Fairhaven herald. [volume] (Fairhaven, Wash.) 1890-????, 1893-04-12
THE TWISTED RING.

over the papers; il lay in little crimson
pools upon the blotting pad and the carpet;
In the last desperate struggle it had spurted
from his gaping wounds against the win
dow curtains and walls; the very atmos-
phere Of the chamber seemed imbued with
IL. A horrible murder had been committed.
Paul Pelaufski, chief of the secret police
at st. Petersburg, had paid the penalty Of
his outspoken hostility to nihilism.
Ny name is Alfred Cassagne am 80
years Of age, and am detective.
The following telegram TO the depart
ment OF secret police in Paris had resulted
in my taking the next train to the Russian
capital:
Pelaufski fatally stabbed early morning nj
hilists Send best man at once. Must be stran-
ger 70 Russia. Ours too well known. Expense
no object. GURLoFF.
Four days later fashionable St. Peters
burg was apprised OF the arrival in the cap
ital OF a young French gentleman, rich
and. rumor had it, titled-though travelling
under the nom de voyage Of NJ. Anton Ric-
card. He was accompanied by single
man servant "a middle aged person of grave
department. Pierre Chauffaud was one of
the most courageous seconds in the employ
of the Partisan secret police On two occa-
dons he had been known to risk his life to
save that of his principal. had chosen
him TO accompany me.
On making myself known at police head
quarters i was at once taken to the scene
Of the tragedy Nothing had been dis
turbed. | found it as described in the open
ing paragraph Of this story
The police were entirely at sea in regard
to the identity Of the murderer Gurloff
placed the case in my hands, and at once
proceeded TO make an examination Of the
material before me.
The assassin had evidently gained adj
mittance to the chiefs apartment during
the day, had remained concealed until
nightfall, when escape was comparatively
easy, and had then sprung upon his victim
from behind. Pelaufski had turned TO
confront his murderer, but not quickly
enough to avoid the knife, the first blow
from which had struck him in the left
breast, the second one lower down, square
ly about the region Of the heart The muir
derer had then caught him by the throat
to prevent his crying out and held him
while he slowly bled to death
Diigent inquiry ELECTED the fact that a
woman had been the last visitor 20 the
dead chief-a woman high in society, the
Baroness Woronsko. Suspicion, however,
In no way attached to her-in fact, she was
one Of the most trusted spies in the employ
Of the government
However, Immediately set Pierre
Chauffaud to shadow her movements My
impression that she would bear watching
was confirmed when | received his report.
The Baroness Woronsko, while in the EN-
ploy Of the government, was in reality
nihilist of the worst description.
h.
70 this. Assuming her to be an accessory
TO the murder of Pelaufski, who was the
actual assassin IL was absurd to sup
pose that frail, slight woman like the
Baroness Woronsko could overcome
strong courageous man like Paul Pelauf-
ski.
had one clew. clew No slight that it
had been overlooked by the Russian police,
but one which no really first class detective
would have passed unnoticed. On the dead
mans throat were the black marks Of the
fingers which had strangled him. The
thumb of the right hand had been pressed
violently into the skin Of the neck so as TO
produce deep abrasion.
at once took careful cast Of this thumb
mark with the finest wax. thus reproduc-
ing every line exactly.
| know that the impressions of no two
thumbs in the world are alike. II is the
prison mark in China, remember, and
there serves the same purpose as the
rogues' gallery in America TO identify
criminal.
One other clew I had TO guide me. A
plain twisted ring, worn by the murderer,
had left its mark distinctly on the flesh.
caused the impression OF the hand, ring and
all to be photographed.
Furnished only with these slight clews
now set out 70 find the murderer Of Paul
Pelaufski. Instinct told me, suppose, 20
look for him in the best society Of the capt
tai My Partisan letters Of introduction
easily opened to me the best houses. In
particular / sought the society Of the bar
oness / soon discovered that she was an
abandoned intriguante During her hus-
bands absence on his country estates she
unscrupulously amused herself with lover,
one Rudolph Pfesh, "A Hungarian Of hand
some appearance and very finely educated.
/ soon discovered this man to be redhot
nihilist. The baroness for the time was
absolutely infatuated with him.
During all this time you may suppose that
i kept a sharp lookout for the twisted ring.
1 did nothing Of the kind. Amid the mass
of jewelry nightly displayed in the drawing
VI ~ ItbtiSDuIk ihikhb a. Wtu
have searched for needle in a bundle of
hay. No, l only hoped TO use that as con
hrmatory evidence when I had found my
man.
And was fast finding him. Already had
gained the confidence Of the nihilists. Dur
ing the third month Rudolph Pfesh con
flded TO me the outline Of plot to assas
dnate the car
Bombs were TO cut no figure In this
last attempt A peculiarly and singularly
reacherous method was TO be employed.
People would never perhaps know how the
emperor met his death. But who was to
infict III
The circle 10 which now belonged, so
Pfesh told me, had drawn lots TO decide
this, and the, choice had fallen on me. l
was to become the assassin. But the de-
tails would not be confded 70 me until the
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