Los Angeles herald., 1910-08-07
vES|NET MYSTERY
PUZZLES FRENCH
Paris Police Make FruitIeSS In
quiry for Body of Wealthy
Land Owner
REQUISITI0N CLEVER DOG
People lump to Conclusion That
Case Is Similar to Grip
pen Tragedy
REQUlSITIoN CLEVER DOG

PARIS, Aug. 6.-What is known as
the "Vesinet mystery Is now the talk
of all Paris It refers to the disap-
pearance of a well-to-do land owner
from a pretty villa and park in the
suburbs of Vesinet. Tragic suppo-
sitions of crime have been made, side
by side with suggestions of a romantic
escapade, and at the present moment
neither the magistrate nor the public
knows what theory to adopt. One fact
is certain, and that is that the villa
has been without its master since the
end of March last. A valise of his
with which he usually Travelled, Is still
in the hallway, containing his tooth
brush, comb, soap and shaving uten-
sils Some days before March 80 he had
gone to Belgium. On March 80 the
valise apparently returned without its
master A faithful dog and an equally
faithful Flemish servant boy have
been treating the valise ever since with
reverential respect, not daring to move
1t, and even the magistrates have LETT
1t in the hall, where 1t was shown to
them.
When the Crippen case came to light
in London people here Jumped to the
conclusion at once that they had
similar case in Versnet. Even the
police took up that theory and looked
for a coal cellar with a corpse, but
none was found there. The villa has
been searched from top to bottom,
the garden or park has been rummaged
for an indication, a clever police dog
was requisitioned, but all to no avail.
The dog, after smelling over every inch
of ground, stopped and barked before q
well some fifty feet deep. A man was
sent down the well, searched the bot
tom and found nothing. It was then
7 1aA AnI hD6 NJ
q man had been f1shed out of the Seine
recently. but when that point was In
vestigated it was learned that since
March 80 last quite number of corpses
had been taken out of the river, none
of which had been identified as likely
to be that of the missing lana owner
of Vesinet.
ENTERTAINs WOMAN
Some time before his disappearance
the owner of the villa had invited
friend to his place. The friend came.
as many friends had come berore, and
was accompanied by a lady. The own
er offered them splendid hospitality
and then went on a journey, from
which he has not yet returned. The
friend and the lady stayed for month
or two, and, meanwhile, another friend
came to the villa, and all of them
stayed on together enjoying their So
journ immensely.
On March 80 the Flemish servant boy
went as usual to fetch his masters
letters. There were none, but there
was a letter for himself, saying that
his mother was very i'll in Flanders.
and asking him to go to her at once.
Before he started he looked in the hall
and saw that his masters valise was
there. My master has returned, he
thought and, apparently, he at once
in ENIanderS On reach
ing his native village he was astonished
to find that his mother was not i'll,
and nobody had ever written to him
that she was. He returned to Ves1net
and found his masters valise still in
the hall. At the same time lady at
Saint German, who had been guest
at the villa, was writing to it's owner
with proposals for it's purchase. The
question had been discussed between
them and was to be settled at the end
of March. She wrote and wrote, and
got no answer. Then she wired, and In
reply she received a telegram to the
effect that he would soon return.
April and May thus passed. The three
friends thought it time to put an end
to the anonymous hospitality they were
receiving and took their departure, two
of them going to Belgium and third
somewhere near Paris. Since the case
of the disappearance has been made
public and an inquiry started by the
authorities, all three have telegraphed
from various parts that they were
quite willing to give what information
they have about the owner of the villa.
one of them stated that the owner had
told him he had some money matters
10 settle in connection with property
he owned in the Tyrol, and that he
would soon return. This is about all
the information he can give. and he
supposed all the time that he was In
the villa that his friend was some
where in Austria about his business.
So confident everybody seemed to be
that nothing strange was happening
that the villa was left open all this
time. Not gate was shut in the park,
not a door bolted in the house, and
anyone, in fact, could walk In and in
spect the premises as If it were public
ground. The authorities have now
taken up the interest OF the owner and
have given orders for the property to
be guarded.