The Columbia herald. [volume] (Columbia, Tenn.) 18??-1935, 1910-06-17
CHAPTER II.
IN Which Joseph ROuietabills Ap-
pears For the First Time.

/ FIRST knew Joseph Rouleta
P bile pronounced Rule-ta-bee
s when he was a young re
, porter. At that time I wa.
beginner at the bar and often met
, him in the corridors Of examining
magistrates when J had gone to ger d
permit 20 communicate for the priE
on Of MaZas or for saint-Lazare. He
had. as they say. "a good nut" BE
seemed 10 have taken his head, round
as a bullet, out Of a box Of marbles,
and 1t is from that. l think, that his
comrades II the press al determined
billiard players. had given him that
nickname, which was to stick 10 him
and be made nlustrious by him. He
vas always as red as a tomato, now
gay as lark. now grave as a tudgs.
How while still SO young-he was only
sixteen and a half years old when i
SAY him for the first tiuhe-had he al
peady won his way on the press1
That was what everybody who came
into contact with him might haye ask
ed Il they had not known his history
At the time of the affair II the woman
cut<in pieces In the Rue Oberskampf.
another forgotten story, be had taken
TO one of the editors OF the Epoque, a
paper then rivaling the Matin for in
formation, the left foot WHICH was
missing from the basket In witch the !
grewsome remains wepe discovered.
For this left foot the. police bad been
vainlg searching Aor week, and young
Rouletabille had found Ii In a drain
where nobody had thought Of looking
Tor It. To do that he had dressed him
SELF as an extra sewer man, one Of a
number engaged by the administration
Of the city of Paris owing to an over
How of the Seine. /,
When the editor In chief was IN pos
session Of the precious foot and m
formed as to the tpatn Of Intelligent
aeductions the boy had been led to
make he was divided between the ad- |
miratfon he felt for such detective /
cunning in brain Of lad Of sixteen q
Years and delight at being able to ex- q
libit In the "morgue window" Of bis Z
'aper the left Dot Of the Rue Obers- '
rampf. n
The boy faced reporter speedily
made many friends, for. he was serv- n
ceable and gifted with U good humor I
hat enchanted the most severe tenn
cred and disarmed the most jealous fr
his companions. he began to win 81
reputation as an nnraveleT of intri- ai
Ats and obscure affairs which found "
D. way to the once Of the chief of
oltce. When q case was worth the
oubie and Rouletabfife- he had al N
lady been given hts nickRame-had ca
zen started on the scent by bis editor az
chief he often got the better of the
ogt famous detectives. On
II was at the Bar cafe that became
tfmately acquainted with him. Grim du
al lawyers and Journalists are not
emies: the former need advertise no
mt, the latter fxfrnnattDa. We chat.
together, and soon warmed to-
nd him-his Intelligence was, 30 m
en- and 30 original, and be had q CIV
mki3y OF Thought such ~ have &C
yer found in any ether persoa. no
saaxsg twu years passed In this way, nh
tlae bstter knew him the more / 90
Rnad 10 lore him, for In spite Of his wM
eaRsB axtraTaGAnce I had discovered wen
him what was, considering hin are, ~
extraordinary seriousness Of mind. hw
.znstnmed o wam 10 seeing him har
|. and, indeed, often too gay. bnc'
ID many times fnd him plunged In &
deaUest nsimxschOly. tRisd thsn HmE1
ganss3nn him an to TIN eaus@ OF tbs w
M OF hummer, hut each time he Doc
pad and made ane mo anwwmr. One NOV
, barring questioned ham about his Z
snfA at whom, he newer spoke. he asna
ma, pretending not 10 have heard
t I said. lsn't
hi1e things were In this state be- man
m 10 the famous case Of '+the yel- that
room" took plaza IL. was this ''V
which was to rank him an. the ~
Ing newspaper reporter and TO OBJ hand
for him the reputation Of being rUug
treatest detective I'm the weeAN. 81
uletabile entered my room ON the dun't
ing of the 26th Of October, 1892. tell I
vas looking redder than usual, and +sW
yes were bullying out Of his head. you
. phrase Ia, and altogether. he ap- Roui
d TO be In state Of extreme ex-
lent. He waved the Mattn with
milling hand and cried:
ell, my dear SaAnclair, have you ga
III" Ho
'e CHANGER crfmer famil
.; fthe yellow roomF What 10 McDo
hink Of itY' d. NJ
.hink that It must have been the tion,''
or the Bette du Bon Dieu' that and p
ifted the crime" to gre
seriousw edies
III, I don't much believe in MUIR cover.
who make their escape through cured
of solid brick think Daddy bled
% did wrong to leave behind him pest q
sapon with which the crime was ror
itted, and, as he occupied the at Group,
lmediately above Mile. Sanger. ples;
DOM, the builders job ordered by 49, IT,
aiming magistrate Will give us
y Of the enigma. and it will not