Ottumwa semi-weekly courier. [volume] (Ottumwa, Iowa) 1899-1903, 1902-04-22

else, right up te the end of the chap
ter. And with every one she will
grow just an inperceptible bit older.
By and by the wrinkles will appear;
1 fancy there aie just one or two al
ready. Then size will not be so fas-
tidious about her hundred of thou
sand francs, and will condescend to
think of mere thousands. After that
it will come to simple hundreds.
Then there will be an interval-after
which a garnet, charcoal brazier,
and the morgue, I have known so
many, and it is always the same.
First, the diamonds, the champagne,
the exquisite little dinners at the
best restaurants and at last the
brazier, the closed doors and win
dows, and the coli stone slab. There
is moral in it, my dear friend, but
we will not LOOK for it tonight.
When do you iltend to commence
business with yo1r man."
Sat once" answered. "He knows
that I am after, him, and my only
fear is that he will make bolt. I
cannot understand why he is daily
ing in Paris SO ltng?"
"For the simple reason that he is
confident he has put you off the
SCENT" was my companions reply.
HE is doing the one foolish thing
the criminal always does sooner or
later; that is to say, he is becoming
over-confident of his own powers to
elude us. You and I, my friend,
should be able to remember several
such instances. Now, strange to say,
I came across a curious one the
other day. Would you care to hear
it?"
He lit cigarette and blew a cloud
of smoke while he waited for my an
swer.
Very much" I said, being well
aware that his stories were always
worth hearing.
This is somewhat remarkable
case" he said. II will mention no
names, but doubtless you can read
between the lines. There was man
who murdered his wife in order that
he might marry another woman. The
thought which he gave to it, and the
clever manner in which he laid his
plans, not only for the murder but
also for the disposal of the body,
marked him as criminal in the pos
session of singularly brilliant in
tellect. He gave no hint to anybody,
but left the country without leaving
the faintest clew concerning his
destination behind him. / was called
in to talk over the case, but after
some consideration could make moth
ing of it. l have no objection to ad-
mitting that I was completely baf-
fled. Now it so happened that | dis
covered that the mans mother was
of Irish extraction. He, believing
that he would be safe on that island,
engaged a passage ON board a steam
er from Havre to Belfast. She was
to pick up at Southampton, Ply
mouth and Bristol, en- route. NV
man, who, by the way, was very
presentable person, and could be dis
tinctly sociable when he pleased, en-
49, 'oi'-t " iiiaNC
to the passengers on board. On the
first evening out of port, the con-
yersation turned upon the value OF
diamonds, and one of the ladies on
board produced some costly stones
she happened to have in her posses
sion. The murderer, who. you must
understand, was quite safe, was I'M
happily eaten up with vanity. He
could not forego the boast that he
was the possessor of a magnificent
ring, which had BEEN given him by
ex-Emperor Napoleon III. Need
less to say this information excited
considerable interest, and he was
asked to produce it for the general
edification.
He declared that it was too lato
to do so that evening, but said that
he would do so on the morrow, or, at
any rate, before he left the vessel.
In the excitement of reaching South
ampton, the matter was for the mo-
ment forgotten, but on the day that
they arrived in Plymouth one of the
lady passengers reminded him of his
promise. This was followed by an
other application. Thus surrounded.
the unhappy man found himself in
the unpleasant position of being dis
covered in the preparation of an I'M
truth, or of being compelled to in
vent some feasible tale in order to
account for his not being able to pro-
duce the ring. 1t was at this juno
ture that he made his great mistake.
Anxious doubtless to attract atten-
ton, he returned from his cabin with
the astounding declaration that the
lock had been forced, and the famous
ring stolen from his trunk in which
it had lain concealed. He certainly
aced his part well, but he did not
realize to what consequence it would
lead. The matter was reported to
the police, and search was made
through the vessel. The passengers
were naturally indignant at such
treatment, and for the rest Of the
voyage the man found himself TAX
ing what you English call the cold
shoulder He reached Belfast, made