Staunton vindicator. [volume] (Staunton, Va.) 1860-1896, 1885-05-01
I'd, ..lerp IN Melssner's nands by one Of nus

l lStarted mere In Far1S, az Inc falalS Royal i
found it correct, as did my friend Ply, that
there wasnow no dealer in curiosities there to
whom Girard had sold his weapon. But
found that two years ago there was dealer
in curlosities there; a man who had fled by
night, carrying the valuable part of his stock
in trade with him, and leaving his rent I'M
paid. Itraced this man to London; with the
help of my friend Briggs, of Scotland Yard,
find him. He has by this time sold the dag
ger, but he names the purchaser [ so to the
purchaser, but he also has parted with it--in
brief, followed this dagger to Brussels, [
| followed it to Rome In that city it has coma
| into the possession Of a French artist, who is
| by no means well off. I tell him for what
purpose require the dagger; he agrees to
sell it, It is then in pledge; we go to the
pawnshop, we redeem it-and leave Rome
| with it in my keeping. Here, Messieurs, is
| the dagger NJ. Blery laid it on the bureau
| before us. "Observe the one word written
beside the flower; compare it with these
characters, traced by M. Beauvais, and which
stand for the word 'sorrow'-you see they
are the same. Thus the conjecture of NJ.
Marsal is proved to be perfectly correct; this
| is the missing dagger Of the three-the ore
given by Meissner to his nephew two years
| ago."
could not look without emotion on this
weapon, which had SO nearly proved fatal to
my friend, and which now had been found
| just in time to save him.
$50 much for the dagger" continued NJ.
B1ery, ''now for the key" He touched a
hapd-ben on the mantelpiece; the door opened
| and little man, red-haired, pock-marked,
| and with furtive eyes, appeared.
'This, Messieurs, is Plotin,' observed NJ
10 vof<
ferior animal, "Pilotin, one of my aides.
You will tell these gentlemen, Pilotin, what
were the instructions gave you before left
| for London"
s'Monsieur gave me this key" said Piloton,
| laying it beside the dagger on the bureau.
''Monseur told me he had reason to believe
| that key had been fabricated from this as O.
model, about two months ago, by a locksrnith
| living within certain radius of the Passage
de Mazarin. Monsieur also gave me descrip-
tion of the person who had ordered the key to
be fabricated, and directed me to discover the
locksmith."
"And you made inquiriesg" prompted Bile
~, whose aide spoke in monotonous voice,
with the infection Of newho repeats a lesson
by rote.
81 begin by consulting the directory and
visiting all the locksmiths within the radius
No result. widen my circle; still no result.
begin again by inquiries into the private Life
Of certain locksmiths, who are in the habit of
doing work at home; still there is no clew.
begin to despair of satisfying Monsieur, when
make a lucky find. Passing along the Rue
st. Louis observe small shop whose shut
tiers are closed; its exterior is freshly painted;
above the door is sign: 4. Benoit, Lock
smith, make inquiries. learn from the
neighbors that Benoit is young man, very
sober, very industrious, who came from Linn
oges to Paris about three months ago and
opened this shop. About fortnight ago he
had injured his hand with one of his tools.
and had been taken to the Hotel Dieu for
proper treatment I conjecture that this NAV
be our man; the fact of his shop being so re-
Gently opened accounts for his name not being
In the directory. go to the Hotel Dieu, but
am told that cannot see him; he is suffering
from blood poisoning and is very i'll. I ask
who is the doctor attending him, and am
informed that it is the Doctor de Bourbon. M.
de Bourbon, as Messieurs will remember.
was one of the medical witnesses at the INQUIRY
into the murder of Meissner. see him; I tell
him that my mission is connected with the
affair of the Passage de Mazarin. NJ de
Bourbon takes an interest in that affair; he
allows me to see his patient. This is Be
motifs story: About month after he had
opened his shop-that is, about two months
ago-on dark and wet night, gentleman
drove up to his door in cab and came into
his shop The gentleman asked him whether
he could, in less than an hour, fabricate key
exactly like one which he showed him. The
key was of simple construction. Benoit said.
Yes, easily and at once went to work. The
gentleman waited. He was foreigner, of
that Benoit is certain, but cannot guess the
country to which he belonged. He was in
evening dress, and wore fur cloak. The
locksnith noticed specially his dark eyes
and sallow complexion; could indemnity the
stranger if he met him again, especially if he
heard him speak. When Benoit had finished
the key, which he did in half an hour, the
stranger gave him three francs, the sum
asked, and at once drove away showed
Benoit the key of Meissner's room, now lying
on that bureau; he declared it to be the same
size and shape as the one which had served
him for model
Here Pilotin stopped, as if he had run
down.
'sIs this Benoit available as a witnessa"
asked Sapinaud, who like myself had listened
with close attention to Pilotin's narrative.
an. de Bourbon says that he will ive,n
answered Pilotin tersely.
''Messieurs, !" said Blery, "you have heard;
now you shall see-Pilotin, fetch cab. We
are on the eve of discovery"
We took our seats in the conveyance with
out asking any questions. Sapinaud and I
exchanged glance which said, Let us leave
the revelation to NJ Blery; he has an eye for
dramatic effects.
Plotin mounted on the box; I noticed that
he carried short crowbar. The coachman
had oxyidonf1yy Iof,
hand. He drove us up the steep, narrow
Rue st. Jacques, into the very heart of the
Latin Quarter. He stopped at last where the
Rue st. Jacques intersects the Rue Cujas, at
a pork-butchers shop, with the name PajoI
over the door. Pilotin alighted, and held
open the door of the cab while we got out.
NJ. Blery entered the pork butchers shop
and presently reappeared with M. Paiol, fat
faced and blue aproned.
''Messieurs," said Blery, ssM. Pajol will
now take us to the room of that tenant of his
who, since Christmas Day, has disappeared
N. Pajol bowed, smiled blandly, rubbed his
fat hands, and led us up the dark, moldering
staircase.
When we had reached the sixth story Sapi-
maud and paused to take breath. ga little
higher, Messieurs, if you pleased" said NJ.
Blery. Wetoiled up with many standings
after the detectives, until we reached the gar
rets, in the very top of the roof. The STAIR
way leading to these was little better than a
ladder, where the hands had to assist the feet
of the climber.
'This is the door," said Pajol
Pilotin took a big bunch of keys from his
pocket and tried them one after another; none
fitted.
'sNo matterl" said Blery. ''See, place the
crowbar here-now, little force-and,
presto, we have the door openedI'
Sapinaud and followed the detectives into
the room, Pajol bringing up therear. The spec
tacle which met our eyes was strange one.
The small window in the roof, thickly coated
with CRIME and SCOT, admitted only very
feeble light into the garrett. A deep layer of
dust rested on everything. In the centre of
the garrett stood a brazier, filed with char
coal ashes On the wretched truckle-bed lay
a heap of clothes, as if they had been thrown
hastily down. Three large travelling trunks
occupied about half the entire space of tia
chamber.
We looked on in wonderment while the de-
~~4-