The Dupuyer acantha. [volume] (Dupuyer, Mont.) 1894-1904, 1896-02-06
Transported

of existence and whose ambition is
limited to maintaining themselves IN
the position which brings them in
their daily bread.
He occupied a modest apartment in
the Rue Nollet, Batingnolles, which
was kept in order by Marianne, Il
worthy girl, who from long service a
become as methodical in her ways as
her master. She knew exactly at
what hour the latter would return
from the theater, and his supper was
always ready to the minute.
One night, however, his customary
chop was missing. So was Marianne.
The next day passed, and the next,
and still Marianne failed to put in an
appearance. What had become of her!
He could not even conjecture. HIS
yexation gave place to u~neasiness,
and his uneasiness to alarm.
On the second day he resolved to
question the concierge. The aniable
Cerebus gruffiy replied that he was
not her keeper, that he had not seen
the girl, and, for that matter, did not
want to.
Jean Rhode was by degrees getting
accustomed to the disagreeable neces-
sity of having to take his meals in a
restaurant, when IN incident occurred
hat furnished q fresh subject of dis
cussion to the gossips Of the street,
who were beginning to forget all
about Marianne's mysterious dlsap-
%pearance.
One morning the concierge e the
following paragraph in n OF the
daily papers:
1.-THE body of a fair-haired and some
what stout young woman. evidently a
servant, was taken out of the Seine at
Courbevoie yesterday. 1t was artlred
in a servants white friiled cap, black
bodice. pink fichu, green skirt and
thick. laced shoes. In the pocket a
purse containing = francs 40 centimes
was found. There being nothing by
which the body could be identified, it
was sent to the morgue."
Seized with a dark presentiment. the
concierge clambered onto an omnibus
and went to the morgue. There upon
one of the slabs he recognized, or
thought he recognized, the servant OF
Jean Rhode. Although the features
were decomposed by the long SoJourn
Of the body in the water, the concierge,
with the perspicacity habituai in those
who exercise his profession, had no
uoUpl dpoul tht a
which he had long entertained was
thus suddenly contirmed-Rhodie had
| murdered his servant. The thing was
| now to get the murderer to confess.
Before setting the formidable ma
chinery of justice in motion the con-
cierge ~brusquely stopped his ledger as
the latter entered the house and thrust
the paragraph under his nose. The eff
feet expected was obtained-the VIC
| linist incontinentally collapsed with a
smothered groan.
The next day Rhode was taken be-
fore the examining magistrate, when
an indictment frequent enough in
criminal procedure occurred. The ac-
cused was so troubled that he did
nothing but contradict himself, and
was utterly unable to account for his
time on the day of the girls disappear
anCe.
Two months later he was brought up
for trial before the assize court. There
was no material proof, but the circum-
~stantial evidence against him wa
overwhelming.
The attorney general insinuated that
the callous Notwithstanding the ac-
cused-could have but one raa. on for
wishing to get rid of the young ser
want who had lived with him for a
certain number of years. He was he
doubt intimate with the girl, said the
man of law, and went on to eXpatiate
at length to the jury upon the probable
consequences of the said intimacy,
amply sufficient in itself, for that mat
ter. to account for the crime.
This argument produced a profound
impression upon the minds of the
twelve good men and true of the jury
who had been previously greatly
moved at the sight of the clothing OF
the victim, spread out on the table OF
the court as pieces of conviction.
The president of the who was
somewhat of a novice, %f1oundered
through the Interrogation, mystifying
with himself the prisoner to such an
extent that the latter began to ask
himself at last whether he was moi
really guilty of the crime with which
he was charged. A little more and
he would have confessed it.
The counsel for the defense was lit,
tie better than the court. He did more
harm than good 10 his client. The con
sequence was that, although Il long
string of witnesses testified nd nau,
seam to the qualities of heart apd
mind of the prisoner, the jury. presid-
ed over by a pork butcher, brought in
a verdict of guilty upon the chief
count of the Indictment. As regards
the questions of circumstances. extern
uating or otherwise. etc. they were 50
muddled that they ended by finding
the prisoner at once guilty and not
guilty.
The president naturally requested
| tho i11nr ~ Y.nttu. md
verdict more compatible with common
sense. and when the jury. vexed and
terrified at the same time. returned
into cou they replied in the affirma-
tive TO all the questions put to them
and remained mute as regarded at
%tenuating circumstances.
The president of the court. rather
surprised at this u~nIooked-fGr success
for, as everybody knows. the carry
ing OF a death sentence against Il pris-
oner Ices more for a judge than al
the recommendations in the world
condemned Jean Rhodie to death.
IN prisoner sank back in the arms
of the gendarmes. and was carried out
OF court, While the jury, Mortified at a
sentence which 'hey had never expect.
ed, took coUnse with tho prisoners
advocate, Immediately signed an ap
peal for mercy and returned home Will
the blissful satisfaction born of the
consciousness that they had done theil
duty.
The president of the republic, on the
strength OF tle appeal from the jury
nlmut tie s%entance to penal ser
vltude for life. and Rhode was con
veyed to the lie de Re pending thu
/ nJa nj tt,.n ~ tl, sn,& III.
New Caledonia. AT first he was dazed
but he gradually recoy cred his Sapcae