The Kimball graphic. (Kimball, Brule County, Dakota [S.D.]) 1883-1905, 1903-05-01
THE TWISTED RING.

the dead mar had been seated; it was
scattered over the papers; it lay in
little crimson pools upon the blotting
pad and the carpet; in the last des-
perate struggle it had spurted from his
gaping wounds against the window
curtains and walls;t the very atmosphere
Of the chamber seemed imbued with it.
A horrible murder had been COM
mitted.
Paul Pelaufski. chief of secret police
at St. Petersburg, had paid the penalty
of his outspoken hostility to nihilism.
My name is Alfred Ca ssagne. I am
80 years OF. aye, and / am a detective.
The following telegram to the De-
partment Of Secret Police in Paris had
resulted in my taking the next train to
the Russian capital:
Nihllists. Send best man at once. Must Be
stranger to Russia. Ours too we'll known.
Expense no object.
"GuRLoFr."
Four days later fashionable St.
Petersburg was apprised Of the arrival
in the capital of a young French gem
tleman, rich. and rumor had it, titled,
though travelling under the nom de
voyage of Mons. Anton Riccard. He
was accompanied by a single man
servant, Il middle aged person of grave
department. Pierre Chaffaud was one
Of the most courageous seconds in the
employ of the Partisan Secret Police.
On two occasions he had been. known
to risk his life to save that of his
principal. / had chosen him to ac-
company me.
On making myself known at police
headquarters l was at once taken to the
scene of the tragedy. Nothing had
been disturbed. l found it rs de-
scribed in the opening paragraph OF
this story.
The police were entirely at sea in re-
gard to the identity of the murderer.
Gurlof placed the case in my hands,
and at once proceeded to make an
exanination of the material before me.
The assassin had evidently gained
admittance to the chiefs apartment
during tho day, had remained con
eealed until nightfall when escape was
comparatively Easy, aud had then
sprung upon his victim from behind.
EPelaufski had turned to confront his
murderer, but not quickly enough to
avoid the knife, the first blow from
which had struck him in the left breast.
the second one lower down, squarely
above the region of the heart. The
murderer had then caught him by the
throat to prevent his crying out,
and held him while he slowly bled to
death.
Diligent inquiry elected the fact that
= woman had been the last visitor to
the chief-a woman high in society, the
Baroness Woronsko. Suspicion, how.
ever, in no way attached to her-in
TACT, she was one of the most trusted
,,pies in the employment of the govern.
Ment.
However, I Immediately set Pierre
Chauffaud to shadow her movements.
Ny impression that she would bear
watching was confirmed when / re.
:eived his report.
The Baroness Woronsko, whilst ir
the employ of the Government, was il
reality a Nihilist of the worst de,
,cription.
Soon the question narrowed itself
down to this. Assuming her to be au
accessory to the murder of Pelaufski,
who was the actual assassin 1t was
absurd to suppose that a frail. slight
woman like the Baroness Woronskc
could overcome a strong courageous
nan like Paul Pelaufski.
l had one clew SO slight that it hac
oeen overlooked by the Russian police,
out one which no really frst-class de.
,ectiye would have passed unnoticed.
On the dead mans throat were the
black marks of the fingers which had
Itrangled him. The thumb of the
light hand had been pressed violently
INTO the skin on the neck. SO as to pro.
luce a deep abrasion.
l at once took n careful cast of thi;
humb-mark with the finest wax, thus
reproducing every line exactly.
I knew that the impressions on nc
two thumbs in the world are alike. l
Is the prison-mark in China, remember
and there serves the same purpose o
the rogues' gallery in America, te
identify a criminal.
No other clew l had to guide me. A
plain twisted ring, worn by the muir
aerer, had left its mark distinctly or
the flesh. caused the impression O
The handto be photographed.
Furnished only with these sligh1
clews, | now set out to find the mur.
derer of Paul Pelaufski. Instinct tolc
me. l suppose, to look for him in the
best society Of the Baroness. I SCOT
discovered that she was an abandoned
lntrigueante. During her husbands
absence on his country estates, she un
scrupulously amused herself with /;
lover, one Rudolph Pfesh. a Hungarian
Of handsome appearance and very
finely educated. i soon discovered thi
man to be q red-hot Nihilist. III.
Baroness for the time was absolutely
infatuated with him.
During all this time. you may sup
pose that ! kept a sharp lookout for til,
twisted ring. l did nothing of thu
kind. Amidst the mass Of jewelr,
nightly displayed in the drawing
rooms of st. Petersburg. one might Il
well have searched for a needle in
bundle of hay. No, I only hoped tt
use that as coniirmatory evidence whei
had found my man.
And | was fast finding him. A1read,
[ had gained the confidence of til,
Nihilists. During the third montl
Rudolph Pfesh contided to me the out
line OF Il plot to assassinate the Car.