The Springfield herald., 1912-11-29

venues Mountains and spent the night
in lonely inn. He fell asleep and
had terrible nightmade. He saw
the innkeeper and his wife steal up
to his bed, and. while the woman
grasped both his arms. the husband
raised long, sharp knife. and stabbed
him in the throat They then carried
him out of the room, threw him into
a deep hole behind the house. and GOV
cred him with refuse.
When M. Berard awoke, 1t took him
long time to shake of the effects OF
this fearful dream. and, even while he
dressed he still seemed to feel the
cuts in his throat
Before leaving the house where he
spent such an unpleasant night, he
gazed Ions at the host and hostess,
and could not help thinking they
looked villanous.
A year later M. Berard was ap-
pointed assistant judge in the very
district where his sleep had been so
unexpectedly disturbed, and the first
thing he learned was that the au-
thorities there We're investigating a
crime that had been committed some
y,
collected a large sum of money, had
mysteriously disappeared. and there
was no doubt that the unfortunate
man had been assassinated.
On the very day OF NJ. Berard's ar
rival the police had received an anony-
nous communication informing them
that this notary had entered GER
tain tavern, and since that moment
had not been seen. The examining
magistrate had the innkeeper and his
wife brought before him, and asked
NJ. Berard TO be present at this In
terview.
When they entered the room. M.
Berard could hardly suppress an ex-
clamation as he recognized his host
and hostess OF the country inn. His
dream rose up before him, and he
asked the magistrate to be allowed to
say something to the man and woman
who violently protested their inno-
cence.
You are the murderers." he said
land l Will even tell you how you
committed the crime. You, the man.
stabbed your victim with your large
knife, and, together, yon carried the
body to a deep hole, covering It with
refuse. 1t must be there now
The couple looked thunderstruck.
Then the wife was seized with tit
of trembling, and before another mo
ment had passed both confessed their
crime. The body OF the unfortunate
man was found in the very spot
named by M. Berard
1t is not for me to explain this
strange incident. which at the time
created tremendous sensation. All
| know Is that but for an extraordinary
dream l. too. might possibly never
have discovered who committed the
murder at Vincennes.
In January. 1891, l was informed,
early in the morning. that an old
lady, a Madame Bazire. living in a
small apartment in the Rue de Ter
rier, Vincennes, had been found
strangled
at once started for Vincennes
with NJ. Guillot, the magistrate, and
went straight to the house. where
everything had been left undisturbed.
In poorly furnished bedroom, or
namented with banners, rosaries. and
pictures of saints, lay the body of the
old creature. face downward.
The murderer had stranglad her,
and had placed on her back curious
looking old trunk. covered with boar
skins and provided with four rollers.
Never before had | seen such trunk.
Madame Bazire, well known in the
neighborhood. was a quiet, inoffensive
80
the thirty years she had resided at
Vincennes, had never missed either
morning mass or yespers. On the
morning OF the murder she had gone
to mass at nine, telling the concierge
that she would return soon, because
she wanted to put her room in order.
At first nobody in the house trou-
bled about her, as 1t was thought that
she might have come back late With
out being noticed. The next day, how
ever, the neighbors began to feel un-
easy.
Madame Bazire received every
morning lie Messenger de Sainte Philo-
meme. a little religious paper which
tells pious people what prayers they
have to say during the day. When it
was remarked that lie Messenger de
Sainte Phiomene remained un-
touched under the door, the neigh
Iors rang her bell, and receiving no
reply, sent for the police commissary.
My FIRST impression was that rob
berry had been the motive OF the
crime All the cupboards had been
ransacked and or the floor were sew
eral small bundles OF linen and
clothes-of which Madame Bazire had
a large quantity-and which the as
sassin, for some reason or other, had
left behind Only a big clock that
used to stand on the mantelpiece, and,
according to the neighbors, weighed
more than forty pounds, had disnp
peared. On the marble slab the thin
coating Of dust showed the spot where
It had stood
On the other hand. Madame Bazire's
gold watch was sun hanging on a nail
near her bed, II the murderer had
gone there bent on robbery. why did
he leave the watch, and carry off the
. cumbrou and less valuable time
piece?
Moreover. the poor lady. who had
but small annuity, was known to
have little money in the house, for