The Helena independent. [volume] (Helena, Mont.) 1875-1943, 1891-01-09
Active Part Played by the Button in
Lies Tragedies and
Comedies.
BURGLARS and Murderers Brought
TO Punishment by It's
Revelations.
nv Merest Chance = Button Avenges the
Death Of Poor Lorctte-Inn0-
cencc Involved.

does Ln0 JnBlRulHchnt Duttou pIhy ~ hn
portant role. The thread OF human life
has boon severed time and again when this
perverted, inanimate thing broke from its
moorings and rolled away to fall into the
hands Of the police.
There ID now Q young man in Alazas who
did not enjoy the Christmas season. He
WAS undone by a button; that Is. the button
was undone that was the cause Of his I'M
doing.
A few days ago a bazaar was broken into
at night. The thief, or thieves, who evil
IDENTIFY knew the plan Of the shop perfectly,
left no traces behind; that is, the police who
first arrived on the scene could find none.
1t looked very much as II the crime would
always remain undiscovered.
A detective examined the premises thor
oughly. He was old in the business. He
sifted all the dirt OH the floor, studied the
scratches on the wall, pored over the burnt
scraps Of paper in the CRATE. The reward
Of his researches was b%utton--an ordinary,
homely little black button that did not look
as II IL could harm anybody. 1t was enough,
however, for the vigilant disciple of M.
Goron. On the back Of the button was
stamped aux Phares de la Bastille."
That was the name OF the famous bazaar
where cheap clothing was sold, much fire.
quented by ~workingmen and pretty en-
ployes.
Our detective had a list of the names OF
all the employees, past and present. OF the
store that had been robbed. He visited the
bazaar and found that a suit OF clothes had
been sold to a young man who was on the
eliminating list. There was q suit like
the one he had bought on exhibition in the
window. The detective compared his but
ton with those on the coat; they were ident-
ical. He had the young mans name and
address. He found him; he also found that
n button was missing from his jacket. u
came to restore you your missing button"
said the detective, politely.
The bracelets clicked on his wrists. The
carriage rolled away to Mazas. The little
button, the little accursed button, had be-
trayed him!
But there are buttons and buttons. II is
not always the vulgar little button of the
workingman and the cheap clerk that plays
The gold button, the diamond button of the
rich has been guilty of jeopardizing many Il
proud neck, of sending its wearer into q
forced seclusion where the government pays
all the board bills.
During the past ten years some forty odd
demi-mondaines have been assassinated
after the manner of Prado and Pranzini.
Seventeen of these crimes have never been
punished. The murderers are now probably
in America or Canada running saloons or
working for the government. There came
near being an eighteenth, but he was caught
One day all Paris WAS startled by the
murder Of a young girl in the neighborhood
of Notre Dame de Lorette. The police
worked hard TO find out who did the deed.
They spent many weeks in searching; they
arrested many people. and they gained
button in the dead girls room. That was
all.
A detective who had been prominent IN
the search was one night detailed to attend
in evening dress q reception at n very swell
house. He was to look after the diamonds
and zee that the gentlemen guests did not
walk off with each others mufflers and
gloves by mistake. He idled here and
there, scrutinizing the people. s%hadowing
the hostess. who was Respondent with the
family gems that night, moving here and
there in IN unconcerned way, but keeping
his eyeB open.
He was about to enter the conservatory,
when he suddenly came upon a couple
standing under tho colofed lights that
crowned IN artificial palm tree. He was
passing on after a hasty glance when the
CLEAN of something on the lace above the
lady's corsage attracted his attention.
He went behind the tree and drew as
near rs he could to the lady. The full
light of the lamps fell upon her bosom; on
a gold button that held the fragile lace in
its place.
He hardly knew himself for n minute.
Then he remembered that this button
cleaning before him was the exact dupli-
cate of the one there had been found in the
room of the poor little dead Lorette. A
button that conld not be matched in any of
the jewelry stores in Paris. The strange
similarity in the Jewels set the detective
thinking and it also set him working when
the young woman went home that night
after the ball with the same young man she
had spoken with so long in the conservato.
ny: a shadow followed them. 1t was the
detective.
He found out her name, her antecedents
aud those of her companion. He learned
that they were in love with each other. that
they were to be married in a few weeks
But sentiment did not prevent him from
doing his duty. In a few days he had pieced
together the whole story. The young man
had led a gay life. he had become entangled
with the girl who had been murdered. He
WAS the possessor OF n pair of Etrusoan cuff
buttons of curious design. They had been
admired by his fiancee. He offered to gel
a pair made for her just like them. Thi.
was done. The lady on the night of the
reception had used one to button together
the mysterious garment OF lace which most
women are addicted to wearing.
The detective learned that the young
man had wished to rid himself of his yul.
gar liaison in order to make the rich mar
riaee, and finding that threats and prom
Uses did not satisfy the girl he had MUIR
dered her. So what was to have ended with
orange blossoms and a fathers blessing
ended for one in transportation to New
Caledonia for life. And the button, the
deadly button, was the cause of ii all!
Rnt the button has been known in crime
to jeopardize the happiness of innocent
persons. There il no limitation to the
dastardly work performed by the buttor
demon.
young man of wealth and fashion whe
lived in elegant apartments by the Champ,
Elysees awoke one night to hear strange
footsteps in his room. He was not without
courage. He rose softly and. grasping 1
fencing foil from the wall, bravely attacked
the intruder. not knowing in the darh
whether he was confronting one or half q
dozen. They fought over the table and tht
chairs, slashing everything but themselves
and tLen the young man found that he wa
alone-thRt his antagonist had disappeared
SO had his gold repeater IN several (
elegant triies from the nentelplece.
When daylight CAME the young mai
hunted about tho disordered room 70
some clew to | Q midnight visitor. II
found a button. d, cuff button, smeared wit
blood. There WAS a monogram on il
&c. II. A."
He was something of an amateur detec
tive himself. SO he resolved to hunt dow
alone the burglar without the aid of tn
police. The task was easy, but it took tim
and required patience. He had to visi
..Av1.v n AhA tnv-a1rv h~. tr IDaesa IL