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

J
"You have seen something like this before
MeSsieurs, is it not soF' said the detective
''And this-this also you will recognizer-
and he showed US key which he had founG
in another pocket. An exclamation-a sig
niticant ''Ahr'-escaped from Sapinaud anC
myself at the same moment. NJ. Blery smiled
again.
Pilotin next opened the traveling-trunks
They were found to contain clothes for the
most part: among which were one or two
dresses. evidently Oriental. There were alsc
number of letters, some i'll our own Ian
guage, some in foreign character, which ]
easily recognized as japanese.
Still NJ. Blery had not spoken word of ex-
PLANTATION. He seemed to enjoy onr complete
mystification.
''Pilotin." he said at last, when his search
was finished, ''you will remain here Oh
guard until you are relieved. You will
allow no one to enter without written order
from Monsieur the Prefect Messieurs, if
you will return with me to the prefecture,
shall have the pleasure of explaining to you
what you have seen here. That will be a
more convenient place for doing So"
Leaving NJ. Pajol's, we drove back to the
Prefecture, where NJ. Blery resumed his mar
rative.
''Monsieur,n be said to me, twill remember
the sllrmise he had formed-or, as prefer to
call it. the idea-that the assassin of Meissner,
who was certainly a foreigner, may possibly
have been japanese. l decided on follow
ing up this clew."
I'm the lists at the prefecture find the
names of between sixty and seventy japanese
returned by the hotel keepers and proprietors
off Do, r/1p
these are still resident here. Over twenty
have returned to their native country. The
remainder are Dead and buried in Paris.
II make special inquiries with regard to
these last; it seems to me very probable that
the victim of Meissner's extortions should be
among them. One of the names is Sangura,
native of Yeddo, no profession, returned by
Lunel, keeper of private apartments, of the
most expensive description, in the Avenue
du Roi de Rome l visit Lunel, who remem-
bers his lodger Sangura perfectly. He had
occupied for year the finest suite of rooms
on the first floor of Lunels house He was a
japanese of noble birth and great wealth.
who intended remaining for three years in
Europe. The seductions Of Paris had proved
too strong for NJ Sangura, however; his style
of living, Lunel assured me, was fabulous
him. His dinner never cost him less than two
hundred francs, as he never dined alone. He
would go behind the scenes of the theatres with
his pockets full of jewelry. He made precents
Of the most splendid character; TO one actress,
it is said, he gave a set OF diamonds worth
thirty thousand francs; to another barouche
and a pair Of English horses with silver
rrounted harness.
''The rent was always paid to Lunel quar-
terly, in advance About the end of the
third quarter, Lunel's experienced eye began
to see symptoms of a change III his tenants
disposition and mode of life. Sangura was
10 longer high-spirited and gay; there was
almost continually cloud on his face. First
one of the grooms was dismissed then the
other; then the valet. Finally, the riding
horses and the cabriolet were sold. One by
one Lunel began to miss from his tenants
apartment certain costly articles Of jewelry,
with which Sangura had decorated it
when he first came. Lunel inferred that
these were being sold, as the difficulties of his
tenant grew more pressing. Little by little
Sanguras wardrobe disappeared also-a bad
sign, Lunel thought; but the fourth quarters
rent was paid, and so he was safe.
cat the end of the fourth quarter, San
gura-whose apartment was by this time
stripped of everything belonging to him which
had the least ue-disappeared himself
Lunel never saw him again; but, about three
months after, he remembers having read an
account of suicide committed somewhere in
the Latin Quarter by an unknown foreigner
supposed to be japanese, and having fan
cied that this might be his former tenant
'.Lunel further hands to me a bundle of
letters which had arrived for his tenant sub
sequent to his disappearance. l examined
these; with one exception they are the unpaid
bills OF NJ. Sanguras tradesmen. The excep-
ton is letter addressed in female hard; it
is here-Monsieur can examine it for him.
self"
NJ Blery. drawing out a bulky pocket
book, took from it letter in q delicately
tinted envelope, addressed in faint violet ink:
M de Sangura, rAvenue du Roi de Rome,
361."
read the letter, then handed it to Sapi-
maud. 1t was as follows: MY own one, why