The morning news. [volume] (Savannah, Ga.) 1887-1900, 1898-05-29

advantage, I have come TO ask you when
you last saw Marion Lethbridge
The Italian started back, and for a
moment was so overcome that he could
make no reply
IL don't know what you mean" re
stammered, as soon as he had recovered
himself.
".Oh, yes, you do. Marion Lethbridge
is the woman who was your mistress in
| Italy, your mistress il London, and she
is the woman you attempted to stab one
| night some years ago at her Aat in
! Bloomsbury.
| i" I deny that? he exclaimed, gradually
! recovering his composure. AS you seem
TO know all about It, 1 confess she was my
mistress, but We quarreled and parted
| long ago. From the day We parted L
| have never seen her
" oh, yes, you nave I said, making a
! chance shot; she came to Paris about,
| two years ago. and you met her then
| r." It is a lie
Come, what is the use Of denying%
| g I do deny il. | have not seen her since
we parted years ago"
Then you refuse me any informa tion?'
f." 1 have none to give
4 hesitated a moment and then I
! thought l would give my gentleman
! little rope, so ] pretended to accept The
| explanation, said 1 was very sorry TO have
| troubled him, but the woman was miss
! ing, and / have to try and find her, and
naturally [ had come to him. Then 1
| wished him good morning and left.
But put some confreres of mine on ct
| once to watch his movements
That afternoon one of them came to
| me and informed me that Ravoletu was
packing his things up and evidently meant
/ going away.
Il knew that he had an engagement for
/ the season at the opera, so | said to my
! self If he leaves Paris he is afraid. and
it is the question ! asked him this morning
that has frightened him. He knows some
| thing
Towards evening l had a further con-
versatIon with him. RaVoletu had just put
! his baggage on hacre and told the man
TO drive TO the Paris Lyons railway sta
ticn.
I jumped into a cab and drove there at
once, taking man with me
'.On the platform I found the Italian. Di-
rectly he saw me he went livid.
! % Come, my friend 1 said, you're fool
] ish 10 throw up a good engagement in Pa
ris so suddenly Where are you going?"
To Italy-my father is i'll
All, where's the letter-the telegram
with the news
| ! have destroyed it.
"'That was foolish, but come 1t is cold'
| On the platform here, and at the police
station there is nice fire. We will talk
there
LIDO you arrest me for leaving Paris?'
Ou, no bOtl arrest YOU at dAl. L
! invite you to come with me. Come
! "RaVoletti hesitated-then he made up
| his mind probably that it would look bad
| If he refused and threatening me with ell
manner Of pains and penalties he consent
! ed to accompany me.
BY my directions one of my men took
charge of his baggage.
' That will be all right I said, he will
put it in the cioal-room for you. You can
take later train
Il need not tell you that my assistant
Immediately took the luggage into the
clerks office and searched it.
AT the police station 1 invited the Sig
nor into my private room and again I
begged him to be frank with me and to tell
me when he saw his ancient mistress last
in Paris.
He stuck to his denial of any knowl-
edge of her.
"At that moment a fellow officer of mine
who had been trying, armed with the pho
tograph you sent to discover any trace of
the missing woman came in and gave me
a sign. Leaving Ravoletti under the care
of one of my men l went into another room
with my comrade. s.
He informed me that he had learnt
that among the photographs of bodies ex-
hibited al the morgue was one that exact
ly rescmbled the one in our possession He
had compared it, and made inquiries The
body was that of a woman who had been
found drowned in the Seine. in the autumn
of 1887. The body when found was strip
ped, but there was a wedding ring on the
finger and the scar of an old wound on the
right arm.
He had no doubt after comparing the
photographs that the body was that of the
missing woman.
Il went in to Ravoletu again and in
formed him that I should arrest him on
a charge of murder.
" You murdered your victim four years
into the Seine. Come, il is useless for you
to deny it, a
refused TO say another word.
when my assistant, who had searched
the baggage, came in he had nothing 10
report. There was nothing discriminating
in the Italians portmanteau.
During the next few days we made
every inquiry, but failed entirely TO lind
any proof that Ravoetu had ever been
seen in the English woman's company, and
the inquiries failed to trace her move
ments after kor arrival in Paris"
That was the story Mr.. Ex-Superlntend-
emf johnson told me, and I felt sure that
we had at last traced the fate of the miss
ing Marion Hexham.
Ravoietti was charged, but there was no
evidence on which to commit him, and he
was discharged The evidence of Marion
Hexham's death was, however, sufficiently
strong in the absence of her making any
sign in reply to our advertisements for
presumpnon of DEATH And HeXham' >
property was eventually given up by me
two-thirds to his relatives, and One-third
to some relatives of hers who came for
ward 10 claim her share.
Under what circumstances RaVoletti
! met his former mistress again was never
! ascertained, but johnson felt inclined to
think that he did meet her, and was the
author of her tragic end.
had done my best to solve tire mystery
which came to my knowledge through my
taking possession of dead mans papers.
(The EndO
No Rest for It-'Do YOU mean TO say
that your cyclometer records the actual