Sacramento daily record-union. [volume] (Sacramento [Calif.]) 1875-1891, 1889-07-20

my pockets emptied, and locked me up il
CELL Here | remained for an hour
when | was fetched out and hustled int
the "s salad basket" as the French cal
their Black Maria equipage. Tn
"Black Maria took me to the depo
Jail, where l was once more locked up
All this time not word of explanation
had / heard. | had not the faintest ide;
what l was accused of but, being limo
cent of any offense, felt completely re
assured. Indeed, my adventure somewha
amused me. 1t was a novel experience
and would give me something to tall
about when / got back to England.
By the French law every person ar
rested on suspicion must be examined
within twenty-four hours. 1t was fou
o'clock in the afternoon when / wa
fetched by two gardes de Paris to undergo
my preliminary examination. The writ
ings OF Gaboriau, Balzac and de Boisgobey
have so fully described the mise en- seen
of the depot prison: the winding staircases
the dark passages by which a prisone
is brought to the fatal couLoir, on which
all the doors OF the rooms of the ,juge
Pinstruction, or examining magistrates
open, as we'll as the interior of such F.;
room, that | will not describe what
saw, but come at once to the extraordi
nary conversation which passed between
me and the magistrate charged with the
instruction" of my affair"
After he had asked me my name, age
and profession, and received my answer.
with credulous Indifference, he opened a
drawer in the table at which he was sit
ting, took out an object, and laying it be
fore me. said:
Do you recognize this jewel ?"
Certainly" l answered, " it is my
scart-pin. 1t was taken from me, with al
my other belongings, at the police station
this morning"
"Can you tell me when and how this
pin came into your possession ?"
There you puzzle me-" | said, :" DOM
remember. It's curious fact" | added
smiling at the Judge, but true. l have
no idea where that pin comes from. don't
remember having bought it."
Was it given to your"
"No. At least don't remember ever
having received such gift"
Perhaps you picked it up in the street,
said the magistrate, with slight touch Of
irony.
eyes, perhaps l did. This is all know
about it; few days ago, in turning over
the contents of an old pormanteau, l found
this pin. | did not care very much for its
style, and can only account for my wearing
it by the fact that | dressed in a great
hurry on the evening that left London
and that the first tie that came under my
hand was the one into which had stuck
it when l found it."
Have you written down that state.
ment% This to his clerk.
I" Yes. It's all down."
"Well, then, let us continue. Perhaps
you know how and when you came into
possession of this book" said the magis-
trate, producing volume and laying it
before me. 1t was an old copy of the
Memoirs of Able de Croisy," which !
had brought over to Paris with me, and
had left in my valise in the hotel.
Yes" l said, Il remember that ]
picked it up on bookstall on the Quai
des Grands-Augustins about seven year:
ago. It"
"About seven years ago.? said the
magistrate slowly, as if to give his serve
ner time to get my answer written down.
Eyes. 1t was the first bargain / made
and that gave me a taste for book-hunting
got it for two francs, and it is certainly
worth two hundred. 1t is the first edi
ton"
"Where were you living in Paris sever
years ago%
Il don't remember. 1t was some hote
in the Latin Quarter"
And what were you doing?"
" l was trying my hand at beVes-lettres"
The magistrate here rose and touched {
bell. To the usher who answered his sum
mons he gave the order to introduce the
Marquis de Kergaradec.
1t was the old gentleman who had beer
my travelling companion that morning. He
bowed very politely to the magistrate, and
gave me what | suppose was meant to be q
whitening glance.
Monsieur lie Marquis" said the magis
trate, "do you recognize this pinw
| do. 1t is one which belonged to my
late brother, the Comte de Kergaradec
He brought the stone back from China
and had it mounted in the Rue de la PAX
l recognize it all the more easily inasmuct
as the setting, which is by no means com
mon one, was executed from a design
gave him."
"And this book ?"
"As certainly. That book belonged t.
the Count. On the fyleaf is dedication
from the Able to Nine de Poranouc oul
ancestor in the time of Louis XIV. Be
sides, the Kergaradec arms are stamped or
the cover"
'Quite satisfactory. These two article.
we're among the contents of the valist
stolen from the Count, your brother, at tn,
hotel in Senlis on the night when he wa
murdered Y'
"They were. But my declaration to the
police, made at the time, must be still il
existence. ! set down the entire contents
of that valise, which | could do all tn,
more correctly that l had packed it my
self"
"That declaration is in my hands.
only asked you for the form. Now, mon
sieur," continued the magistrate, look a
the prisoner. Do you recognize him?"
81 saw him for the first time in my lif,
this morning"
"1ou are certain p
81 am"
"Well, then, all that l have to ask vol
now is to sign the paper on which m,
gretfer has written my questions and you
answers. You can then withdrawn"
The Marquis signed and departed, will
another bow to the Judge and anothe
whitening glance at me.
whats all this nonsense ?' / said
when the door had closed on the old oep
tleman. whats all this nonsense abou
a Count, valise stolen and a murder ?"
81 am here to question: said the magis
trate, mot you. Do you persist in refus
ing to state how this pin came into you
possession >"
81 have told you all l know about it,
answered.
"Perhaps little calm reflection will
help to refresh your memory. will Sc
you again tomorrow. Meanwhile yo
will so back to prison"
you might at least tell me of what