Weekly commercial herald. (Vicksburg, Miss.) 1884-18??, 1885-12-18

49, @-S -~NN-
dark lecquered wood, and in shape resembled
a closcd fan.
@. twas, then, like tnis' Here the ac-
cuged was shown O sheath Of O dagger taken
from the private collection of M. de st.
Florent, an exact counterpart Of tho weapon
used in the murder Of MeiSsneT).
A. Like that, exactly.
@. After finding, as you say, the corpse OF
Messner lying before the writing table, did
you disturb any OF the articles in the room--
did you open any Of the drawers, or remove
anything from the lock-fast places9
A. Assurodly not; after seeing my uncle's
body, I had but one impulse-to escape from
the room as quickly as possible; that is, as
soon as | Undiscovered from the shock Of the
dreadful spectacle.
@, How long do you suppose you were in
tho roOn}
A. 1 should imagine, for several minutes
only.
9. And you left it, howl
4. BY the came way that ] hal enteredit-
by the window of the cabinet; I clambered
lown the trellis-work and ther bastenedfrom
he, court.
q. You see this ivory wrist-stud which has
been handed to me by tho detective officer Py.
Do you recognize it as your property?
A. Yes, | believe it to be my property.
Here the accused Raoul Girard requested
permission to mako q statement, and did SO in
the following terms:
''Monsieur tho Judge, I shall recount to
you in q few words my connection with this
dreadful affair. 1 have 10 explain that my
late uncle, Joseph Meissner, never treated me
with kindness. I was brought up OF Provins
in the house Of the brother Of Joseph, Simeon
Mcissner, 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 mo by my father; both my
parents had died while I was yet q child.
After my money was gene l had to earn q
precaIious living by my pen. Meanwhile,
my uncle Simeon Meissner fell i'll, and was
unable to work; I sent him the
little money l could gcrapo together;
then no bade Inc go TO his brother
Joseph, and ask help from him. Once Or
twice | received small sums of money from
him-very small sums, given grudgingly;
moro 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; arich foreigner, in temporary
difficulties, had gone only a few minutes be-
fore l arrived; and foreigners, rich and in
temporary difficulties, were, he said, the sort
Of clients he preferred. That day he gave
me a dagger of Eastern manufacture, saying
that I might dispose Of it, as he did not want
to keep such a thing about him. 1 had the
dagger in my possession for several weeks
before 1 succeeded in selling it, which 1 did
at last to q dealer in curiosities in the Palais
Royal, for a hundred and twenty francs.
Next time / visited my uncle he asked me
how much I had got for the dagger. told
him, and he was very angry at the thought
Of having parted with a thing of that value.
After this l found it impossible to extract
from him either money or moneys worth.
All that Lever 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 1
was ct the very bottom Of my purse. l
wished to 60 to Provins to bury him. I
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 I
might cxpend. 1 borrowed money wherever
l could, and went; on my return Joseph
Mci5sner refused to give a single sou, and
when l reminded him Of his promise denied
that he had ever made it. He insulted me
most cruelty, declaring that I had been
living in idleness on his hard-earned gains,
and draining him of his money under false
pretences. NATURALLY retorted; he few into
apassion, or feigned to do SO, and babe me
never cross his threshold again. AS l went
down stairs he screamed insults after me,
calling me 'beggar,' 'good-for-nothing' and
other names Of that kind; finally he shouted
for the %ianitor, and told the man on no &C.
count to admit me if I should ever present
myself there again. I assured him that the
order was needless, and, at the time, meant
what l said. After this managed to support
myself ir a way by writing for the journals,
as 1 had lone before; but about six weeks ago
Le Petit Monde stopped, and with it the
greater bart Of my scanty income. ] had
never been reduced to such distress before.
was in debt; there was absolutely nothing
left me that l could pawn. Under ordinary
circumstances I would not have gone to
Joseph Meissner after what had passed, even
to demand my rights. But 1 had Especial
need for money at this very time when my
income had failed me. I thought it hard that
this rich man should refuse payment Of his
debt to the penniless student of tho Latin
Quarter! / determined togo to him; TO make
q last attempt; to press my claim. invite
the attention Of Monsieur the Judge to this
fact-that the resolve vas sudden; that it
came to mo in a moment Of excitement. In
a normal state Of mind I would not have
done as I did; but everything had gone against
me, everything had failed me; it was my
poverty that goaded me on. Ibid not reason;
/ acted wholly On impulse. On Monday
night I came to this house, and hurried
through tho passage into the court. knew
that l 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 I managed to do, though not
without considerable exertion; in making tho
ascent I tore tho sleeve Of my coat, and must
have loosened tho stud at my wrist SO that it
afterward dropped On tho floor. I swung