The Indiana State sentinel. [volume] (Indianapolis) 1868-1895, 1889-04-10

hotel was 80 francs ana my ucket cost
about 35."
"At what date did you pawn this
watch?"
"It was about week after l left Senlis.
On the 20th or 21st of September"
"Please take that down very carefully"
said the magistrate to the registrar. sit is
of vital Importance. Do you persist in
denying all completely in the crimep
Most certainly do"
''If you could only explain about that
pin. That is the terrible charge against
you. Your explanation about the book is
plausible enough. But the pin, the pin ?"
81 am sorry not to be able to assist you
in your investigation. l have told you all
l know. l found it in portmanteau
which contained lot of old things"
was not brought up before the magis-
trate again until after several days. In
the meanwhile mischief had been at work.
The English and American newspaper cor
respondents had got bold of the story of
my arrest, and of the odious crime Of
which L had been accused. The most sem
sational reports had been printed, and as
l afterward learned, my portrait had been
given in several journals in London and
New York. II was stated, what was per-
fectly true, that / had been in very needy
circumstances in Paris and had done a
variety of things TO earn living
The fact of my having been at
Senlis on the night of the muir
der, and of the scarf-pin and book
having been found in my possession, were
put into such prominence that L do not
believe a doubt existed as to my culpa-
bility in the mind of any English or
American reader of my case. Some
imaginative specials" went so far as to
state that / had confessed, and had at
tempted suicide. On the other hand, my
numerous enemies and rivals could not
refrain from pointing out with what mar
velous. with "what very marvellous,
rapidity had achieved success in career
in which success comes but to the very
few, without rejecting how much in this
career, as in every other, depends on
good luck. And, after all, my position
was not such very brilliant one. | know
several chefs who would turn up their
noses at my income, and, as to fame, the
name of the smallest manufacturer OF pat
ent medicines in England IS twenty times
better known than mine.
On my third visit the magistrate re-
ceived me with much greater courtesy
than before He said:
81 have examined your statements and
find you have spoken the truth. The Off
cial record of the Mont-de-Piete makes
mention of your having pawned your
watch. The hotel-keeper OF the Quai des
rands-AuguStins remembers you as a
quiet and industrious young man; and,
finally, one of my agents has succeeded in
discovering the bookseller who sold you
the Memoirs of Able de Croisy.' This
person remembered the circumstance all
i ~ I l.. 4
almost Immediately alter he had disposed
of the book to you, what treasure he
had left slip out of his hands. He said he
hoped you had got into trouble, as you
must be bad character to have paid 2
francs for book worth 500 francs. The
only circumstance now against you is that
of the possession of the pin.
"And that, | am sorry to say, l cannot
explain. l can positively not remember
how l got it, nor can | imagine how and
when it got into my trunk"
"On the other hand" continued the
magistrate benevolently, our inquiries in
London have produced satisfactory re-
suits, as far as your character is con-
cerned. You are honorably connected,
aud appear to have been industrious and
upright. II only you could explain that
one obscure point, l could proclaim you
innocent. Nay, do not start-you will be
set free in any case, but unfortunately
only under an order OF non lieu, or nolle
prosequi, which Is equivalent to Scotch
verdict of mot proven 1t is regretable
you have such bad memory"
The same evening, after various formal
ties, 1 had what the newspapers called
"the extraordinary good fortune" to be set
free. l returned forthwith to London. be-
sieged all the way by the enterprising
gentlemen of the press, and went straight
to the house where my financee lived. l
was received by her father, who said that
under the circumstances he could not
think of letting me marry bis daughter
until | had completely vlndlcated my
character. l turned on my heel, indignant
at this injustice, and wrote to Clara; but
the young lady left my letters unanswered,
and when / called to see her, during the
absence of her father in the city, she re-
fused to receive me.
Apart from this. my sudden notoriety
did me more good than | could have hoped
for from wears of industry and success. L
have on my table now before me seventeen
letters from hitherto obdurate publishers,
offering me my own price for any MSS, L
may have in my drawer, forty letters from
newspaper editors, inviting the contri-
button of my experiences in the French
prison, as many letters and kilograms from
iecture-agents, and two requests from the
atrical managers, VINO want me to turn my
trivial adventure into a fve-act drama
and three-act comedy, not to speak of
hundreds of letters of sympathy or abuse
from all parts of the country.
What a commercial age is the one in
which we are living, that l find myself
congratulating myself on having had my
name so splendidly advertised for nothing.
/ am advised TO make hay while the sun
shines, and l may add that have made
good deal of hay already.
1t was only three days ago that some
solution OF the mystery of the amber pin
presented itself to my mind.
/ was in Berlin, and was walking down
the Behrenstrasse, when l passed a man
whose face l seemed to remember, with
out being able at all to recall when and
where | had seen it for the first time.
Suddenly, and / should be puzzled to say
by what inspiration, turned round and
called out "Hi Pierre, Pierre Bastide"
The man stopped as if struck from be-
hind, and looked round at me; the face
was very pale, and he was trembling in
every part OF his body. After a seconds
hesitation he started off running like
madman, as if his object were to put as
large a distance as possible between US two.
He was not, however, destined to run
far, for, in dashing across the Frederick
strasse, his haste was so blind that he did