Helena weekly herald. [volume] (Helena, Mont.) 1867-1900, 1886-05-06

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but thought it was near the half hour
Superintendent Ledru stated that he had
made a careful examination of the court and
exterior of this house, No. 13 Passage de MAJ
arin. Round three sides of the court was g.
tellis of stout wood, reaching to distance of
about two feet from the sills of the windows
on the second floor. Beneath the window of
MeiSsners bed closet the trellis bore marks
as If some one had recently climbed up by it ::
the paint was scraped off, and here and there
spar had been cracked or broken There
were marks also on the sill of the cabinet
window and footprints on the floor, showing
that III this way an entrance had been gained
to Meissner's room.
u. In searching Meissners room on the
night of the murder, in what position did YOU
find the key of the room doors
A. The key was found hanging on nail
near the door
=. In order to reach the cabinet window bv
means of the trellis work, would any special
degree of agility be requireds
A. In my opinion, a very sp' cial degree Of
agility would be required. should consider
it feat of gymnastics.
The janitor Mouton, recalled and re-exam-
med, stated that there was no duplicate KEY
to any room in the house. 1t was Meissner's
custom, when in his room, to hang his door
key on the nail where it had been found by
the police. Had frequently seen it hanging
there.
The Officer OF Police Lambert stated that.
according to instructions, he had walked at
his fastest pace from the head of the Rue
Dauphine to Nine. Dumaine's shop III the
Rue de rOdeon; thence by the Rue de Conde
AVID fha Pm I.A Rlnh TO h. D. l.
MaZarin. The time taken to cover this dis
tance had been 13 minutes 20 seconds.
NOTE BY THE JUDGE OF INSTRUCTION,
81. As to the time when the murder was
committed The medical testimony goes to
prove that the dagger wound from which
Messner died was inflicted at late hour
on Monday night. The occupant of the room
next to Meissner's, Jules Pernet, the copyist,
heard dull, heavy noise, such as would be
caused by the fall of the murdered man; this,
he believes, was after 10 o'clock. The candle
taken upstairs by Meissner at 9 o'clock would
says the janitor Mouton, burn for about an
hour and half. Meissner's body was found
lying i'll front of his writing table; on the
tableware sheets of paper scrawled over with
unfinished calculations; he had b working
at these when suddenly stabbed from behind:
his pen was found on the floor. The candle,
therefore, was still burning when the fatal
blow was struck; consequently, if Mouton's
statement be accepted, the murder was COM
mitted before 1890.
''S. As to Girard's connection with the af.
fair.-Here we have an uncle VIGOROUSLY rich,
a nephew notoriously poor. We have ample
evidence Of the existence of bad feeling be-
tween this uncle and nephew Mouton is
witness of violent scene between them:
Cohen hears Meissner call his nephew a ras-
cal; Marsha most reluctant witness-testi-
fies that on tie night OF the murder Girard
stigmatized his uncle as cur and declared
that he hated him.
christmas eve, the evening of the murder.
is spent by Girard and Marsal at the Cafe de
la Source. They leave the cafe together at a
little before 10; at the head of the Rue Dau-
phine, where they reside, Girard quits his
friend, saying that he has to pay a visit: 10
o'clock is striking as they separate. Girard
goes straight to the Rue de rOdeon, to the
residence of his betrothed, Mile. Dumaine;
he remains with her, speaking on Indifferent
subjects, for very short time, not more than
five minutes. After Girard leaves Mile.
Dumaine there is no direct evidence as to his
movements.
''It is now little after 10 o'clock-about
ten or fifteen minutes. About this time
Police Sergeant GARNER at his post in the
Rue de Biche, is passed by man of middling
height and slimly made, who hastens in the
direction of the Passage de Mazarin. The
child Sophie Mouton sees the figure Of a
'tallish, slenderly-built' man glide swiftly
past her window toward the court of the
house; it is, she thinks, at some time either a
little before or a little after 10 that she sees
this man pass. 1t is true that the evidence
both of GARNER and of the child Sophie
Mouton is indefinite with regard to time; but
the evidence of the one suppCr IT'S that of the
other. The Officer of Police Lambert has
walked at a swift pace over the route fol-
lowed by Girard on Monday night; it took
him about thirteen minutes So far as the
question of time is concerned, the man who
passed GARNER in the Rue de Biche and the
man who was seen by Sophie Mouton at No.
l3 Passage de Mazarin may therefore have
been one and the same person; and that per-
son may have been Raoul Girard, the ac-
cused
'Beside the dead body of Meissner are
found an ivory wrist-stud bearing an initial
j., and a japanese dagger with which the
,rime was committed. Girard, when arrested,
S found to have at one wrist button match
ng that found in Meissner's room; the button
1t the other wrist is gone. The japanese dag
ger is a rarity; only one other like it has been
ound in Paris, in the famous private collec-
ion of NJ. de st. Florent. At one time, as has
,een proved by several witnesses, Girard had
n his possession dagger exactly resembling
hat found beside the corpse of Messner.
This weapon of Girard's was inclosed in
,eculiar fan-shaped sheath, which has its
counterpart in the sheath belonging to the
lager of NJ. de st. Florent There is 10
roof that Girard ever parted with the dagger
cen in his possession.
which combine SO terribly to
rove his guilts The story which he tells is
perfectly connected. If his explanation breaks
Down, it will be from no contradiction in it,
but simply from its essential incredibility.
''Girard declares that, swayed by sudden
impulse, he went on Monday night TO demand
money from his uncle; that he entered the
'oom by the window, knowing that the JAM
tor had orders not to admit him; and, hav-
ng entered, found the corpse of Meissner ly-
ng in pool of blood.
''If the story be set aside, there is but one
,ther explanation of the circumstances.
5irard and his uncle have quarreled, and
Iuarreled violently; for year they have not
net. Spurred ON by the want of money at
he very time when the need Of it was most
PRESSING, Girard resolves ON visiting his
niserly relative, to demand gift or loan:
le himself says, the repayment CT debt.
lie takes with him his dagger; if entreaties
re unavailing, he will threaten; he viii use
orce.
''He enters the cabinet by the window, and
leissner's room through the cabinet. The
marks on the trellis-work on the window-sill
the fact that the door Of Meissner's room is
ound locked, and the key hanging in its ac-