The Penn's Grove record., 1895-08-23
THE TALE FAC CRIME.

I'LL TALE UE CKlME.
M. Theodore, chef de surete, sat IL
his cabinet deeply perplexed, his two
elbows on his desk, his head on hi:
hands. He was musing.
"And vas it going to last, this,
which had been going on for so long
while? And these assassins, were
they going TO end by beating him:
Where they going to compel him by
adverse public opinion to send In hi.
resignation?
"Parbleu, 1t looked so, and as il
they did it on purpose, passing the
word from one to another to forct
him to get out of their way. Eight
assassinations, n after another.
Crimes of the worst calibre, with
startling details, which peopled alike
with horrifying visions the sleep Of
the bureaucrat and the concierge.
And not an assassin, for all theiI
skillful work, had they been able to
lay their hands upon; they had fed,
every man of them; they had diSap.
peared, yanished-piif, like a puff oil
air. Celebrity, despatch, their motto,
and to 20 without leaving an address
behind them! Frankly, it had begun
to pass the bounds of all reas N.
'And now, TO top off these eighl
other crimes, there vas still another,
a ninth one--a murder like the
others, accomplished the evening be-
fore, under similar conditions, a
femme galante with her throat cut,
five thousand francs worth Of jewels
gone, and-not a trace of the assas'
SINS"
Despite his robust philosophy, that
had long been the admiration and
emulation of his century, NJ. Theo.
dore felG himself drifting into mel
anchOly and reflection, not unmiXed
with anger.
mine murders, n after thu
other; nine crimes without an authori
nonsense. impussible!" The chef dc
surete pulled himself together, threw
back his head like a war horse sniff
Eng battle, and-the door opened.
1t was his secretary who presented
himself, bearirg a card in his fingers.
"a gentleman, monsieur, who in
sists upon seeing you. He declares
and the secretary smiled a little al
the absurdity OF the idea, 'he de.
cIares himself in a position to furn'
fish you with definite particulars re
garding the crime Of yesterday"
"Ah, the crime OF yesterday" Tho
Chief turnei quickly. "Then BID
him enter" said he, and while thc
secretary regained the .ante-room tt
do his bidding, NJ. Theodore cast hi.
eye upon the card before him,
"FrederiCk I~ouscal," he read in
half voice. "Eouscal, Bouscal; II
seems to nue. that l know that NAME
that I've heard it somewhere"
He scrawled a line upon a scrap O.
paper, and handed it to the secre
tary, who returned at the moment
ushering Ia the visitor who haf
asked to SEE him, dismissed him witt
d word, aud vas ready for the mat
ter In hand.
NJ. Theodore raised his eyes. Be
fore him wa; a man simply bu'
neatly clothed, and with a frank ant
honest c~ountenance, though yelled
as by a cloud, with sadness. Tit
eyes were clear and open, the nous
tache and goatee grey and pointed
In short, there was something In hi
manner, something In his appear
ance Of a militalre in retreat.
..Vnn hu pn parfinnlara fn nfua MN
have you not, monsieur" questioned
the chef de surete; particulars,
believe, Of the crime of yesterday"
~ hope so, monsieur" simply re
eponded the visitor.
"Ah, hope so! You are not sure
them"
1T rests with you, NJ. lie Chef
whether / am sure OF not. All de
ponds, in fact, upon an operation
the means OF which you alone ar
able to furnish me-"
explain, If You please"
certainly. aad at once. though
eoubtless you have heard 1t otter
spoken of, NJ. lie Chef; a certain scien
tiac procedure which permits undeI
certain conditions, better even thai
description a do it, a reproduction
OF the portrait or the assassin. Briefly
behold my meaning. You know, o
course, " he continued, "that the pho
nomenon called vision the oh &c
which we see throws or forms upon
screen in the eyeball itself--in piaiI
words, upon the retlna of the eye
an Image which remains there unit
displaced LV another. 1t has beei
proved also that this image continue
sven after death. You recognize
therefore, that If a person murdered
has been struck from the front, ant
in a light sufficiently distinct for hin
to see, the last thing upon which hi
eyes would be fixed, would, in al
probability, be the face or form o
the murderer. Naturally, the imag,
of that face or figure would be thrown
upon the retina of the eye where, anC
this is what l came to saY--it Is no
only possible to refund it, but alSt
possible to reproduce it. All, we'll
monsieur, in the case which occupies
U.s."
The door of the cabinet opened
anew, and the secretary of NJ. Tdeo
dore re-entered, holding in bis hand
a foil Of Eapers. which. he laid before
his chief, then turned and was gone
again as quickly as he had come. M.
lifted it up and ran his eys
:apidly over the contents.
"You are named Frederick Dous'
cal, are you not monsieur" he de-
manded, presently addressing hi