The Wichita daily eagle. [volume] (Wichita, Kan.) 1890-1906, 1903-01-08
STRAl6HI5rCl6AR

who was able to identify the yellow
leather trunk, and Roumain, its owner,
and his sister. Marie. having gone on his
cab to the Care du Nord. The Care du
Nord. where most of us land when we
route to Calais and England. But it has
been discovered that Ronmain d Aurignac
did not go to England, and this visit 10
the Care du Nord is now believed to
have been nothing but a blind for the
police. At all events, il is certain that
the conductor of the sleeping car be-
tween Paris and Bordeaux has been able
to identify Roumain d Aurignac and his
sister as two of the passengers who trav-
eled by his train on the night of the
fight of the Humberts. The conductor
remarked that before the two travellers
got into the train they had a long and
earnest conversation with three other
people. and that these three other people
disappeared-whether into Paris or into
another carriage of the train is uncer-
persons were NJ. and Nine. Humbert and
their daughter.
To Bordeaux. then the case was trans
ferred and after many Investigations it
was found that two people corresponding
to Roumain d'Aurignac and his sister had
stopped for two days in one of the quiet
hotels of the city-a hotel which. by a
curious coincidence. was just opposite
the prefecture of police. The two trav-
elers naturally did not give the name of
the notorious fugitives, and the good
people Of the hotel had no idea they were
entertaining such distinguished guests.
But, nevertheless, there were some pro-
ceedings on the part of the newcomers
which were well calculated to excite at
tenton. if not suspicion. Apparently
they had arrived without any luggage or
clothes.
The first thing they did one morning
was TO go out to the leading haber-
dasher's of Bordeaux and there they laid
in cO7.plete new wardrobe. New
coats. new shirts, new stockings-every-
thing that goes to the complete equip
ment of a man or a woman had been
bought. The result was that messengers
kept coming with parcels all day long
TO the hotel-bearers of parcels for the
newcomers. One shopkeeper was able to
give a full account of his welcome Gus
toners. The day when Roumain 'Aurig-
nae and his sister-if it were they-ar-
rived in Bordeaux was Ascension Thurs
day. Ascension Thursday is a holiday in
France. and the shops remain open, as On
Sunday, only till noon. When the stran-
ger asked for ready-made top coat he
found that the one offered to him was a
little too high in the collar, and he hest
tated to take it. But the shop keeper.
with that keen ardor TO sell goods which
is characteristic of his race, and delight
ed, besides. to find any customer at all
on a holiday. proved equal to the emer
gency hunted up a tailor got the coat
changed there and then. and SO NJ. Rou-
main q Aurignac was able TO go off with
the collar fittedsto his liking The shop
keeper remembers that during the half
hour this operation lasted the man spoke
freely, while the lady was silent. Prob
ably her nerves had not the same stead
mess as her brothers, and she was too
frightened TO speak.
Where. meantime. were the Humberts?
On this point the clues are not satisfac-
tory. 1t is said that the two strangers
already mentioned went in and out
through the day to the rooms OF another
group of guests. Among these guests
were a tail. beardless young man. 1t is
thought this young man may have been
Mile. Humbert, compelled to resort to a
disguise for the purpose of avoiding the
notice which her immense height for a
girl would have bee insure to attract.
But there is no definite proof that the
guests were the Humberts and the traces
OF tnem remain obscure.
Meantime, what had the police of Paris
been doing? The fugitives had the adj
vantage of clear start of at least one
day. if not two. Strange as il may seem
row that the whole gigantic swindle has
been exposed. it is nevertheless true that
il was not till after the opening of the
safe that anybody began TO even realize
that the Humberts We're swndlers. and it
was not till the afternoon of the famous
and historic Friday on which the safe
was opened that the criminal law was
brought into action against them. Even
then the process was difficult What
protected the Humberts at this. as at
so many other moments in their career
OF twenty years. was that they had ar
itors and they were sailing. or supposed
to be sailing in the same boat. and that
their creditors accordingly always be-
lieved that il they dragged the Hum
barts down they would drag themselves
down at the same time. And any ap-
plication TO the criminal authorities was
feared as much by the vicr
Humberts as by the Humberts them
selves
Thus it was. then, that the Humberts
and the Aurignacs were free TO leave
Paris and were untracked for forty
eight hours. But when criminal justice
begins TO move in France. it moves
quickly. and n telegram was sent all
along the line TO Bordeaux To catch and
detain Roumain d'Aurigaac. And the
pursuit was very hot for a while. For.
while Roumain d'Aurignsc was on his
way 10 Spain. he met one Of the many
creditors OF his sister and even had a
conversation with him. The creditor
did not vet know that the safe had been
opened and that the swiadle had at last
been burst; and the conversation was
quite amicahle on the one side and on
the other. Fortunately. II took place at
a station where there was but brief
delay of few minutes. What agony
Roumain Aurignac must have passed
through during these four or five min
utes. and with what a sigh OF relief he
must have heard the whistle which sent
the train speeding onward 20 Spain and
to liberty. instead OF 70 Paris and the
convict cell
This was the first narrow squeak; the
second was even moe remarkable. The
telegram had been sent by the police
from Paris. not IN time 10 catch Rou-
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