The Virginia enterprise., 1908-08-14

rheumatism, and expressed that opinion.
But my friend merely shook his
mead and pulled on the glove again,
saying:
You're not the first doctor who has
told me that. Yet two great special
ISIS in Paris agreed as to the cause
and treatment. l must admit, how
ever, that I've been none the better
for It, and he smiled, coughing that
curious hacking cough.
| Shall you play again." l asked as
we rose and descended into the Place.
NO." he answered, glancing up at
the illuminated clock of the Casino.
Il shall return"
"To Nice?"
! Yes. I'm at the Anglais. When
you're over look me up
Then, with mutual civilities, we ex.
changed cards, shook hands, and
parted.
His eagerness to depart during the
last few moments struck me as
strange; therefore returning into the
casino l slipped on another suit, and
when his train left the station for
! Nice l was in another compartment
engrossed in the Petit Journal. 1t
CHANGED to be yellow rapide, and l
had to exercise considerable tact to
eVade recognition, as, with growing
restlessness, he walked along the cor
rldors from end to end, peering into
each carriage as if in search of some
one.
rs this train from Ventimille?' l
heard him inquire of the guard, to
which the man gave an affirmative
answer. 1t seemed as though he ex.
| pected some one to arrive from the
Italian frontier.
On arrival at Nice he walked quick.
ly down the Avenue de la Care until
he came to the Cafe de la Regence,
where he entered, seating himself at
a table in far corner and ordering
a book. While drinking it saw that
his keen eyes were fixed intently on
the table. The instant he left took
his seat, and there upon the marble
top I saw some writing in pencil. 1t
was evidently message, but he had
half effaced 1t by dipping his finger
In the droppings of the beer and care.
lessly smearing it across Yet the
two scribbled words in French l was
enabled to read were sufficient to whet
my curiosity. They were as follows:
| "Choucrouttmann crocodile"
To the uninitiated they possessed
no meaning, but my experience in
Paris had given me a good knowledge
of thieves argot, and translated
them as German money lender"
For few minutes l sat staring at
the writing and thinking. Then a sud.
den thought dawned upon me, and by
the next train Travelled back tC
Monte Carlo, where l spent half an
hour over my cosmopolitan portrait
gallery. The words upon that table
had some very mysterious meaning.
Again I went to Nice by the eleven
o'clock rapide, that train which is al.
ways filled with home-going gamblers:
and at once took a cab to the central
police Office, in order that the observa.
ton should be continued upon the
mysterious stranger at his hotel. AS
entered, however, l was surprised to
| meet Dumont, the well-known Paris
detective
| WELL" l exclaimed, greeting him
heartily, for we were excellent friends.
What brings you down here?"
"A case," he answered. I've been
| h,,t rof,,rpi iv,y n.
morrow My man was believed to
have come down here for an airing
after committing murder, but I've
been unable to trace him. He's a
hunchback.'
"A hunchback!" l exclaimed, re.
flecting for an instant. "And he mur.
dered German money lender?"
! Yes How did you know?" in.
quired Dumont. amazed.
But I kept my own counsel, and
| merely answered:
| you'll find your man at the Hotel
des Anglais, number 106. Some of the
fraternity-an accessory, probably
has warned him tonight that you're
here, so you'd better lose no time"
Halft an hour later Dumont arrested
| the mysterious player just as he was
in the act of packing his bag, and ere
l returned that night l learned that
this man, whose real name was Bou-
| det, and who was fond of posing as
a hunchback, was one of the most
! desperate characters in Paris. With
| extraordinary ingenuity he had en-.
ticed to his lodgings at Passy Ger.
man usurer and murdered him, secur.
ing some thirty thousand francs which
his victim had carried in his wallet.
His hand, it appeared, had been in.
jured by an accident with acids, with
which he had experimental at the
time when the anarchists were CON-
mitting so many outrages.
The evidence at the trial was of an
extremely sensational character, for
it was proved that he was known in
a certain circle in Paris as "The Man
with the Claws being leader of an
international gang of malefactors,
some of whose names he divulged to
the police on the morning his head
fell on the Place de la Roquette.