Hopkinsville Kentuckian. [volume] (Hopkinsville, Ky.) 1889-1918, 1908-12-31

meUI lulcCtcltA iut nIttldAA}s lily w
man of the key surrounded 1t with a
kind Of mystery. Evidently she valued
the key since she promised big re-
ward for it's restoration. And thought
on these six letters: M. A. 4. IL, $. A..
The hrst four at once pointed to
Christian name, evidently ! said,
Math Is Mathfde. Bat ! could make
nothing Of the two last letters. So
threw the Journal aside and occupied
myself with other matters. -Four days
later when the evening paper appear
ed with enormous headline ANNOUNCE
ing the attack on Mile. Stangerson the
letters in the advertisement mechan-
ically required TO me- had forgotten
the two last letters, S. N. When l
saw them again / could not help ex-
claiming, 'StangersonI l jumped into
a cab and rushed into the bureau No.
40 asking, Have you letter addressed
to M. A. T. II. S. N.r The clerk re-
plied that he had not. insisted, beg
eed and entreated him to search. He
wanted to know If were playing
Joke on him and then told me that he
had had a letter with the initials Nj. A.
IT II. S. N, but he had given 1T up
three days ago to lady who came for
IT, You come today to claim the let
ter. and the day before yesterday an
other gentleman claimed 1t. I've had
enough Of this he concluded angrily.
I tried to question him as to the two
nersons who had already claimed the
letter. but whether he wished to en-
trench himself behind professional Sc
crecv-he may have thought that he
had already said too much-or whether
he was disguised at the joke that had
been played on him he would not an
swer any of my questions"
.aThen il is almost certain" said Nj.
Stangerson, that my daughter did
lose the key. and that she did not tell
me of it. wishing to spare any anxiety,
and that she begged whoever had
found it to write to the poste restante,
She evidently feared that, by giving
our address, inquiries would have re-
suited that would have apprised me
Of the loss of the key. 1t was quite
logical, quite natural, for her to have
taken that course-for have been
robbed once before"
"Where was that, and when" asked
the police chief
"Oh, many years ago, in America, in
Philadelphia. There were stolen from
my laboratory the drawings of two in
ventions that might have made the
Y
fortune of a man. Not only have
never learned who the thief was, but
have never heard even word OF the
object of the robbery, doubtless be-
cause in order to defeat the plans Of
the person who had robbed me l my
self brought these two inventions be-
fore the public and so rendered the
robbery Of no avail. From that time
81 been shat
myself in when 1 am at work. The
bars to these windows, the lonely stu
alton Of this pavilion, this cabinet,
which / had specially constructed, this
special lock, this unique key, all are
precautions against fears inspired by
a sad experience"
Most Interestingly remarked M.
OAK.
NJ. Rouletabille asked about the reti-
Guile. Neither Nj. Stangerson nor Dad
dy Jacques had seen it for several
days, but few hours later we learned
from Mile. Stangerson herself that the
reticule had either been stolen from
her or she had lost it. She further
corroborated all that had passed just
as her father had stated. She had
gone to the poste restante and, on the
23d of October. had received letter
which she affirmed, contained nothing
but a vulgar pleasantly, which she
had Immediately burned.
To return to our examination, or.
rather, to our conversation. must
state that the chief of police, having in
quired of NJ. Stangerson under what
conditions his daughter had gone to
Paris on the Goth of October we learn
ed that Nj. Robert Darzac had accom-
panied her, and Darzac had not been
again seen at the chateau from that
time until the day after the crime had
been committed. The fact that NJ. Oar
FAC was with her in the department
store when the reticule disappeared
could not pass unnoticed and, it must
be said, strongly awakened our in
terest.
This conversation between magis
trates, accused, victim. witnesses and
journalist was coming to a close when
quite a theatrical sensation-an Incl
dent of kind dispensing to NJ. de
Marquet-was produced. The officer Of
the gendarmes came to announce that
Frederic Lqrsan requested to be ad-
| mitted-a request that was at once
complied with. He held in his hand Il
heavy pair of muddy boots. which he
threw on the pavement Of the labora-
! tory
Here" he said, "are the boots worn
by the murderer. Do you recognize
them, Daddy Jacques?"
Daddy Jacques bent over them and,