Helena weekly herald. [volume] (Helena, Mont.) 1867-1900, 1886-05-13

''But where is the money to come from!
From your
'.It is you who are jesting now, Raoul.
Leave it to me, like good fellow. Sign your
aame, and take my word for it that am
asking you to do nothing wrong"
On this Raoul signed without further hesi-
Ation.
II put myself in your hands," he said.
Nothing can make me more your friend than
am: but if you get me out of this frightful
olace-if you restore me, free man once
more. to Gabrielle-ah, Paul, what shall
not"
His voice failed him; hand-clasp said what
zach of us had to say. This was the one mo-
nent during our whole interview that Raoul
showed the slightest want of composure. He
recovered himself Immediately.
Soon after had to go, the duration OF my
visit being limited by the prison rules.
'.Be patient, my friend" said to him:
"what has to be done will take time, and the
time viii seem doubly long to you. do not
say be brave, for you are brave; but l say,
De patient"
II will be patient" he said. Looking back
IS the warder closed the door, / saw his eyes
liked wistfully upon me; the bolts fell, and
mad left my friend in his prison.
After leaving the house of detention went
straight to the Palace of Justice, to see the
advocate Sapinaud and retain him for Raoul's
defense. Sapinaud was an intimate friend
If mine, and knew Raoul well also. He was
fiery Meriodinal, an eloquent pleader, and
had a rapidly growing reputation at the bar.
Sapinaud took up the case with enthusiasm.
He promised to see Raoul on the morrow, and
in three days time to make himself master of
The evidence. I asked him to send me his
CODY Of the judges notes, which he engaged
TO do.
The next few days passed in comparative
naction. l went to see Gabrielle Dumaine.
found her very calm, like Raoul; but one
could easily see how severely she had been
tried by that cruel ordeal of the inquiry. All
her vivacity was gone; her cheeks were pale,
her movements languid; her dark eyes had
ceased to shine. 1t would have wrung the
heart of any man to see her with her mother.
Mime. Dumaine had evidently no hope of
Raoul's innocence ever being established; l
believe that, in her heart, she even doubted
whether he were innocent. Yet, for Ca
5rielle's sake, she had to feign the most per-
feet confidence that all would go well.
"And you will save him, NJ. MarsalT Ga
brielle said to me with trembling eagerness as
took my leave. Remember, trust in you !
Leave me a word of comfort-tell me that
may hoper'
''Mademoiselle," said, "assuredly you
may hope honestly believe that the right
clew will yet be found-that Raoufs inno-
renee viii be put beyond all doubt" And in
this said no more than I really thought.
A few days after my interview with Sapin-
aud, received from him copy of the evil
dence taken at the inquiry. AT once l shut
myself up in my room, and set myself to study
it as had never studied anything before.
/ shall not go into the details of all my
reading, weighing, comparing and theorizing /;
for three days did not leave the room, and,
but for Pierre, would almost have forgotten
TO take food. The knowledge that Raours
life might be hanging on the result of my
efforts seemed to lend me new powers
Of mind-or, at any rate, powers that 1
had never before suspected myself of pos
sessing. 1t was, as it We're, continuation Of
that duel between myself and the judge of
instruction, of which the first passes had been
exchanged at the inquiry. seemed to enter
into the personality of each witness; to seize
at glance the significant point of each state
Guilty. a theory for every contradiction; my
brain was for the time abnormally clear and
active: it was state of mental tension which,
had it lasted, might have landed me either in
Bicetre or the presidents chair of the court Of
cessation.
NV study of the evidence led me to this
conclusion: that the judge OF instruction,
starting from the assumption Of Girard's guilt,
had, in several instances, unconsciously
warped important facts to make them fit in
with his own theory; but that one starting
from the contrary assumption, that of Girard's s
innocence, might take the same facts and
base upon them theory of the crime revers-
ing that of the Judge. Such negative evil
dence however, would not suffice to clear Cir
ard of completely in the crime. Here and there
weak link might be found in the chain of the
testimony against him; but to point out these
was not enough. 1t was necessary that the
adverse circumstantial evidence against him
should be overborne by circumstantial EVIL
dence equally strong in his favor. In q
word, since Girard was not the assassin Of
Joseph Meissner, that assassin must be found.
My first proceeding was to go to the house
No. 13 Passage de Mazarin, and question the
child Sophie Mouton, daughter of the janitor.
From her found out even more than I had
expected. Then went to a certain wine shop
in the Rue st. Andre, which, as Sophie in
formed me, the janitor Mouton frequented
more than was for his good. There found
him, drinking with several Of his friends, and
recounting, no doubt for the hundredth time
his share in the events Of Meissner's murder
I had no difficulty in beginning a converse,
ton with the janitor, and soon found out
from him, over glass of milk punch, all that
I wanted to know.
"But it is singular" said Mouton, 'rhest
questions that Monsieur has asked; they arr
precisely the same questions asked by thu
little man with the sharp nose and the gray
coat!"
"What man do you mean|
sBy Jove! that cannot tell you. But b,
was here two nights ago, sitting in the very
same place where Monsieur is sitting now
and he asked the very same questions as Mon
sieurl He also accompanied me home an(
took away the key Of M. Meissner's door
He produced on me the effect of an agent q
police. Is it not so, M. BastoulF'
N. Bastoul said that it was SO. I left th,
wine-shop, wondering who the little maj
could be, and for what purpose he was ask.
ing questions exactly like my own.
Next day, in consequence Of the answers
had received from Mouton and his daughter,
went with Sapinaud to the prefecture OF
police. l saw the two daggers which were
being kept there as evidence in the case OF the
Passage de Mazarin-the one, that with which
the murder had been committed; the other,
that from the collection Of NJ. de St Florent,
in its curious fan-shaped sheath. 1t was al
most impossible to distinguish between the
two weapons, they were SO exactly alike.
Both had the same writing on one side Of the
blade; the same flower, with a single word
beside it. ON the other. Itook careful tracings