The Morris County chronicle. [volume] (Morristown, N.J.) 1877-1915, 1904-07-05
CRIMES IN OLD INNS.
OLD WORLD OUT or THE WAY TRAPS
FOR uNWARY TRAVELLERS.

| An Experience In an INN ON the
Spanish Frontier-Resorts In Rural
France Where Theft and Murder
and Worse Awaited the Victims.
From a worldwide traveller come
these stories Of evil ruins abroad, Of
dark nights, evil companions and lone
Illness. He says:
Il sometimes think of a night l
spent in an inn on the Spanish from
tier, in a little seaside village surround
ed by thick pine forest. was ac-
commodated with bed in a large
room In which another traveller was
lying. He was laxative, as most
southern Frenchmen are, and curious
as to my business. circumstances and
future movements. ! told him story
Of my financial troubles which seemed
to me to have saved my life. He was
restless during the night and kept go
ing to the window. | could not go to
sleep while he was moving about.
"In the end we both fell asleep. He
had given me his name, a name with
which year or two later the whole of
France was ringing. He was tried for
double murder, perpetrated under cir
cumstances of peculiar atrocity, and
with such a motive Of petty robbery
that the opinion was he must have
had long Familiarity with crime The
murder for which he was convicted
was carried out to gain possession Of
EGO, and people believed none but a
hardened criminal would nerve himself
to murder for gain SO paltry.
Such was my companion In lonely
inn, where my disappearance would
have aroused neither curiosity nor
suspicion. How he would have dis
posed of me could imagine from the
crime for which he was convicted. He
travelled with large trunk. some
times think 1t was the one afterward
seized at the cloakroom of station
on the Cherbourg line containing the
body Of his latest victim. | think all
that saved me from sepulture within
1t was the cunning with which had
concealed the fact was in possession
that night of considerable sum.
| 1T was with similar cunning that
my brother and myself avoided a like
danger at Rotterdam. We were lads
Of ten and twelve respectively, on our
way home to England from our school
In Wiesbaden. AS the ship did not
start until the day following our ar
rival, we had been obliged to pass the
night in Rotterdam. A loafer conduct
ed us to a miserable tavern In Stun
OFF the Bompjes, where wo paid for the
best room.
"As the time for retiring came our
villainous looking landlord conducted
us to a dark closet and told us to
sleep there. We have fallen into
trap said to my brother, and so it
seemed when later we heard stealthy
step on the staircase. Then we began
to talk in German, and the gist of our
conversation was: What would become
of us the next day If the money ex-
pected from our parents did not arrivef
We colored the story Of distress, and
probably our being awake saved us in
stead Of the tale overheard We heard
the step retreating. and, remaining
awake till morning. we were not mo-
Tested.
From what / have since heard of
this class of house In Rotterdam and
Amsterdam have no doubt that we
had narrow escape"
France too, is dotted with houses
where murder and theft Turk behind
the mask of treachery. In the forest
Of Chatenay, three miles from Macon,
you may see the ruins of church con-
secrated to st. John. Not far from
this" writes Raoul Glabert. "a scoun-
drel had built house for the accom-
mediation of travellers. In this house
he murdered all who came to lodge.
The monster used the flesh Of his vic
tins for nourishment.
"A man came there with his wife and
asked shelter. Having rested. his wife,
prying into closet, discovered a heap
of human remains. At this the trav-
elers grew pale and made for the road.
The innkeeper tried to stop them, but
terror lent speed so they were able to
eSCupc " Tie tOWut NASIc they AuAoA1i-
ed Prince Othon of the discovery. A
great number of men set out, the mon
ster was found in his den, and no less
than forty eight human heads were dis
covered, remains Of travellers whom he
had murdered and devoured. He was
dragged back to town. tied to beam
in cellar and burned to death.
II myself" says Glabert. was pres
ent at his execution"
From other chronicles of this period
cannibalism seems to have been looked
upon by innkeepers as a prerequisite of
their profession. This story Is in its
way more horrible than Hamilton
Aides fiction, for in his evil inn only
the teeth and hair of the victims were
coveted by the two sisters Of Cologne.
The French inn Of most sinister repu-
tation is stilf standing In mountain
pass in Auvergne. This is known t.,
history as the Murderers' tnn The inn
is a death trap. Rooms assigned to
travellers have windows barred with
iron. In an clubhouse is the furnace
In which bodies Of victims were dis
posed Of Hundreds of lonely travel
ers. belated In this inaccessible spot.
have been plundered and murdered
Philadelphia North American.