Corvallis gazette. [volume] (Corvallis, Benton County, Or.) 1900-1909, 1902-07-08
HERR STEINHARDT'S NEMESIS

BY ]. MACLAREN COBBAN.

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And now, by the vengeance of God
Almighty on the wicked which cannot
wait, he nun be done for this night al
he did for his partnerp
| "For Gods sakei" I exclaimed
'fDon't think of such thing! 1t will
be murder, as certainly as his crime
was!"
But my remonstrance was not heed
ed; was put aside respectfully, but
firmly. The crowd pressed on toward
the laboratory. They had not advanced
far in that direction, when an explosion
burst upon the air, stunned US all, and
threw the foremost to the ground.
Many ran away, others went forward
/ with these last. 1t did not take long
to discover that the explosion had come
from the laboratory, from the broken
roof of which rose strange vapors. A
little work, and removal of debris, and
Steinhardt was discovered stretched on
the floor, a discolored and blasted
wreck It was an awful sightI Here,
in his own cherished sanctuary, had
the vengeance of God leaped forth at
him from beneath his own hands; for
smashed iron retort, which he had
been manipulating, lay close by him!
His strong nerves had been shaken by
the approach of the crowd.
81 came to tell him." said the watch
man in hushed voice, "that tn crowd
was in. He said, go to tn devil, and
leave me alone!' and was just gone
away when TIL explosion came"
My story is in effect finished. But
for the satisfaction of those who would
like to see the loose ends of its web
taken up and tied I must add page or
two.
After legal process of Identification
and inquest, the CHASTITY remains of the
two partners, Lacroix and Steinhardt,
the victim and his murderer, were
buried, the one with his uncle in the
family tomb, the other in the obscure
unconsecrated ground of the church
yard. This done, the affairs of the
firm we're wound up.
In the necessary examination of all
papers some letters and documents were
found in small safe in Steinhardt's g
''study" at Timperley Hall, which suf-
ficiently explain what still needs ex-
planation in the Lacroix mystery-the
substantial ground of offense on which
the partners met on that fatal night,
and the unwavering resolution of Stein
hardt to get Louise married to his son.
The letter which came first in order of
date made clear one side at least of the
quarrel. 1t was from Lacroix to Stein
hardt, and was dated "Paris, March
3rd, 1882" 1t was evidently in reply
to one from Steinhardt, containing a
proposal affecting Louise-what pro-
posal will readily be guessed. This
Mr.. Lacroix warmly declined to enter
tain, and begged it would not again be
mentioned.
"My daughter" he wrote, sis prom
ised to her cousin, the Count De La
croix. AS for the 1000 pounds dam
ages, that must be reckoned joint bus
mess loss; there can surely be no doubt
about that. I hope we have done for
the future with playing tricks with that
patent"
The next letter, of date several days
later, was of great interest, at least to
Louise and me. It was stained and
blurred as with some liquid dye; it had
doubtless been taken by Steinhardt
from Lacroix's person after death. 1t
was addressed to "Mmlle De Lacroix;"
it was written on fine "foreign" paper
with crest and motto, and contained
many gallant and polite expressions of
tho CoDpf Ia ooroiv,c davotio,, 70 b;,
lovely cousin-whom. he said, he hoped
to come and see in the summer. How
was it he had never come?-never even
been heard of?
These questions were answered by a
second letter from the count, dated in
May, 1882, and addressed to Mr.. La
croix, and by the postscript of letter
of about the same date, written in Ger
man though from Paris, and addressed
to Steinhardt. The counts letter ex-
cused him to his "dear uncle'' from
paying his proposed visit; he was too
i'll to think of leaving France. The
letter to Steinhardt was evidently from
compatriot. 1t was mainly about
business affairs; its matter of interest
for us was squeezed into a corner:
"You ask me about the Count De La
croix. 1 learn he is still busy killing
himself with absinthe.'
Lastly came the astonishing commu-
nication of all. 1t was dated several
months later, in the November, think,
of 1882. 1t was from a Paris lawyer,
who evidently had the management of
the De Lacroix affairs. In few words,
it informed Mr.. Lacroix that the young
Count Honore was dead, and saluted
Count Paul, his successori ("Le roi
est mort ;-vive lie roi." And the con-
graduated count was dead tool With
this letter were tied up two or three
legal documents, of which cannot at
tempt much account, though they are
now in my possession. They were a
copy of certificate of the death of Hon
ore Marie Antoinettc, Count De La
croix, and certain papers showing OF
what the De Lacroix property consisted
chateau, estates and rents-and with
them, finally, a later note from the
lawyer to Steinhardt, who had evil
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