Democratic Northwest. [volume] (Napoleon, Ohio) 1869-1894, 1893-08-24
TALE OF CRIME.

M. Theodore, chef de surete, sat in his
cabinet deeply perplexed, his two ell
bows on his desk, his head on his hands.
He was musing.
Sand was it going to last, this, which
had been going on for so long awhilei
And these sssassins, were they going to
end by beating him? We're 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
ber, 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 fed, every man
Of them. They had disappeared, van
ished-piff, like puff of air. Celebrity,
dispatch, their motto. and to go without
leaving an address behind them! Frank
ly, it had begun to pass the bounds Of
all reason.
Sand 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.
Tt was his secretary who. presented
himself, bearing card in his fingers.
"A gentleman, monsieur, who insists
upon seeing you. He Declares" and the
secretary smiled 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
NJ. Theodore cast his eye upon the card
before him.
Frederick Bouscal, he read in a half
voice. "Bouscal, Bouscal. It seems to
me that ] know that name-that I've
heard it somewhere"
He scrawled 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 a man simply but neatly cloth
ed, and with frank and honest counte-
nance, though yelled as by cloud with
sadness.
"You have particulars to give me, have
you notT questioned the chef de surete.
Particulars of the crime of yesterday
II hope so, monsieur" simply respond
ed the visitor.
"Ah, hope sol You are not sure, then2"
ut rests with you, M. le Chef, whether
I am or not. AL 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. 10
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
ascreen 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