Barbour County index. [volume] (Medicine Lodge, Kan.) 1880-current, 1890-01-29
LOOKING FOR JORLETTE.
A Detective Tells a Pretty Good
Story on Himself

Jorlette will be on board the half past
seven O'Clock mail train. Follow him to
Liverpool WIN meet you there. Look
sharp. CArHCARr
This was the wording of the telegram
received one wet, ugly night last De-
cember. was sitting in my little snug
gerry back Of my Office before q blazing
CRATE with my feet in slippers and my
body in a warm dressing-gown. 1 had
mug of hot punch and q cold mince
pie on the table before me, along with
an uncut novel and genuine Havana,
with which 1 intended to regale myself
presently. And although had very
strong anxiety to secure Jorlette, it
must be confessed that was altogether
too comfortably situated to relish going
out into the cold that dismally dirty
night
This telegram was from my chief,
who, might as well say, was a detect
i've, and 1 had followed that thankless
and precarious business for several
years. People considered me very sue
cessful in working up difficult cases, but
l was never quite satisfied with myself
This same Jorlette had given us a
great deal of trouble. We had never
had so keenly cunning spirit to cope
with. Strategy was matched with STRAIT
egg, diplomacy with diplomacy, and
scores of times, when we were sure of
him, he had slipped from under our fin
gers like a flea and left us wondering
how he managed it.
Perhaps it would be well to explain
that Pierre Jorlette was a murderer,
Il
$4,000 by the crown. A Frenchman and
nobleman by birth, gentleman by edu-
cation, he had when very young married
beautiful English girl, with whom he
passed two years of unalloyed happi-
ness. At the end of that time some
fearful shadow came between them
none knew Of what nature-and the in
human husband stabbed his wife to the
heart Her confidential maid witnessed
the deed and attempted to save the life of
her mistress, but Jorlette fell upon her
with savage ferocity and left the two
corpses lying side by side.
These are the facts as briefly as I can
state them to you. OF course, there are
many minor circumstances not worth
recording, as they have little bearing
upon the short story am writing.
1t seemed from this telegram that
Jorlette was to be on the 1880 train. 1
wondered how Cathcart had got his in
formations; but he had armies of spies
constantly working for him, and prob
ably some of them had made the dis
covery.
had only to follow instructions.
For the hundredth time / took Jor-
lette's photograph from my pocket
book and examined the features of the
murderer. 1t was . singularly hand
some face that saw-clearly cut with
large halle eyes shaded by long, dark
lashes, mouth delicate and sensitive
as woman's, a high, rather narrow
forehead, half hidden in clustering
curls of auburn hair, a form rather
spare, yet well knit, and a hand SYM
metrical and rounded as a womans.
The picture would have answered
splendidly for that of a sentimental,
concentrating poet-but for murderer
it was a dead failure. Nevertheless
somewhere in the past, before crime had
seathed him, Jorlette had set for it.
changed my slippers for boots and
Z.
stuffed valise with brown paper and
blacking-brushes, that might appear a
respectable traveller, and looking at my
watch, found 1 had just time to reach
the station.
The train stopped ten minutes for re-
freshments, and taking the guard, who
was an old friend of mine, sufficiently
into my confidence, was given an OPP
portunitY of looking through the car
riages previous to the starting of the
train.
1t was full train, but, singularly
snoQgh, there was not a red-headed
man on board Of it Jorlette was red
headed, and aside from that oircum-
stance he had face which / fattered
myself could not readily mistake,
AS l stood irresolute and feeling very
much as II had been fooled, there came
toward me from the dining room an in
dividual, tall and spare, with slouched
hat, white cravat, huge piece of game
pie in his hand-and this person had red
hairl And dark eyes!
i watched him closely. There was n
certain begged, skulking look about
him; he would not meet my eyes, and
he walked OF to the extreme end of the
platform by himself and remained there
munching his pie until the last bell rang,
and then he hurried on board with the
air of one who felt that great deal de-
peRded on his getting . seat.
was convinced that he was my man,
though he was not altogether like the
photograph. Still, faces and photo
graphs differ great deal, since to the
picture there is little expression or no
expression; and do not the character