Helena weekly herald. [volume] (Helena, Mont.) 1867-1900, 1886-04-29
A PARIS MYSTERY
By the Author of "My Ducats and Ny
Daughter"
CONTINUED.
CHAPTER ".

7 ,,,oe etroIiinp down the Boulevard st.
Michael atter attending the lecture on Ro-
man law. when met by chance Thouvenot, a
friend of mine and a law student like myself.
Thouvenot proposed game of billiards; and,
feeling the need Of distraction after my late
effort Of industry, agreed
We went to the Cafe de Ia Cigarette. where
the Young ladies who serve you are all dressed
alike in red, and where everything is very
gorgeous. We played several games at bill
lizards and had several glasses OF beer, spend
ing the afternoon thus very agreeably. Then
Thouvenot said all at once:
s'My dear fellow, l have a proposal t,
make"
'What is thatf'
'That we go for a walk that we visit the
Morgue."
"And why the Morgue, of all placesW
"Whv9 because all the world is running
there to-day, and we may well run too.
Have you not read in the journals this morn
ING of the murder of Joseph MeissnerF'
"Ah. have been told of the murder of this
man Did you know himm
aTo nv cost: he was the closest-fsted Jew
IL the Quarter
"hnpossible. Think Of my friend Levi
Jacob"
''He was infinitely worse than even your
friend Jacob. Some poor devil has murdered
him out of revenge, fancy. But you really
must hear the details of the affair they are
curious. assure YOU. 1t is the most promis-
inc mystery since the affair of Menilmontant.
Euphraise, my angelic one of the young
ladies in red-''be good enough to bring me
The Figaro. All, here is the paragraph.
Listenw
The paragraph which Thouvenot read me
from The Figaro was as follows:
''MURDER IN THE PASSAGE DE MAZARIN.-
Last evening the inhabitants of the Quarter
des Ecoles were thrown into excitement by
the intelligence that frightful and mysteri-
ous crime had been committed in their midst
Mons. Joseph Meissner, of Jewish nationality,
and by profession money-lender, had been
found murdered in his room, No. 13 Passage
de Mazarin. The facts, so far as yet known,
are these: About quarter-past seven last
evening man out of breath and in state
Of extreme agitation presented himself at
the bureau of police, Rue dies Saints Peres,
declaring that murder had been committed.
Interrogated as to his name and avocation,
declared that he was called Jean Mouton, and
that he was janitor of the house No. Is
Andre and the Rue de Biche. Declared
further that one of the tenants of the house was
Monsieur Joseph Meissner, a Jewish money
lender, who had a room and cabinet on the
second floor That Joseph Meissner was a
man of eccentric habits, and, among other
singular Instructions had givenhi Mouton,
this-that if ON any day he failed to appear at
o'clock, the hour at which he invariably
!. |. Il. l. e. L
entered without loss of time. On this even
ing-the evening of Tuesday-6 o'clock had
sounded from the church of st. Augustin,
and MeiSsner had not appeared. Such thing
had never happened before, the old money
lender being always remarkably punctual.
The janitor became uneasy, remembering
the instructions that had been given him.
He waited till the bells of st. Augustin tolled
the quarter, then went upstairs and listened at
the door of the room. Not a sound was to be
heard. He sought to peer through the key
hole, but the interior of the room was quite
dark, and he could see nothing. He came
downstairs again; went up a second time;
the same dead stiffness. His uneaSiness grew
TO alarm; nevertheless, he waited till I struck
from the church tower, then went to ask
the advice of his friend and neighbor the
sieur Francois Bastoul, publican. Bastoul,
having heard Mouton's story, strongly advised
him to do as the old man had hidden him, and
offered to help him in breaking open the door.
Having provided themselves with crowbar,
they went up to Meissner's room; listened,
called, knocked, shook the door; no an
,wer. They then forced the door open
with their crowbar. The sight that met their
aves filled them with horror. The corpse of |
Joseph Meissner lay before them on the !
floor, in the middle of great red stain that
covered the planking. The body lay upon
It's face. huddled together as II it had fallen |
from the chair that stood in front of the |
writing table The furniture of the room |
had been thrown into confusion, and the cab |
NETS and lock-fast places bore tie appearance |
Of having been forcibly opened and ransacked. |
At first the janitor and his companion |
were too much Mortified to do, or think of, |
anything; but at length Bastoul proposed |
that they should instantly close the door, |
without touching the body where it lay: and !
that while he himself kept watch outside, |
Mouton should run at full speed to fetch the /
police This he did; and Superintendent |
Ledr1l, having taken down his story, at once |
him to the scene of the crime. |
EVERYTHING was found there as Mouton had |
described it. We are Informed that the |
police have discovered, beside the corpse of
Joseph Meissner, a dagger of foreign manu-
facture, used beyond doubt in the commission
of the crime; also an ivory wrist stud, with |
an initial on it, in all probability dropped by |
the assassin. 1t is thought that these articles |
cannot fail to give clew to the discover OF |
the guilty person. Meanwhile, the janitor,
Mouton, has been placed under surveillance.
''Well, Marsal, what do you think of that"
said Thouvenot as he laid down the paper |
and relit his cigar. "Was not right in call
ing it promising mystery!"
Certainly. This will flutter the Ru.
Jerusalem, should think. The police have
their character to regain