The Columbia herald. [volume] (Columbia, Tenn.) 18??-1935, 1910-10-14
The Mystery Of
The Yellow Room
By GASTONLEROUX ooPT gq srEa ,a9s;


The usher hurried 10 the side door,
opened it and disappeared. The door
remained open. while all eyes turned
expectantly toward it, The clerk re
appeared aud. stepping forward, said:
an. President, Frederic Larsan is
not here He left at about o'clock
and has not been seen since"
"That is my proofr' cried Rouleta-
billie triumphantly.
Explain yourself" demanded the
president.
my proof is Larsan's flight" said
the young reporter. He will not come
hack. You will see no more Of Fred
eric Larsan-"
UNLESS you are playing with the
court. monsieur, why did you not ac-
euse him when he was PRESENT. He
would then have answered you"
HE could give no other answer than
the one he has now given by his
flight"
ave cannot believe that Larsan has
fed. There was no reason for his do
ing so. Did he know you'd make this
charger
do you mean to say that knowing
Larsan was the murderer you gave
him the opportunity to escapeT'
eyes, M. President, l did," replied
Rouletabille proudly. Il am not a po-
Hceman: | am journalist, and my
business Is not to arrest people. My
business is In the service of truth and
is not that of an executioner. If you
are just monsieur, you win see that
am right. You can now understand
why | refrained until this hour to
divulge the name. / gave Larsan time
to catch the AIT train for Paris, where
he would know where to hide himself
and leave no traces You Will not
And Frederic Larsan," declared Roule-
tabille. fixing his eyes on M. Robert
Darzac. He is too cunning. he is a
man who has always escaped you and
whom you have long searched Tor I'D
vain If he did not succeed in out
whiting me he can yet easily outwt
any police. This man, who four years
ago introduced himself to the police
and became celebrated as Frederic
f.arsau. is notorious under another
name--a name well known to crime.
Frederic Larsan, NJ President. is Ball
meyer"
"BaHmeyer" cried the president
"Ballmeyerr' exclaimed Robert OAR
sac, springing to his feet. "Ballmeyerl
1t was true, Them
"Ah, NJ Darzac you don't think !
am mad nowr cried Rouletabille.
Ballmeyer! Ballmeyer No other word
could be heard In the courtroom. The
president adjourned the hearing.
Those of nay readers who may not
have heard of Ballmeyer will wonder
at the excitement the name caused.
And yet the doings of this remarkable
criminal form the subject matter OF
the most dramatic narratives OF the
newspapers and criminal records of the
past twenty years. 1t had been report
ed that he was dead and thus had
eluded the police as he had eluded
them throughout the whole of his ca
reer
Ballmeyer was the best specimen OF
the high class gentleman sWlndler.
He was an adept at sleight OF mana
tricks. and no holder or more ruthless
crook ever lived. He was received in
the best society and was member OF
some of the most exclusive clubs. On
many Of his depredatory expeditions
he had not hesitated to use the knife
and the mutton bone. No difficulty
stopped him, and no operation" was
too dangerous. He had been caught,
but escaped on the very morning or
his trial by throwing pepper into the
eyes of the guards who were conduct
ing him to court.
He left France later to work" Amer
ica. The police there succeeded In once
capturing him, but the extraordinary
man escaped the next day. 1t would
need volume to recount the adven-
lures of this master criminal. And YET
this was the man Rouletabille had al
lowed to get away! Knowing all about
him and who he was, he afforded the
criminal an opportunity for another
laugh at the society he had denedt
could not help admiring the bold stroke
of the young journalist, because feit
certain his motive had been to protect
both Mile Stangerson and rid Darzac
of an enemy Mt the same time.
The crowd had barely recovered
from the effect of the astonishing rev.
citation when the hearing was resumed.
The question in everybodys MIND
was. Admitting that Larsan was the
murderer, how did he get out OF the
yellow room?
4, ,ouletabille was Immediately called
". the bar and his examination con-
tinbed.
~You have told u.s." said the presi'
dent. that II was impossible to es-
cape from the end Of the court. since
Larsan was leaning out of his window
he had left the court. How did he 90
that?"
''He escaped by most unusuai way
He climed the wall, sprang ON 10 tns