Barbour County index. [volume] (Medicine Lodge, Kan.) 1880-current, 1889-06-26
THE TALE OF A CRIME.
CHASTITY Revelation of a Photog.
rapher's Experiment.


NJ. Theodore, chef de surete, sat in his
cabinet deeply perplexed. His two elbows
on his desk, his head on his hands, he was
musing
And was it going to last, this, which had
been gong on for so long awhilel And
these assassins, were they gong to end
by beating himl Were they going to COM
pei him by adverse public opinion to send
in his resignation!
"Parbleu it looked so, and as if they did
1t on purpose, passing the word from one
TO another to force him to get out of their
way. Eight assassinatlons, one after an
other Crimes Of the worst caliber, with
startling details, which peopled alike with
horrifying visions the sleep of the bureau
crat and the concierge! And not an
assassin, for all their skillful work, had
they been able to lay their hands upon
They had fed, every man of them they had
disappeared, vanlshed-piff, like puff of
air. Celebrity, dispatch, their motto, and to
go without leaving an address behind them
Frankly, it had begun to pass the bounds
Of all reason.
"And now, to top off these eight other
crimes, there was still another one, a ninth
one, q murder, like the others, accom-
plished the evening before, under similar
conditions, q femme-galante with her
throat cut, FIVE thousand francs worth of
jewels gone, and-not trace Of the assas-
sipsI"
Despite his robust philosophy, that had
long been the admiration and emulation of
his century, ". Theodore felt himself drift
ing into melancholy aud reflection, not un-
mfxed with anger.
mime murders, one after the other nine
crimes without an author; nonsensel i'm
possibie" The chef dc surete pulled him
self together, threw back his head like a
war horse shifting battle, and-the door
opened.
It was his secretary who presented HIM
self, bearing card in his fingers.
"A gentleman, monsieur, who insists
upon seeing you. He declares" and the sec
retaFy smiled a little at the absurdity Of the
claim-"he declares himself in position to
furnish you with definite particulars re-
gsrding the crime of yesterday -
turned quickly 'Thsn bid him enter,''
said he, aud while the secretary regained
the ante-room TO do his bidding NJ Theodore
cast his eye upon the card before him.
''Frederick Bouscal" he read in a half
voice HRouscal, Bouscal; it seems to me
that know thst name-that I've heard it
somewhere"
He scrawled line upon u scrap Of paper
and handed it to the secretary who returned
at the moment ushering in the visitor who
had asked to see him, dismissed him with
woSd, and was ready for the matter in
hand.
NJ. Theodore raised his eyes. Before him
was man simply, but neatly, clothed, and
with a frank and honest countenanee,
though vailed, as by cloud, with sadness
! The eyes were cloar and open, the muStache
and goatee gray and pointed; in short, there
was something in his manner, something in
his whole appearance OF militaire in "re-
treat"
"You have particulars to give me, have
you not, monsieur~ questioned the chef de
surete; particulars, believe Of the crime
of yesterday.
81 hope so, monsieur" simply responded
the visitor.
"Ah, hope sol You are not sure, then!'
ut rests with you, NJ. le Chef, whether
am sure or not All depends, in fact, upon
an operation the means of which you alone
are able to furnish Gis
Explain, If you pleaseP'
Certainly, and at once, though DOUBTLESS
you hare heard it spoken of, NJ. lie Chef, a
certain scientific procedure which permits
under certain conditions, better even than
description can do it, reconstruction of
! the portrait OF al assassin. Briefly, behold
LsSv meaning Yon know, OF course" he
continued, 'that in the phenomenon called
vision the object which we see throws or
/ forms upon a screen in the eyeball itself
| in plain words, upon the retlna of the eye
an image which remains there until dis
placed by another. 1t has been proved also
I thai this image persists even after death.
| You recognize, therefore, that if person
murdered has been struck from the front,
/ and in light sufficiently distinct for him to
/ see, the last thing upon which his eyes
! would be fixed would in all probability be the
/ face or form of the murderer. Naturally,
/ the image of that face or figure would be
! thrown upon the retiua of the eye where -
| aud this is what came to say-itis not only
] possible 20 refund 1t. but also possible to re-
produce it. An, vel, monsieur, in the case
which occupies u.s.
The door of the cabinet opened anew, AL
the secretary of NJ. Theodore re-entered,
/ hoidiug in has hand roll of papers that he
laid before hi= chief, then turned and was
gone again as quickly ms Re had come. NJ
Theodore lifted it and ran his eys oyer the
contents.
HYou are named Frederick Bouscal, are
you not, monsieur he demanded, present
", addressing his visitor,
''Yes, NJ lie Chef, Frederick Boaseal.p
--''your agel"
rEiiiy-eight years, NJ lie Chef
sHum-m-m." n Theodore rapidly twirled
the sheets beside him; .'twenty-seven
yearsm he murmured, as If thinking aloud
$50 il was not you then who was impris
oned two years ago, and condemned -
contumacy and the theft OF a THOUSAND
fiorinsn
A sudden fush empurpled the counte
nance of the visitor.
''No, monsieur" he responded, with et
fort. in duh voice; ''no, it was not IL
was-my s52."
can employe of the Credit Agricole, wa,
nc noti And--you are ignorant of what hai
become Of hiInpA
Absolutely. 1t as fifteen months tha
his mother and have been without new,
of him That child, NJ le Chef, that chils
has been our sorrow and our shame H.
has broken our hearts. dishonored oul