Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1901-03-16

the uncut wires Two led TO the private
office Of the project, where they ended in
Observation-Disclosures diaphragms of the
most sensitive type. Two others led to the
office of the secretary general. Others led
to the house of the project. to his salon, his
dining room, his bedroom and his libraryI
And the wires that had been cut-where
did they lead to? 1t is not yet known. The
investigation has yet TO be made. What is
now known for a certainty. however, is that
this dark and silent intriguer. sitting in hts
silent private office, had Systematically lis
tened to the most private conversations of
his superiors in the secrecy of their very
homes-their very beds!
The question then arose-what workmen
had laid the wires? How had they gained
admission TO these private houses. first to
lay them, then 10 keep them in constant
working order? Who among the trusted
servants of the project and the secretary
general were secretly devoted TO this man?
What other resources had he? Who were
ready to betray them to him, even after he
should be discharged and disgraced? They
decided Immediately that Meyer must be
discharged and disgraced. He might even
be partially discredited. But the tantaliz-
ing question came back ever and again
what did he know?
Newspapers Take II Up.
Meanwhile the story came to Paris at the
same time with the official telegram that
told of Meyers revocation. The journals
of the boulevard saw in 1t matter for
ex-Prefect Leroux committed suicide three
days after the facts became public the ex-
element rose to fever heat.
All this while the Lyons papers kept
strange silence. Not one of them had any
thing to Say-neither the organs of the gov
eminent, the socialists. the reactionaries
| nor the conservative republicans. In Paris
something of the secret Of this silence
comes out in the laughable determinations
of the radical Steele and the conservative
Liberte. NJ. Yves Guyot. In the former,
had declared that Meyer had been found
to have been the secret chief of half a
dozen campaigns in reactionary journals,
in which the present government was at
tackled. This is a pure invention" says
the Liberte. ''On the contrary, this man
Meyer is known to have been the alter ego
of NJ. Colliard, collectiviste deputy of the
seventh circumscription of Lyons, and 1t
was to the profit of the socialist candidates
in the elections of 1898 and since that his
telephone information must have been
used"
Not at ALL" replies the socialist Steele.
Meyer is we'll known to have been the in
innate friend of NJ. Mason, who partic-
ularly distinguished himself in the cam
paign against the republican revisionists OF
Lyons at the time of the Dreyfus affair.
First elected on the socialist ticket, later
on blackballed by the socialists, Mason
has been for long time one Of the most
turbulent partisans of nationaliSm. 1t was
this loud-mouthed adversary of the repub-
lican defense that your Meyer had as his
intimate friend"
Certainly a part of the scandalous reve-
lations found among Meyers papers APP
peared a short time ago in sensational ar
ticles published by the Coincide Politique,
paper that openly aVows Bonapartist
opinions Indeed, 1t seems likely that the
arch-conspirator kept good relations with
all the various parties that are tearing at
each others threats in France today.
Meyers Revenge.
The silence of the Lyons press was broken
only when the scandal in Paris had grown
to such proportions that it became impos-
sible to ignore it. Following on those stories
came a rumor that the friendly sick bene-
fit fund of the Lyons police force had be-
come "dilapidated." Was this tale a begin
ming of Meyers revenge? Half the papers
of the city again hurriedly resumed their
curious silence. Then there began leaking
out all kinds of stories of maladministra-
ton A certain municipal councillor who
heretofore had never distinguished himself
by any kind of zeal or thirst for informa-
ton, astonished all Lyons by the depth of
his knowledge on these occult questions.
II have names, addresses and all the in
formation necessary he said. Here, for
example. is a list Of police officers who do
no actual service and yet draw their sal
aries every month. Here are others who,
claiming their pensions before they had
served the necessary length of time, were
able to bluff the administration into yield
ing by means of covert threats and theatre
cal offers to take off their uniforms. i can
show you a brigade of agents who are to-
tally outside of the control of the police
commissaries. Rumor declares that though
paid by the municipality they are held at
the service of private inquiry bureau
whose chief business comes from immoral
divorce cases. Do you call them guardians
of the peace?" he inquired.
They are the guardians Of the peace of
families laughingly called out a brother
municipal councillor.
This well-informed member stirred up
the municipal council that it forced itself
formally to emit hope that the proper
Investigations SHOULD be begun. A part of
his revelations were so grave that they
were given behind closed doors. All this
time the hero of the mystery remained
quietly at home, either i'll or busy. A
neighbor occupying the adjoining apart
ment says that she saw light shining
from one of the Meyers windows late one
night. The curtain was half drawn so that
she could see monsieur and madame mov-
ing in the room. They were examining
masses of papers. Once she saw them both
kneeling down before the open CRATE, feed
ing blazing fire with documents. Never
theless the next morning a deputation of
municipal councillors, calling on the inva-
lid, found him still in his sick room, and,
though dressed, scarcely able to totter to
his feet to greet them.
Wire to a Bath Room.
AS to the material side of the mystery,
new and piquant details are being dis
covered daily Inc secretary general OF
the department discovered a telephone
diaphragm secreted behind his bath tub
"And the extraordinary thing is that have
held conversation In that bathroom" he
admits laughngly, when 1 wished to say
something private to political visitor and
distrusted the loyalty of my own serv-
ants" 1t seems that couple of months
ago he found two of his uniformed lackeys
two civil service worthless paid by the state
and impressed into his own personal serv-
ice, according to custom, engaged in listen
ing at the keyhole of his wifes boudoir