle Simeon Meissner fell i'll, and was
unable to work; 1 sent him the
little money I could scrape together;
then he babe me go to his brother
Joseph, and ask help from him. Once or
twice received small sums of money from
him-very small sums givn grudgingly;
more often he would give me some article to
sell; it was one of his peculiarities that he
could not bring himself to part with money.
One morning found him in remarkably
good humor; q rich foreigner, in temporary
difficulties, had gone only few minutes be-
fore I arrived; and foreigners, rich and in
temporary difficulties, were, he said, the sort
Of clients he preferred. That day he gave
me dagger of Eastern manufacture, saying
that might dispose of it, as he did not want
to keep such thing about him. I had the
dagger in my possession for several weeks
before succeeded in selling it, which I did
at last to dealer in curiosities in the Palais
Royal, for hundred and twenty francs.
Next time visited my uncle he asked me
how much had got for the dagger told
him, and he was very angry at the thought
Of having parted with thing of that value
After this I found it impossible to extract
from him either money or moneys worth
All that ever received from him went to
my uncle Simeon-I kept not a centime to
myself; rather than have done SO 1 would
have starved. When Simeon Meissner died
was at the very bottom of my purse 1
wished to go to Provins to bury him.
asked my uncle Joseph for assistance. He
refused to give me anything at the moment,
but babe me go to Provins to see to the
funeral, promising to refund me whatever
could and went; on my return Joseph
Meissner refused to give single SOU, and
when reminded him of his promise denied
that he had ever made it. He insulted me
most cruelty, declaring that had been
living in idleness on his hard earned gains
and draining him of his money under false
pretences. naturally retorted; he flew into
passion, or feigned to do so, and babe me
never cross his threshold again. As I went
down stairs he screamed insults after me,
calling me 'beggar,' sgood-for- nothing and
other names of that kind; finally he shouted
for the janitor, and told the man on no ac-
count to admit me if 7 should ever present
myself there again. assured him that the
order was needless, and, at the time, meant
what said. After this managed to support
myself in a way by writing for the journals,
as had done before; but about six weeks ago
Le Petit Monde stopped, and with it the
greater part OF my scanty income. had
never been reduced to such distress before.
was IN debt; there was absolutely nothing
left ne that I could pawn. Under ordinary
circumstances / would. not have gone to
Joseph Meissner after what had passed, even
to demand my rights. But I had a special
need for money at this very time when my
income had failed me. thought it hard that
debt to the penniless student of the Latin
Quarter determined go to him; to make
a last attempt; to press my claim. I invite
the attention Of Monsieur the Judge to this
fact-that the resolve was sudden; that it
came to me in moment of excitement In
a normal state of mind would not have
done as did; but everything had gone against
me, everything had failed me; it was my
poverty that goaded me on. Ibid not reason;
I acted wholly on impulse. On Monday
night I came to this house, and hurried
through the passage into the court knew
that could reach the window of the cabinet
by clambering up the trellis-work which sur
rounds the court, and SO gain access to this
room. This managed to do, though not
without considerable exertion; in making the
ascent I tore the sleeve of my coat, and must
have loosened the stud at my wrist SO that it
afterward dropped on the floor. / swung
myself into the cabinet, paused an instant to
recover my breath, and then, On opening
the door, saw what I have already
described. =. Monsieur the Judge will
easily figure to himself my CONSERVATION, my
horror, especially when perceived, lying be-
side the corpse and dyed in blood, a dagger
exactly like the one formerly given me by
the murdered man. My brain reeled, my
of thought or action. Long after I
had left this place wandered through the
streets, striving in vain to Danish the image
of the CHASTITY scene from my mind. I could
not shake it off; after going home took
sleeping lraught, and found a respite in I'M
consciousness. Next day was weak and
feverish; next night hideous dreams came to
me, in which went through that whole scene
of horror again. Monsieur the Judge will
understand me when I say that for the time
was almost crazed by terror, acting on a
temperament naturally nervous; the fact that
had eaten scarcely anything for three days
helped to produce this effect. I was afraid to
stir outside, afraid to face the light ofday, SO
thoroughly had my fears unnamed me-
did not leave my room after returning on the
night of Monday until 1 left it yesterday
under arrest. And this that I have told
Monsieur the Judge is the truth, SO far as I
know it."
@. You say that the dagger given you by
the deceased was sold, several weeks after, to
dealer in curiosities in the Palais Royal.