The copper country evening news., 1898-02-17
CHAPTER VI.

The attorney for the republic called
in the examining magistrate. Nothing
more was TO be done. The magistrate
had studied the position of the corpse,
examined the wound, and now, having
told NJ Ginory his impressions, he did
not hide from him his belief that the
crime had been committed by profess
sional, as the stroke of the knife across
the throat had been given neatly, scien-
tifically according to all the establish
ed rules
Zone might we'll take it for the work
of professional butcher. +"
eyes, without doubt, M. Ginory, but
one does not know. Brute force-a
strong blow-can produce exactly what
science can."
More agitated than he wished to ap-
pear by the strange conversation be-
tween the agent of Surete and himself,
the examining magistrate stood at the
foot of the corpse and gazed, with fix
ity almost fierce, not at the gaping
wound of which M. Jacquelin des Au-
brays had spoken to him, but at those
eyes, those fixed eyes, those eyes which
no opacity had yet invaded, which,
open, frightful, seemingly burning with
anger, menacing, full of accusations of
some sort and animated with vengeance,
gave him look, immovable, most pow
erful
1t is true; it was true They lived (;
those eyes spoke They cried to him for
justice. They retained the expression
of some atrocious vision, the expression
of violent rage. They menaced some
one. Whom? If the picture of some one
was craven there, was it not the last
image reflected on the little mirror of
the retina? What if face was reflected
there? What if it was still retained in
the depths of those wide open eyes?
That strange creature, Bernardet, half
crazy, enthused with new ideas, with
the mysteries which traverse chimerical
brains, troubled him, Ginory, man of
statistics and of facts.
But truly those dead eyes seemed to
appeal, to speak, TO designate some one.
What more eloquent, what more terrible
witness, could there be than the dead
man himself, if it was possible for his
eyes to speak? If that organ life should
contain, shut up within it, preserved,
the secret of death Bernardet, whose
eyes never left the magistrates g face
ought to have been content, for it plain
ly expressed doubt, hesitation, and the
police officer heard him cursing under
his breath.
"Folly, stupidity Bah, we shall
see!
Bernardet was filled with hope. M.
Ginory, the examining magistrate, was,
moreover, convinced that for the pres
ent and the sooner the better, the corpse
should be sent to the morgue. There
only could a thorough and scientific ex-
animation be made. The reporter lis
tened intently to the conversation, and
Nine. Moniche clasped her hands, more
and more agonized by that word
morgue, which among the people pro-
duces the same terror that that other
word-which means, however, careful
attendance, scientific treatment and
safety-hospital, does.
/ Nothing was now to be done except
to question some of the neighbors and
to take sketch of the salon. Bernar-
det said to the magistrate, my photo
graph will give you that" While some
one went out to get a hearse the magis-
trates went away. The police officer
placed a guard in front of the house.
The crowd was constantly increasing
and becoming more and more curious,
violently excited and eager to see the
spectacle-the murdered man borne
from his home.
Bernardet did not allow M. Ginory
to go away without asking respectfully
if he would be allowed to photograph
the dead mans eye. Without giving
him formal answer M. Ginory simply
told him to be present at the autopsy at
the morgue. Evidently if the magis.
trate had not been already full of doubt
his reply would have been different.
Why did that inferior officer have the
audacity TO give his opinion on the sub.
ject of conducting judicial investiga
ton? M. Ginory would long before thi,
have sent him about his business if he
had not become suddenly interested in
come to know Bernardet's history anc
his exploits in the service. No more ca
pable man in his line could be found
He was perfectly and utterly devoted t.
his profession. Some strange tales were
told Of his methods. 1t was he who once
passed an entire night ON bench, pre-
tending intoxication, in order to gain
sufficient information to enable him t
arrest a murderer in the morning in
wretched hovel at La Vilette-a mur
derer armed to the teeth. 1t was Ber
nardet who, without arms-as all thos
, agents-caught the famous bandit, TN
, noted Taureau de la Glaciere, a foreig
Hercules who had strangled his mis-
tress Bernardet arrested him by hold
ing to his temple the cold neck Of q bot
. tle and saying. Hands UP or fireI'