Democratic Northwest. [volume] (Napoleon, Ohio) 1869-1894, 1885-05-07

found It correct, as did my friend Py, that
there was now no dealer in curiosities there 10
whom Girard had sold his weapon. But /
found that two years ago there was a dealer
N curiosities there; man who had fed by
night, carrying the valuable part Of his stock
N trade with him, and leaving his rent un-
paid. traced this man to London; with the
nelp Of my friend Briggs, Of Scotland Yard,
find him. He has by this time sold the dag
7er. but he names the purchaser. go to the
urCbaser, but he also has parted with it-in
D icf, followed this dagger TO Brussels, i
followed it to Rome In that city it has come
into the possession of French artist, who is
~ no means well off, | tell him for what
purpose require the dagger; he agrees to
,cll it. 1t is then in pledge; We 60 TO the
tavnshop we redeem it-aGd / leave Rome
in it in my keeping. Here, Messieurs, is
he dagger" NJ. Blery laid it on the bureau
ciore us. "Observe the one word written
rnside the flower; compare it with these
:iai acters, traced by NJ. Beauvais, and which
tand for the word 'sorTow'-you see they
re the same. Thus the conjecture of M.
aisal is proved to be perfectly correct; this
: the missing dagger Of the three-the one
given by Meissner to his nephew two years
ago."
l could not look without emotion on this
gcaron which had so nearly proved fatal to
~ tri,nd, and which now had been found
l.st in time to save him.
$50 much for the dagger" continued NJ.
.,cry, ''now for the key" He touched a
aand-bell on the mantelpiece; the door opened
nd little man, red-haired, pock-marked,
md with furtive eyes, appeared.
.FI-l-s -
;lcry, with the air of one exhibiting an in.
,elior animal, "Pilotin, one of my aides.
.ou will tell these gentlemen, Pilotin, what
re the instructions gave you before left
o. London"
Monsieur gave me this key" said Piloton,
laying it beside the dagger on the bureau.
"-Ions.eur told me he had reason to believe
hat key had been fabricated from this as a
model, about two months ago, by locksmith
living within a certain radius of the Passage
d. Mazarin. Monsieur also gave me descrip-
ton of the person who had ordered the key to
be fabricated, and directed me to discover the
;cksmith."
"And you made inquiriesr prompted Bile
ry, whose aide spoke in monotonous voice,
wish the infection of one who repeats a lesson
10y rote.
Il begin by consulting the directory and
visiting all the locksmiths within the radius.
40 result | widen my circle; still no result.
regin again by inquiries into the private life
of certain lockS1niths, who are in the habit OF
oirg work at home; still there is no clew. |
=, IN to despair of satisfying Monsieur, when
uake a lucky find. Passing along the Rue
Z, Louis observe small shop whose shut
el's are closed; its exterior is freshly painted;
ave the door is sign: Il. Benoit, Lock
.;th.' make inquiries. learn from the
,cighbors that Benoit is young man, very
b,r, very industrious, who came from Lin
'ses to Paris about three months ago and
l,2ncd this shop. About a fortnight ago he
.;,d injured his hand with one of his tools,
Y.Id had been taken to the Hotel Dieu for
roper treatment. conjecture that this may
be cur man, the fact of his shop being so re-
>ntly opened accounts for his name not being
IL the directory. I go to the Hotel Dieu, but
IA told that l cannot see him; he is suffering
roin blood poisoning and is very i'll. ask
ho is the doctor attending him, and am
,.Iormed that it is the Doctor de Bourbon. NJ
: Bourbon, as Messieurs will remember,
was one of the medical witnesses at the inquiry
into the murder of Meissner. see him; tell
HIM that my ltlission is connected with the
affair of the Passage de Mazarin. NJ. de
BCurdon takes an interest in that affair; he
allows me to see his patient. This is Be
noit's story: About a month after he had
opened his shcp-that is, about two months
ago-on dark and wet night, gentleman
drove up to his door in a 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 q 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
locksmith noticed specially his dark eyes
and sallow complexion; could indentify 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. I 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 a model"
Here Pilotin stopped, as if he had run
town.
lis this Benoit available as witness?"
esked Sapinaud, who like myself had listened
with close attention to Pilotin's narrative.
M de Bourbon says that he will ive,"
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 l
exchanged glance which said, Let us leave
the revelation to M. Blery; he has an eye for
dramatic effects.
Pilotin mounted on the box; noticed that
he carried short crowbar. The coachman
had evidently received his directions before
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
pork butchers shop, with the name Pajol
over the door. Pilotin alighted, and held
open the door of the cab while we got out.
M. Blery entered the pork butchers shop
and presently reappeared with M Pajol, fat
faced and blue aproned.
'Messieurs," said Blery, IN. Pajol will
now take us to the room of that tenant Of his
who, since Christmas Day, has disappeared. :"
M. 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 "a little
higher, Messieurs, il you pleased" said M.
Blery. Wetoiled up with many stumblings
after the detectives, until we reached the gar
rets, in the very top of the roof. The stair
NOV Iood;no IN thaca xvoe litt1a hattar tbo,, a