Los Cerrillos rustler. (Cerrillos, N.M.) 188?-1891, 1891-07-10

the twelfth. a. We have learned by -.
aiming the hotel womans register for
that year. You left the hotel on the
morning II the thirteenth. and after
wards disappeared Where did you
CO.
I stayed la Paris = eseek and then
went 10 London. where ] have since
lived
well how about that pin? Have
you remembered how you got az"
Il have been cudgclling my brain all
night ON the subject but ! cannot re-
member"
1t il unfortunate he said "ln
fact a number Of unfortunate circum-
stances arr against you by the way.
what has become of Pierre BastideF'
he asked. abruptly.
pierre Bastide2 Inever heard that
name before.
Yes. Bastide. The man who was IN
the hotel the same night that You were.
and who is suspected TO be your aeeaia-
plice"
do you really think. Monsieur L.
Judge" I said. ''that II / had murdered
this count Ia rob him I would carry
about ON my person in prominence evil
dcnce against myself? ! know moth
ing about this murder. never heard
Of it
.Nour statement will be tested
Meanwhile let me put before you the
position in which you stand ] must
warn you that IL is n very serious one.
On the 10th of September. 1851.
Count Louis de K~ergaradcc, AN ecccn-
trio old gentleman. arrived at the Run.
ming Stag hotel. His valkse, besides a
change Of linen, contained n quantity
of bank notes and a few of the anti
! quarian treasures Of the count lie
was a great collector Of curios Of all
sorts.
''On the nth a a passing by the
name OF Pierre Bastide, and describing
himself rs a cafe waiter, came TO the
hotel and took the room at the top Of
the house. TN the l2th you came. and
after inspecting several rooms insisted
ON having the n adjoining the one in
the occupation OF the count You re-
fused supper and went TO bed at n re-
markably early hour.
The next day you left the hotel hur-
riedly ut five in the morning, while It
was yet dark. At eight o'clock Bas-
tide came down Ia breakfast, ate quiet
". paid his bill and went away with
his knapsack ON his back. At eleven
O'Clock the woman of the house went
To wake the count, but was unable TO
do so. The woman, seriously alarmed.
had the door broken open, and found
the old gentleman dead in his bed,
with his right temple fractured. All
the valuables contained in his valise
had disappeared Suspicion immediate
~ attached itself to Bastide and To you.
You were both searched for by the po-
lice, but In vain, when by the mcrest
hazard the other morning the brother
of the victim recognized the counts pin
in your ctavat You will admit that
there is NJ least reasonable ground for
suspicion. by the way, how did YOU
get the money to pay your bill ut the
hotel and get your ticket to London"
Il pawned n gold watch which had
belonged 10 my father. The pawn
broker lent me one hundred and sixty
francs on IL. My bill at the hotel was
eighty francs, and my ticket cost about
thirty-ive."
AT what date did you pawn this
watch"
at wal about u week after | left
Senlis. On the twentieth or twenty
first of September"
| was not brought up before the mag
istrate again until after several days.
In the meanwhile mischiefha been at
work. The English and American
newspaper correspondents had got
hold of the story of my arrest, and of
the odious crime of which | had been
accused. The most sensational reports
had been printed, and, as ! afterward
learned, my portrait had been given by
several journals in London and New
York. Some imaginative specials
went so far ns to state that | had SON
fessed and attempted suicide.
On my third visit the magistrate re-
ceived me with greater courtesy than
before, He said:
II have examined your statement
and find you have spoken the truth.
The official record of the pawnbroker
makes mention of you having pawned
your watch. The hotelkeeper remem-
beers you; and, finally n Of my agents
has succeeded in discovering the book
seller who sold you the Memoirs of
Able de Croisy.' The only circum-
stance now against you is that of the
possession Of the pin"
'And that, ! an sorry to say, | can
not explain TO you"
ION the other hand" continued the
magistrate, ~benevolently, our inquir-
les in London have produced salts
factory results, as far as your character
is concerned. II only you could ex-
plain that one obscure point ! could