Wichita eagle., 1888-06-03

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be himself says, tie repayment OF a debt.
Ee takes with him his dagger; If enereaties
are unavailing, be VIII threaten; he VII use
force.
'sHe enters the cabinet by the window. and
Meissner'5 room through the cabinet. The
marks on the trenis-work on the window-siIl
the fact that the door OF Meissner's room is
found locked, and the key hanging in its &C.
rustomed place-bear out Girard's own
statement.
Opening the door Of the cabinet, he sees
his uncle seated before the writiag-table.
What follows can only be conjectured. 1t
may be that the man who meant merely to
threaten was suddenly tempted to Kill, and
smots his victim on the back without g word
being spoken. Or hot words may have passed
between uncle and nephew; there may have
been refusal to lend money; tau1ts and in
Sults; the young man, enraged and excited,
may have been reused to burst of holni-
tidal fury, and in this state have dealt the
fatal blow. The former of these hypothesis
S borne out by the medical and police theory
hat the deceased was struck suddenly from
behind, and SO fell dead or dying from bis
chair.
'In ascending the trellis-work Girard has
ais wrist; the stud drops on the floor as he
raises his arm, and there remains. The dag
ger he lets fall beside the body of his victim,
when it has served its purpose.
''When the room of the murdered man is
entered by the police all is found in confusion.
! Drawers are pulled out, cabinets opened or
broken into, as if some one had rummaged
/ through them in haste; yet portable articles
/ OT intrinsic IyS Inc Slch iar--al- and
money, have been left behind. This is the
obscure point of the case; but the difficulty
here tells as forcibly against any theory Of
/ The crime as against tie theory that Girard
S the guilty person There Is oneexplanation
hat may or may not be deemed satisfactory
Mental excitement, accentuated by the horror
hat follows crime, Will account for the most
eccentric behavior. The murderer, completely
lnnerved, almost out OF his senses for the
lime, may have gone On overturning every
hing and yet taking nothing; or, ii lie took
Up the spoils of blood TO remove them, the
thought that they might lead to detection
nay have made him lay them down again.
There is SUIT -iant evidence as to the tu,1ult
If mind ia which Cirard passed the day sub
;equent 70 the r.UrLer.
This is my theoI-y of the crime, based on
he evidence taken at tbe preliminary inquiry.
''(Signed) RoGUET,
't,T;,;ge of Instruction"
CHAPTER TX.
The preliminary inquiry had ended; Raoul
vas III the Lcu-e of detention, waiting his
rial before the court of assizes; and. so far as
could learn, there were only two persons in
Ill Paris who did not believe him guilty
Gabrielle Du,naiae and myself.
l cannot tell you how grateful I felt to
Mademoiselle DUmaine for having restored
ny confidence III Raoul before my evidence
vas given at the inquiry. But for that l
should have been forced by the judge of in
,truction to become the accuser of my friend.
No sooner had l seen III the journals the ac-
count given By Raoul himself of his connec-
ion with the affair than I recognized its per-
;ect truthfulEess. l congratulated myself
hat l had not waited for this explanation
oefoTe declaring my belief in his innocence.
Had done SO l felt that could never have
.ooked him in the face again.
After giving my evidence at the inquiry
an experience ! should not Ike again TO pass
.hrough-I went back to cur cid attic room
n the Rue DaUphine. wanted to be where
everything would remind me Of Raoul. 1
,ancied that there, better than elsewhere,
would be able to do the thing that l lad set
my whole heart on doing. I avoided the
cafes of the Latin Quarter in those days; they
were full OF talk about tho crime Of Christmas
lay, such talk as no friend of Raouls would
Ike to hear Neither did read the journals;
they all Of them assumed Raoul's guilt as a
thing of course. But before long the excite
ment caused by the murder of Meissner died
away; new ministry, now drama and a
new domestic crime, occurring one after the
other, threw the affair of the Passage de
MaZarin into the shade. Popular in
5ereSt in the case was, however, revived
for a time by an announcement made
in The Theatre This journal stated that the
Of the Odeon had decided On
bringing out at an early date Girardis
comedy, called Gold of Toulouse" The ad-
it was said, saw no reason for
play of unusual merit because
the writer of it CHANGED to be lying in prison
Oh a charge Of murder. Indeed, this later
fact, as one Of the theatrical journals pointed
out, would be certain to make the piece ct
least a pecun;ary success.
Some DAYS after the close of the inquiry
obtained permission to visit Raoul at the
house of detention Tie interview was much
less painful to either of US than had feared.
Raoul would not let me speak Of the wrong l
bad done him-wouid not let me beg his for
giveness.
What you thought" he said, "who could
have helped thinking il! It was l who was
10 blame; | should have told you the truth ct
once; that l did not is the best proof to me
that must have been half-crazed at the time.
No, mol 1t is not you who should speak of
forgiveness: it Is l. And you did not wait till
you had heard my story-it needed only a
word from Gabrielle to make you believe in
me again.
"AA if you had but heard her speakin
81 seem to hear her. y ou VIII go to her, /
Paul. You VIII tell her that you have seen I
me, that l am well and brave-no longer the /
miserable coward that terrible sight made of /
me! You will tell her that"
OF course l promised. Raoul had said no .
more than the truth. lie was himself again;
calm, courageous, looking his danger il the /
face with g fir1nness that inspired me.
1T is a dreadful fatality" he said. ''If |
you had seen how the judge wove his net Of /
evidence about me, you might almost despair
OF ever unweaving it Yet believe it vii
be done"
1T shall be done" answered; ''you used
to say l never thought, Raoul; but, believe
me, of late / have been thinking for you
my friend.n he said, and pressed my
hand
s.You viii allow me to retain our friend
Sapinaud for your defensel know no bet
ter man.
BY all means
''And you viii put your name to this docu
nent, which l have brought ready for sign
ing3'
RaouI read the document: 81 Raoul Girard.
hereby authorize Paul Marsal to offer re-
ward of twenty thousand francs 10 such per
on as may discover the real murderer Of