Helena weekly herald. [volume] (Helena, Mont.) 1867-1900, 1886-05-20

| WnOm GlTard had sold his weapon. But
found that two years ago there was deale
in curiosities there; man who had fed b
night, carrying the valuable part of his stoc
IN trade with him, and leaving his rent un
paid. / traced this man to London: with tn
help of my friend Briggs, of Scotland Yard
! | find him. He has by this time sold the dag
! ger. but he names the purchaser. | go to tn
purchaser, but he also has parted with til
! brief, followed this dagger to Brussels,
| followed it to Rome. In that city it has com
into the posses ion Of a French artist, who j
/ by no means well off. L tell him for wha
! purpose | require the dagger; he agrees Il
sell it. 1t is then in pledge; we 90 TO tn,
pawnshop, we redeem it-and [ leave Rom,
with it i'll my keeping. Here, Messieurs, i
the dagger" NJ. Blery laid it on the bureau
before us. 'Observe the one word writer
beside the flower; compare it with thest
characters, traced by NJ. 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; thi
is the missing dagger of the three-the one
given by Meissner to his nephew two year.
ago."
! could not look without emotion on thi:
weapon, which had SO nearly proved fatal tc
my friend, and which now had been found
just in time to save him.
80 much for the dagger" continued NJ
Blery, now for the key" He touched q
hand-bell on the mantelpiece: the door opened
and little man, red-haired,. pock-marked,
and with furtive eyes, appeared.
This, Messieurs, is Pilotin,n observed NJ.
BIerv, with the air of one exhibiting an in
feliOr animal, "Pilotin, one of my aides.
You will tell these gentlemen, Pilotin. what
were the instructions | gave you before | left
for London
'Monsieur gave me this key" said Piloton,
laying it beside the dagger on the bureau.
"Monsieur told me he had reason to believe
that key had been fabricated from this as a
model, about two months ago, by locksmith
living within a certain radius of the Passage
de Mazarin. Monsieur also gave me a descrp-
ton of the person who had ordered the key to
be fabricated and directed me to discover the
locksmith."
"And on made inquiries?" prompted Bile
~, whose aide spoke in a monOtonous voice.
with the infection of one who repeats a lesson
by rote.
Il begin by consulting the directory and
visiting all the locksmiths within the radius.
No result. | widen my circle; still no result.
i 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 l
begin to despair of satisfying Monsieur, when
l make lucky find. Passing along the Rue
st. Louis | observe a small shop whose shut
tiers are closed; its exterior is freshly painted .
above the door is sign: 81. Benoit, Lock
smith | make inquiries. l 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. l conjecture that this may
be our man; the fact of his shop being SO re-
Gently opened accounts for his name not being
in the directory. 60 to the Hotel Dieu, but
am told that l cannot see him; he is suffering
from blood poisoning and is very ill. 1 ask
who is the doctor attending him, and am
informed that it is the Doctor de Bourbon NJ
de Bourbon, as MeSsieurs will remember,
was one of the emedical witnesses at the inquiry
into the murder of Meissner. l see him: 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
noits story: About a month after he had
opened hls shop-that is, about two months
ago--on a 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 a foreigner, of
that Benoit is certain, but cannot guess the
country to which he belonged. He was in
evening dress, and wore a 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. | showed
Benoit the KEY of MeisSner'S room, now living
on that bureau; he declared it to be the same
size and shape as the one which had served
him for q model
Here Pilotin stopped, as if he lad run
down.
IS this Benoit available as a witness?n
asked Sapinaud, who like myself had listened
with close attention to Pilotin's narrative.
m. de Bourbon says that he will live"
answered Pilotin tersely.
''Messieurs," said Blery, 'you have heard
now YOU shall see-Pilotin, fetch cab. We
are on the eve of a discovery"
We took our seats in the conveyance with
out asking any questions. Saplnaud and
exchanged glance which said, Let us leave
the revelation to NJ. Blery'; he has an eye for
dramatic effects.
xl<,1 1.Nx-. 7 hot
he carried short crowbar. The coachman
had evidently received his directions before
hand He drove us up the steep, marrow
Rue st. Jacques, into the very heart Of the
Latin Quarter. He stopped at last where the
Rue st. Jacques intersects the Kue Cujas, at
a 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 NJ. Pajol, fat
faced and blue aproned.
s'Messieurs," said Blery, ''M Pajol will
now take us to the room of that tenant of his
who, since Christmas Day, has disappeared"
NJ. 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 I paused to take breath. "A little
higher, Messieurs, if you pleasem said M.
Blery. We toiled up with many stumblings
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.
ssNo matterln said Blery. ''See, place the
crowbar here-now, a little force-and,
presto, we have the door openedr'