Weekly independent. [volume] (Elko, Nev.) 1887-1914, 1897-10-17
POLICE CHIEF A MONSTER.
Committed Many Murders mud Gov
cred lin All the TrnccA


Many Murders nnd Cow
cred Up All the Traces.
For many years Alexander Courteois,
assistant chief Of police of the city OF
Brussels, was regarded us one of the
foremost police officials of Europe. He
was the terror of the rogues of the en-
tire continent and had done more than
any other man to rid the Belgian capital
OF the criminal element.
Whatever may lave been his merit In
this direction, it is now proven beyond
peradvcnture that he did so only tn
keep the field free for. himself and his
associates in crime. These crimes en-
braced everything from small tbefts
and burglaries TO counterfeiting and
murder.
1t may never be known how great
ana varied this mans dnstardly record
was unless he sees fit to make n con-
fession before execution. So far there
seems little prospect hat he will DO
this, as the approach of his own death
is making as little Impression on him as
the murders he has committed.
Courteous is n man of great physical
power; in fact, the band OF cviIdoers OF
which he was the ruling spirit NUM-
bered several giants. An iron safe cf
enormous weight which baGled their In
gcnuity was carried off bodily to Their
headquarters and there demolished nj
leisure. Nearly all their murders were
committed by strangulation. The cr:r.r
Tor which Courteous Is condemned 10
death is the murder of Baroness Herr:
Van Scherfenberg at ~Ixe!les, q suburb
OF BRUSSELS, just II year ago last Ac!i..
The woman was found s%trangled in bed
II morning. The house had hecn
robbed Of jewels and bonds valued a,
$1,000. Tor n time not the slightcc.
c!ew was obtained us to the iCer-
iity of the murderer or MURDER
ers. When official watchfuincss had
somewhat relaxed n money broke.
or Brussels was offered one G:
the stolen bonds. The owner Of the
papers gave the name of Lcfebv-e md
said that he was an officer os the Bel.
E!an artillery. lie was ELEGANTLY at.
tired and perfectly at ease. TIC broker
bought the obligations and. Il :?w Iavs
aftcTward discovered tina: their nur Der
conceded with those Of the +0-~r binds
for which baroness Van Sahc: Gcnbcr.
had been murdered. He notified the
police and gave them an accurate de-
scription of the officer who had sold
them 10 him.
Shortly before the sale Courteois had
been pensioned because he had changed
the report of n subordinate police OIL
cia! for the purpose of making n case
against n criminal stronger than i;
had been. The latter must evidently
have been aware Of some of The dark
deeds of the chief of police, for not
long after the p~cnsioning OF Courteous
tire police department wa flooded with
anonymous communications. in which
he was accused of n long list of crimes.
1t was Mt first thought that these nc
cusaiions were inspired by enemies OF
former official and no ntteDtion was
paid to them. Only one police official be-
came suspicious. Withoutthe knowledge
OF his colleagues he visited the money
broker who had reported the turning
up of the six stolen bonds. He showed
him n number Of photographs of uni
formed police officials and asked him il
he would recognize among them the
face OF the artillery officer who sold
the bonds. The broker without hesita-
ton picked out Courteous portrait. He
WINS at once arrested, found guilty md
condemned to death.
among the crimes which are laid nj
The door OF Courteous and his band Is
the famous theft of Jewels from the
countess Of Flanders. It occurred dur
Ing one OF the royal balls and startled
the police circles of the continent.
At that time Courteous was still in
active service. He was married to n
maid Of the countess and had the hest
opportunity imaginable TO select n ia
vorable time FOR the commission Of the
crime. Strange to say, nc was nccuscd
OF the robbery, but 81 fully had lie
wiped out all traces of his complicity
that he was acquitted at the trial and
sued his accusers for defamation Of
charnctcr.-St. Louis Republic.