The Republican. [volume] (Oakland, Md.) 1877-current, 1903-01-15
Tb e SD OF
T6Qf Missed

| CAME to make, IN company with
/ my friend, DR.. NoirOt, the tour of
the extensive gardens which surround
ed his private asylum for the insane;
we were returning to his residence,
and he was on the point of relating
to me the peculiar circumstances con-
nected with the case of one of his
patients, whom we had met, and who
had greeted us with an air of great
condescension.
AT that moment the sharp report of
pistol rang out on the still morn
ing air.
L grasped the arm of my host and
exclaimed:
what is that? Surely some one of
your patients is doing mischief"
DR.. Noirot smiled.
NO" said he, ''be composed; it is
merely another singular case, which
l will show you"
Diverging to the left he drew me
toward a small pavilion hidden behind
a cluster of trees. He opened a door,
and, after proceeding along a narrow
vestibule, we reached a sort of long
court surrounded by high brick walls.
A man was there, tall of stature, and
clothed in the costume of a hunter,
resembling, in certain details, the
habit of the Mexican cattle herder.
He was reclining against one of the
walls of the pavilion, and at the mo-
ment of our arrival raised slowly the
-irrhf H1.r1, lxy
grasped a pistol. Our arrival dis
turbed him not. I followed the direc-
ton of the weapon, and / saw at about
IS PAGES white head with a black
hole in the center of the forehead. 1t
was, as far as l was able to judge at
that distance, a mask of plaster of
paris, sllillfully executed, and in which
] seemed to be able to distinguish a
resemblance to Diana the huntress.
The shot was discharged. The head
remained intact.
See" said the doctor. at is most
remarkable; he never misses a shot"
SIS it possible?" said l. half incredu-
lousy.
eyes, all the balls are lodged in the
same place in that dark spot not
larger than an inch and half in di-
an>ater. See"
The man mad drawn another pistol
from his belt. He fired. The head
moved not. The weapon was hand
some revolver, charged with several
shots. The marksman discharged sue
cessively five other shots, none of
which damaged the figure.
The doctor placed'his hand upon the
marksman, who, turning toward him,
revealed a face adorned by heavy
black beard, and upon which reposed
an air of determination and melan-
choly.
"Stop a moment" said the doctor.
The man bowed assentingly, and the
doctor then conducted me to the end
of the couct and behind the mask,
and showed me a kind of blackened
iron plate which protected the wall
from being damaged by the bullets
In the center of the plate | observed
round spot which glistened brightly
from the effects of the lead which had
been battered in striking.
'You see" said the doctor, in show
ing me the exact correspondence of the
brilliant spot and the hole which
passed through the plaster head, "all
balls have entered here. You will find
this to be true in every instance
at is indeed marvellous" replied 1.
"But what of his strange history?"
LET us go. l will relate it to you
without"
We traversed again the court and
the vestibule, and this is the strange
recital of DR.. Noirot. interrupted at
regular intervals by the detonations
of the mad marksman's revolver:
That poor unfortunate is called
Guido Ventura. Whether italian,
Spanish or American, is not certainly
known. American | should say, for it
is from the United States these mas
ters of the rife and revolver come. It
is from there he came to France. You
could have seen him last season at the
Alcazar d'Automne, where he had
given four or five exhibitions of deX-
terity, and would have performed else
where had not imperative reasons
terminated abruptly his representa-
tions.
Guido Ventura, when he arrived at
Paris, was accompanied by young
lady, known professionally as Mile.
Arabe!le. She was magnificent crea-
ture, with the form of a statue and
the head of a goddess. She lacked not
adorers, and in less than a week it
became quite the fashion to see the
superb Arabelle assist Ventura in his
wonderful performances.
She performed splendidly, the arms
crossed, the face immovable, while at
Is PAGES Ventura leveled his pistol,
the bullets from which invariably
pierced a card held between the fin
gers, or broke the stem of a common
clay pipe, held between her snowy