The Madison journal. (Tallulah, Madison Parish, La.) 1888-current, 1891-07-11


And this book?"
AS certainly. That book belonged
Ia the count. ON the fy-lcaf is dcdl-
cation from the abbC To- Nine. de Fora
none. our anc 'stor in the time of Lonls
Nv. BESIDES. the Kcrgaradcc arms are
on the cover"
Quite satisfactory. These two ar
ticles were among the contents of the
valiSc stolen from the count. your
brother, N the hotel in ScnliS on the
night he was murdcrrd?
"They were"
"Wcll. then, all that have to ask OF |
Won now is To sign the paper on winch |
my clerk has written my questions and |
your answers
The marquis signed and departed !
with bow to the judge and wither-
ing glance ut ne.
Whats all this nonsense ! said,
when the door had closed on the old
gentleman.
Il am here to question said the
magistrate, mot you"
You might at least tell me of what
| am accused"
"Of the willful murder of Count Louis
de Kcrgaradcc in the hotel of the Run
ming Stag at ScnliS. on the night of
September II. 1881, and of the robbery
OF his valiSc, which contained. among
other valuablcA, the two articles found
in your possession
burst out laughing.
Nothing clse?" | said.
Not that know of. said the mag
iStrate. Il must ask You tn sign tins
paser after reading it. 1t IS our con-
vcrsation just now"
| signed, and as | wah leaving the
room the magistrate added in most
| pat"rnal tone:
"Yes, Just try and remember how
that amber pin came into your pos
! session. 1t will really be worth your
while to account for it.
That evening was transferred from
the depot to Mazas Jail. The first
question the magistrate asked me on
the following morning was:
What were Won doing at Senlis on
the night OF September II, 1851?
Il don't rccollect having been there
| at all in that year
Very good. 1t is we'll to he frank.
As a matter of fact, you stayed there on
the twelfth. as we have learned by cX-
aiming the hotel woman's register for
that year. You left the hotel on the
morning of the thirteenth, and after
wards disappeared. Where did You
go?"
Il stayed in Paris week and then
went to London, where ] have since
lived
well. how about that pin? Have
you remembered how you got it?'
Il have been cudgelling my brain all
night on the subject, but | cannot re-
member"
ut is unfortunate, he said. I'm
fact, number of unfortunate circum-
stances are against You by the way,
what has become of Pierre Bastidc?''
he asked, abruptly.
Pierre BaStidc? never 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 accom-
plicc."
"Do Won really think. Monsieur lie
judge" | said, that ii ! had murdered
this count To rob him | would carry
about on my person in prominence evil
dcnce against myself? | know moth
ing about this murder. | never heard
of it"
"Your statement will he tested.
Meanwhile let me put before you the
position in which you stand. | must
warn Won that it is a very serious one.
On the 10th of September, ISL,
Count Louis de Kcrgaradcc, an eccen-
tric old gentleman, arrived at the Run
ming Stag hotel. His valise, besides {
change of linen, contained quantity
of bank notes and a few of the anti
uuarian treasures of the count. liz
, was n great collector of curios of al
/ sorts.
: ION the nth man passing by th'
name of Pierre BaStidc, and describin!
: himself as a cafe waiter, came to tn
hotel and took the room at the top o
; the house. On the 18th you came, an,
after inspecting several rooms insisted
z on having the one adjoining the one il
a the occupation of the count You re
Y fused supper and went to bed at a re
5 markably early hour.
S "Thc next day you left the hotel hur
s ricdly at five in the morning, while
z was yet dark. At eight o'clock Bas
tide came down to breakfast, ate quiet
ly. paid his bill and went away wit
his knapsacl< on his back. At elevel
| Al
to wake the count, but was unable {
do SO. The woman. seriously alarmed
had the door broken open, and foun
\ the old gentleman dead in his bed
\ with his right temple fractured. Al
the valuabl contained in his wallis
had disappeared. Suspicion immediate
ly attached itself to BaStide and to you
You were both searched for by the pc
lice, but in vain, when by the meres
razard the other morning the brothe
of the victim recognized the counts pi
in your cravat. You will admit tina
there is at least reasonable ground fC
suspicion by the way, how did yo
get the money to pay your bill at tn
hotel and get your ticket to London?
Il pawned gold watch which ha
belonged to my father. The paw
broker lent me one hundred and siXt
francs on it. My hill at the hotel Wa
e eighty francs, and my ticket cost abor
thirty-fivc."
AT what date did you pawn tn
watch?''
1T was about a week after ! lc
Senlis. On the twentieth or twent.
:. first of September.
- was not brought up before the ma
istrate again until after several day
In the meanwhile mischief had been
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