El Paso herald. (El Paso, Tex.) 1901-1931, 1911-06-22
The Inlaginery Sight
BY Binet valmer.

AK >OU want me to tell a story,
said the famous criminal law
- yer Lebregue with smile.
Are YOU really not tired Of all the
criminal stories you read in every pa
per? Well I will tell you a story
He settled down comfortably in the
huge arm chair in which his old little
body almost disappeared.
1T was many years ago. had been
sent temporarily as a judge to the lit
tie town Ions lie Saunier in the Juras.
You don't know Ions lie Saunier? It
is a pleasant and honest town. Too
hC1eSt- Never murder, never a bur-
glary or even q petty theft. The jails
were empty. we had nothing to do, and
I was terribly bored. 1t was my first
experience and. like q young man who
goes hunting the first time 1 was anx-
ious to run across game as soon as
possible.
"One April morning. remember it
was beautiful. sunny morning, we
were stold by a gendarme that an old
woman, mother Ioudron, who lived
alone in an old cottage at the EIDE of
a wood. had not been seen leaving her
house for more than "a hours. The
peasants had worried about their
money and had knocked and called,
and, when there was no answer, they
had tried the door It was locked, and
they had come to ask us to burst 1T
open, feeling quite sure that old moth
er Goudron must be dead
81 dare say that I was the first who
suspected she had been murdered.
When 1 suggested this. the gendarnes
and the mayor shrugged their Shout
ders. They told me that mother Gou-
dron was 20 years old, that she had
probably died from a stroke of apo
plexy that there were no murderers at
Ions lie Saunier, and that, as far as
anyone could remember, no crime had
ever been committed in the district.
but, being anxious to test my method.
I asked all about her past and her hab-
it's, and, while we hurried through the
little town, I was told that mother
Goudron had no relatives nor known
heirs, that she lived in poverty though
she owned considerable property, farms
and vineyards. the crop from which
she sold every year. The solution i'm
mediately seemed plain to me: The
hoard of the miser had tempted some
evildoer.
AT a turn of the road we caught
sight of her house. It is necessary
that 1 give a description of 1t that
you may understand what happened.
It was situated on a hill in a yard
surrounded by four walls, with a very
solid gate. The house was in the CEN
ter of the enclosure. You could see
only the roof, for the walls. which
were at least three meters high, hid
the rest from sight
When we arrived. a crowd of peas
ants were gathered on the road, and
we discovered a ladder standing against
the wall, which was separated from
the road by deep ditch 1t was
light. frail ladder. AT the top OF 1t,
rather an unsafe place, a young boy
was sitting, looking into the yard and
gesticu1ating excitedly.
"An the peasants were staring at
him and we could hear the murmur Of
their voices as we approached. We
hurried our steps.
What is the matter? cried the
mayor.
Taking off his hat respectfully. a
peasant replied: Tt is dreadful. mon
sieur lie marie, Francois can see her
in the kitchen. She has been muir
dered. She is all covered with blood
'T sent for a locksmith to open the
gate, but suddenly I thought Of the
ladder on which the now silent Fran
co.'s was sitting.
IT have told you the ladder was
frail, and It bent when tried TO
climb 1t.
Look out somebody cried. Tt will
break
"I was already close TO Francois,
and, taking hold Of the edge Of the
wall, I raised myself to see the body.
I could see nothing. I saw the gar
den, the orchard and the kitchen door.
which was slightly ajar. but I could
see nothing of the old woman.
Where is she?' 1 asked the young
man who was next to me.
''He pointed towards the kitchen.
II could see only a shadow Of the
door on the red tiles Of the floor. It
was impossible to see anything else.
Il turned quickly towards Francois.
was so close to him that could see
his pulse beating under the skin of
his face and the twitching of the mus
cles of his heavy jaws.
10 You mean to say you can see