St. Paul daily globe., 1888-07-15
francs, and Victor soon learned that
Pierre Boumery was in thriving cigI
cumStanceS. '' 80

| Victor, under the name OF Mons. Para.
| dis, grew to be an intimate friend of
Mons. Boumery. Victor kept to himself
the fact of his brothers having wit.
messed with HIM the scene in Mons
Montedour'S bedroom on the night OF
Nov. II, 1854. Henry was amply sup.
piled with funds by his brother, and he
was satisfied. If anything happened to
| his brother he could take his place and
retain the grip on Mons. Boumery.
Though Mons. Boumery tried to put a
| good face on it, he was writhing under
| the infiiction of the perpetual presence
| of the man who could, whenever he
| chose, bring his head to the knite.
| Therefore he resolved to get rid of him.
| This is how he did it, for he was per-
son OF infinite resource.
| Il am going to fit up the room you
occupy and the two rooms adjoining for
| merry: land so you will have to remove
to another apartment. 1t is at the top
| of the house OH the southwest corner,
looking over the gardens, and will be
| pleasant" -sse7
Victor had no objections and was
| soon snugly enSconched in his new apart
| ment. Then Monsieur Boumery was
| absent from home on business for few
| days. He took trip into Belgium, and
when he returned he brought two very
neat air pistols. One of them he care
fully put away; the other he gave to
Victor in the presence of the valet, re-
marking at the same time that the
friend who had given him the pistol
had forgotten to give him any cartridges.
THE DRAFT OF A LETTER.
Next day Pierre complained of gout
in the right hand. He was low-Spirited
and talked of his younger days. He
had neglected friend. he said. who had
taken care of him when he was an Or
phan of two years. He must write to
that friend and tell him he would re-
member him in his will. Would Victor
act as his amanuensis?
Victor would and did. Seated at the
table, Victor began from dictation a
draft Of the letter in pencil thus:
This may be the last letter may write in this
world | am suffering dreadfully, and the
end may soon be here. 1 desire, there
fOre-''
Here NJ. Boumery was seized with
SpaSm in the chest. and begged for
brandy, which Victor brought. He lay
back in his chair aud sent Victor to his
place of business to say he was too i'll to
leave the house. The valet came in
and offered to go. but Pierre preferred
however, he carefully secured the letter
begun in Victor's handwriting.
He got better. He became jovial. On
the night of Sept. 10 he and Victor had
royal time-that is, Victor drank
freely, and NJ. Boumery pretended to
drink. At very late hour Pierre and
his valet helped Victor to his apart
ment. The air-pistol was lying on the
dressing table.
Bring it away said Pierre to the
Wallet. ''Never mind" he added, ''he
is too far gone to hurt himself or any
one else"
"Come now,' said Pierre, after the
valet had removed some of Victor's
the door after us. Wait moment
The room is close, and Fll open the
window"
SUICIDE, OF COURSE.
He did so, and he and the valet left.
Victor staggered to the door and turned
the key. The valet tried the door, and
said:
1T is fastened"
NJ. Boumery went to his room.
When all was quiet he was on the
roof fixing rope ladder, which fell to
the side of Victor's window. He de-
scended carefully. and glanced into the
room. Victor was on the bed fast
asleep. Stealthily Pierre entered by
an air pistol, for he knew Victor's was
unloaded. Then he examined his
weapon, and, finding it within few
inches of Victor's right eye, sent
bullet into his brain. A struggle and
writhing, and all was over. Pierre took
from his pocket the partially written
letter which he had dictated to Victor
and placed it on the table. Then he
placed Victor's pistol in the dead mans
right hand.
All, there must be pencil Beside the
letter, and he hadn't one. He found
one in Vict0r's vest pocket, and laid it
beside the paper. Then he left as he
had come.
Could any one doubt that Victor had
committed suicide? 1t was all as claar
as light, and there was no trouble in the
judge of instruction reaching that con-
cluSion. So Victor was buried with
hOnOrS in Pere la ChaiSe, and Pierre
was at ease.
THE AvENGER TURNS UP.
But Victor's brother Henry soon came
on the scene. Pierre treated him as a
blackmailer and caused his arrest.
Henry fought and employed frst-rate
criminal lawyer. The air-pistOl found
in Victor'S room was then discovered
to have never carried a cartridge, and,
moreover, the bullet taken from Victor'S
brain could never have been inside the
barrel The scrap of the letter found Oh
the table in VIctOr'S room was in black
lead pencil, whereas the pencil found
near it was blue lead.
Then, in Pierre's absence, his valet
admitted two noted detectives, and hid
den away under the hinged seat of
Monsieur Boumery's study chair they
found rope ladder and an air pistol,
with box of cartridges. The ball in
| the cartridge was precisely like that in
| Victor'S brain, and the rope ladder eX-
planned how the victims bedroom had
| been reached.
And the letter? Henry remembered
| that Victor had told him of Pierre's in
| tending to leave money to some old
| friend, and of his having dictated part
of letter to that effect, and the valet
distinctly remembered seeing Victor
seated at the desk writing, and subse-
| quently the letter on the desk when
he went to his master to see what was
the matter after Victor got the brandy.
| The motive for Pierre'S getting Vic
tor out OF the way was to relieve him.
self from the man who knew he was his
uncle's assassin. Henry hid nothing.
| he SHOWeu Tie Splenulu gems Wnlcn
Pierre had given to Victor, how he had
treated a perfect stranger like prince
and accepted him as suitor for his
daughter.
| CONFESSION AND SELF-MURDER.
Pierre knew that detectives were
watching him all the time, or he would
have fled. But flight was confession
and failure conviction, so he resolved
Oh suicide by poison. But he was toe
late, for his arrest had been decided
upon, and when he found himself in
the clutches of the law he became meek
| and confessed He said that on the aft.