Santa Fe daily New Mexican. [volume] (Santa Fe, N.M.) 1885-1897, 1893-08-18
TALE OF CRIME.

M. Theodore, chef de surete, sat in his
cabinet deeply perple1ed, his two ell
bows on his desk, his head on his hands.
He was musing.
"And was it going to last, this, which
had been going on for so long awhile?
And these assassins, were they going to
end by beating him? Were they going
to compel him by adverse public opin-
ion to send in his resignation?
"Parbleu! 1t looked so, and as if they
did it on purpose, passing the word from
one to another to force him to get out of
their way. Eight assassinations, one
after another! Grimes of the worst cali
Der, with startling details, which peopled
alike with horrifying visions the sleep
of the bureaucrat and the concierge.
And not an assassin, for all their skillful
work, had they been able to lay their
hands upon. They had fled, every man
of them. They had disappeared, van
ished-piff, like puff of air. Celebrity,
dispatch, their motto, and to 60 without
leaving an address behind them! Frank
ly, it had begun to pass the bounds of
all reason.
"And now to top off these eight other
crimes there was still another, ninth
one-a murder like the others, accom-.
plished the evening before under similar
conditions"
The chef de surete pulled himself to-
gether, threw back his head like war
horse shifting battle, and-the door
opened.
1t was his secretary who presented
himself, bearing a card in his fingers.
ga gentleman, monsieur, who insists
upon seeing you. He Declares" and the
secretary smiled a little at the absurdity
Of the idea-"he declares himself in a
position to furnish you with definite par
ticulars regarding the crime of yester-
day."
"Ah, the crime of yesterday" The
chief turned quickly. "Then bid him
enter" said he. and while the secretary
regained the anteroom to do his bidding
M. Theodore cast his eye upon the card
before him.
"Frederick Bouscal, " he read in half
voice. "Bouscal, Bouscal. 1t seems to
me that I know that name-that I've
heard it somewhere"
He scrawled q line upon scrap of pa
per and handed it to the secretary, who
returned it, at the moment ushering in
the visitor who had asked to see him,
dismissed him with a word and was
ready for the matter in hand.
NJ. Theodore raised his eyes. Before
him was man simply but neatly cloth
ed, and with frank and honest counte-
nance, though yelled as by a cloud with
sadness
"You have particulars to give me, have
you not?" questioned the chef de surete.
particulars of the crime of yesterday"
~ hope so, monsieur" simply respond
ed the visitor.
"Ah, hope SO! You are not sure, then?''
"It rests with you, M. lie Chef, whether
am or not. All depends, in fact, upon
an operation, the means of which you
alone are able to furnish me-"
Explain, if you please"
"Certainly, and at once, though doubt
less you have heard it spoken of, M. le
Chef-a certain scientific procedure
which permits, under certain conditions
better even than description can do it, a
reproduction of the portrait of an assas-
sin. Briefly, behold my meaning You
know, of COURSE" he continued, "that
in the phenomenon called vision the OBJ
ject which we see throws, or forms, upon
a screen in the eyeball itself-in plain
words, upon the retina of the eye-an
image which remains there until dis
played by another. 1t has been proved
also that this image continues even after
DEATH"
The door Of the cabinet opened anew,
and the secretary of M. Theodore re-en-
tered, holding in his hand roll of pa
pers, which he laid before his chief, then
turned and was gone again as quickly as
he had come. M. Theodore lifted it up
and ran his eye over the contents.
"You are named Frederick Bouscal,
are you not, monsieur" he demanded
presently, addressing his visitor.
eyes, M. lie Chef, Frederick Bous-
cal"-
"Your age?"
"Fifty-eight years, M. lie Chef"
"Hum-m-m" M. Theodore rapidly
twirled the sheets beside him. "Twenty-
seven wears - he mnrmnred as If think
ing aloud. $50 it was you then who
was imprisoned two years ago and con-
demned for contumacy and the theft Of
1000 florins?'
A sudden flush empurpled the coun-
tenance Of the visitor
"Np. monsieur" he responded, with an
effort. in dull voice. "No. it was not I
1T was-my sonl"
"An employee of the Credit Agricole,
vas lie not? And-you are ignorant of
what has become of him."
absolutely. It is 10 months that his
mother and have been without news Of
| him."
"Pardon me, monsieur" said the chef
de surete. II have reopened painful
wound, but listen to you-you were
saying"-
The man passed his hand across his
brow and eyes to clear his vision, then
resumed:
II was saying, NJ. le Chef, that In the
case which occupies us now the repro