Wichita eagle., 1888-06-03

But wkere is the money TO come fromi
From yos,?n
'.lt is you who are jesting now, Raoul.
Leave it to me, Ike a good fellow. Sign Your
name, and take my word Tor Il that l an
! asking you 70 DO nothing wrong"
! On ttis Raoul signed without further hest
/ taton.
/ Il put myself in your hands" he said.
Nothing can make ne more your friend than
l an; but il you get NE out OF this frigLtful
! place-if YOU restore re. o free man cree
more. TO Gabrielle-ah, Paul, what shall
not
( Els voice failed him: hsnd-ciasp said what
each OF Us had to say. This was the one mo
ment during cur whole interview that Raoul
showed the slightest want Of composure. He
| recovered himself Immediately.
Soon after had to go, the duration OF my
visit being limited BY the prison rules.
''Be patient, ny friend,' l said TO him.
''what has to be done win take time, and the
time VIII seem dou5ly long to you. do not
say be brave, for you are brave; but | say,
be patient"
Il viii be patient, he said. Looking back
as the warder closed the door, saw lis eyes
fixed wistfully upon me; the bolts fell, and l
had left my friend in his prison
After leaving the house OF detention went
straight TO the Palace of Justice, TO see the
advocate Sapinaud and retain him for RaoUl's
defense. Sapinaud was an intimate friend
OF mine, and knew Raoul well also. Fe was
e fiery Meriodiral, an eloquent pleader, and
had rapidly-growing reputation at the bar.
Sapinaud took Up tie case with enthusiasm.
He promised TO see Raoui on the morrow, and
in three days time to make himself master of
the evidence l asked him to send me his
copy Of the judges notes, which he engaged
to do.
The next few days passed in comparative
inactiOn, l went 70 see Gabrielle DuI2aine
found her very calm, ike Raoul; but one
could easily see how severely she had been
tried by that cruel ordeal Of the inquiry. All
her vivacity was gone; her cheeks were pale,
her movements hnguid; her da-. eyes had
ceased to shine 1t would have wrung the
heart Of any man to see her with Ler mother.
Nine Dunaine had evidently no hope of
RaoUls innocence ever being established;
believe tba5, in her heart, she even doubted
whetker he We're innocent Vet, for Ga
brieiie's sake. she had 10 feign the most per-
feet confidence that all would 20 well.
"And you VIII save him, H. MarsalF Ga
brielle said to me with trembling eagerness as
| took my leave. "Eeuaembcr, | trust in you!
Leave me a word of colafort-tell me that l
may hope!"
''AIadeIaoiseile," I said, ''assuredly you
may hope. honestly believe that the right
ciew will vet be foUHd-that RaouTS inno-
cence VII bo put beyond al DOUBT And in
this | said no more than l really thought.
4 few days after my interview with Sapin-
aud, received from him copy Of the evi-
dence taken at the inquiry. At once 1 shut
myself up in my room, and set myself TO study
it as | had never studied anything before.
l shall net so into the details of all my
reading, weighing, comparing and theorilng;
for three day 5 [ did not leave TIE room, and,
but for Pierre, would almost have forgotten
to take food. The knowledge that Raours
life might be hanging on the result of my
efforts seemed to le-d me new powers
Of mind-or, at any rate, powers that |
had never before suspected myself of pos
sess.1lg. 1t was as it were, a continuation of
that duel between myself ard the judge of
instruction, OF which tie first passes lad been
exchanged at tie inquiry. fsaemel to enter
into the personality Of each witness; to seize
at a glance the significant point OF each state
mcnt. found Il fact TO explain every diff
Guilty, theory for every contradiction; my
brain vas for the time abnor1naliy clear and
active; it was state Cfmental tension which,
had it lasted, miyht have landed me either in
Bicttre or the presidents chair of the court of
cessation.
AIy study of the evidence led me to this
conclusion: that the judge Of instruction,
starting from tie assumption of Girard's guilt,
had, il several instances, unconsciously !
warped important facts TO make them fit i'll
with MS own theory; but that one staf ting
from the contrary assumption, that OF Girard's T
innocence, might take the same facts and
base upon them Il theory Of the crime revers-
ing that of the judge. Such negative evil
dence however, would not suffice TO clear Cir
ard Of completely in the crime. Here and there
q weak Link might be found in the chain OF the
testimony against him; but to point out these
was not enough. 1t was necessary that the .
adverse circuInstantial evidence against him
should be oyerborne by circumstaptial evi-
dence equally strong in his favor. In a
word, since Girard was not the assassin of /
Joseph Neissner, that assassin must be found. 1
lily first proceeding vas TO go TO the house .
No. 13 Passa re de Mazarin, and question the .
child Sophie Mouton, daughter OF the janitor.
From her l found cut even more than l had
expected. Then | went to a certain wine shop
in the R1o st. Andre, which, Us Sophie iu-
formed Ee, the janitor Mouton frequented .
more than was for his good. There found
him, drinking with several of his friends, and
10 doubt for the hundredth time,
his share in tie events of MeiSSner's murder.
I had no difficulty IN beginning a conversa-
ton with the janitOr, and soon found out
from him. over a glass Of MIX punch, all that
l wanted to know.
"But it is singular" said Mouton, ''tnese
questions that Monsieur has asked; they are
precisely the same questions asked by the
little man with the sharp nose and the gray
cCatr'
What man do you rneanT
"By JOvel that / cannot tell you. But he
was here two nights ago, Sitting in the very
same place where Monsieur is sitting now,
and he asked The very same questions as Mon
sieur, He also accompanied ME home, and
took away the key Of IL Meissner's door.
He produced on me the effect Of an agent OF
police. Is il not so, NJ. Bastoull'
n Bastoul said that it was so. I left the
wine-shop, wondering who the little mau
sould be, end for what purpose he was ask
ng questions exactly like my own
Next day, in consequence of the answers
lad received from Moutou and his daughter,
went with Sapinaud to the prefecture OF
,olioe. I saw the two daggers which were
,eing kept there as evidence in the case Of the
'assage de Mazarin--the one, that with which
ne murder had been committed; the Cther,
hat from the collection of NJ de ST. Florsnt,
Il its curious fan-shaped sheath II al
most impossible TO distinguish between the
wo weapons, they were 50 exactly alike
10th had the same writing on one side Of the
,lade; the same flower, with a single word
,eSide it. On the other. Itook careful tracing.
( the Inscriptions on both dAggers.
That evening | went To the Lrrrse Of "