Barbour County index. [volume] (Medicine Lodge, Kan.) 1880-current, 1885-02-06
PARTISAN MYSTERY.
An Affair Which Troubled the Par
ia Police.
The Singular Disappearance. the Accoans-
inx for which Banies All the Criminal
Experts I'm France-Seekinx for
Sufficient Motives In Paris.
icor. Boston Journal

lcor. Boston Journai.l
Paris, writes Edward King from Paris,
Is still the city of mysteries-of weird
and strange crimes-and the populace
dearly loves Q good old-fashioned blood
curdling criminal mystery. The concierges
dotc on it. They sit In their loges after
nightfail, in this October season, when tn Q
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. No% Pei Is scientific,
experimenting kind of clock-maker, man
OF inventions-one whose restless, pierre
ing eyes, flashing behind his spectacles,
have frightened many person who looked
into his face, say the concierges. One day
Pei came TO live at Montrsuil, near Paris.
He had spail house and only one servant,
named Marie Boehmer. He shut himself
up in . lahoretory filed with strange In
struments and noxious- 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 If by instinct. One day
the servant Marie Boehmer fell i'll. She
constantly complained OF burning pains
In her stomach. Some good souls went
to attend her, and spread in tho sub
urb the report that she could not recover.
On a 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 night 20
Nevertheless, she has gone; she asked
me to go for . cab, which l did; she
arose, dressed herself, and went OF In the
cab. l did not hear the direction she
gave to the driver; but probably
she has gone to q hospital" This
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 alb
struse studies, was arrested and walked oil
to Paris prison on suspicion OF having
murdered and coCcealed 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 q pack
age of human hair in the well Of M. Pei
"He is poisoncr," said everyons, and the
concierges added that he was a magician
who had sold his soul to the devil.
IL prison Pei behaved like a true philcso-
pher, and the police authorities were very
L .-l
first in his dwelling which seemed to in.
dicate a crime. His laboratory was filed
with things which indicated that he was Q
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 beer
adopted had not cannon charged with
this powder exploded on the day OF the de.
cisiye experiment and blown an officer tt
pieces. This trifiing accident appeared &c
have prejpdiced1 the Government against
Pel's invention. His story concerning the
powder proved true. He added that hs
had never been married, had always lived
quietly with only one servant, like the ons
who had just disappeared, and, heaven
bless her, he didn't know whith or she had
gone
But Pel's statement that he ha1 never
been married was. presently shown to be
untrue by no less n 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 q
littlc dowry, AID that shortly after her
marriage she died in horrible suffering.
Pei, who mad been living in the Avenue
Klesen, disappeared soon after the wife
was buried, for there was no investigation,
although some Of the friends thought the
circumstances of the death unnatural.
"Now," says the brother, Il believe Pei
poisoned his wife, and 1 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
finding q broken furnace, which showed
signs Of recent use. They conclude that he
first poisoned and then cut up and burned
the body of Marie Roehmer; that he pois-
oned his wife, and meantime a dreadful
story has come in about a servant leaving
his service in 1876, declaring that her mas
ter was trying to poison her. Pei still de-
nies, but evidence seems accumulating 70
crush him.
The mystery Is in the motive which has
actuated Pei, IL, indeed, he has committed
these crimes. The police incline to think
that he has done ell the crimes just for fun
las the Pomeroy boy tortured othsr chill
dren. That he is an adept in the compost
ton of poisons there is no doubt. But he
had no reason for pJisoning his wife; he
has re1scnably large income from his
own property, and as to putting his serv-
ants out OF the way, it could only have
been done for the love Of crime. 1t is
tho ight that he will be proven to be a pro-
| fessional poisoner. But he may be limo.
cent and the "victim of circumstances'
For the momeat he Is a greater sensation
than the nesting OF the Chambers, or the
new air-ships, or the forthcoming opera by
Saint-Saens.
4 @---
why She Never Married.
tCor Cincinnati Commercial Gczettcl
No doubt IL takes pluck for n man m