Audubon County journal. (Exira, Iowa) 1884-1993, 1915-05-06
homeward, leaving him to drop grad
ually behind


the crowd separated from each other,
every one going in his own direction.
On my part was careful not to allow
myself to be joined by any chance ac-
quaintance, so that / soon found my
self walking alone, though + fancied
could hear the cautious footsteps Of
Montalembert logging me from be-
hind
Carefully refraining from any back
ward glance, | pursued my way till
came to long and rather narrow
street which led directly into the one
in which my house was situated. As
turned into it, l saw something which
caused my heart to beat violently. Adj
vancing towards me in the obscurity,
from the far end of the street, was the
figure of man. The next moment the
moon penetrated the clouds which had
mufled it, and l perceived that the
approaching figure was my cripple of
the night of the murder.
"Peering up into my face with the
one eye which was not hidden by the
bandage, the fellow commenced to de-
| mand money in the usual whine of his
class. affected to hesitate, stopped.
and put my hand into my pocket At
the same moment my intent ears
caught light, swift football on the
road behind me.
II can hardly describe how the rest
happened. i felt something strikeime
violently in the back, then came a
crash Of splintered steel, an oath, and
loud cry in Montalembert's voice as
he came running up from the rear.
Leaving him to deal with the ruffian
behind me, sprang forward and
clutched the one in front.
AS had anticipated, his lameness
was feint. Instead, found myself
engaged with an active, powerful man,
who let fall his crutches, and struggled
so desperately in my grasp that 1t was
all could do to prevent his escape till
Montalembert came to my assistance.
"The other man, it appears, had
been too quick for him. He had taken
to his heels theimoment he heard Mon
talembert approaching, and being a
good runner, had soon made pursuit
hopeless. Nor did / ever find out who
he really was, though / imagine him
to have been mere subordinate in
strument.
with regard to his companion it
was different. By our united efforts
we succeeded in securing him and
dragging him into the house a prison
er. There, his bandages torn off and
some false hair removed, his: identity
was quickly disclosed 1t was the
chief of police himself!
Il need not repeat the expressions
which addressed to him, and which
4 he received with obstinate silence. But
1t did not take me long to realize that
1t was useless to talk of Furnishing him
for his crimes. The only advantage I
could gain from my victory was to ex-
tort confession of the real authors
and motives of this villainy.
4 "As soon as had exhausted myself
In reproaches, therefore. said to him:
But 1t is not you with whom am
concerned, but those from whom you
received your instructions. Your fate
! is In your own hands. Tell me the
whole Of the cjrcumstances frankly.
and you shall 60 Unframed; Tefuse,
and will take you back to the spot
where you attempted my life and shoot
you down as might have done at the
time
He turned pale at this threat, which
he had evidently not expected. These
gentry who undertake to play fast and
loose with the lives of others, always
attach an extraordinary value to their
own miserable existences.
M. lie Baron, swear to you that
am speaking the truth when say that
l know absolutely nothing of this af-
ra1r beyond the orders which re-
ceived. Those orders were to waylay
M. Starovitch and you, and if either on
you should be wearing white thread
on his back. to kill him. You know
yourself that the first time, two nights
ago, let you go, because my agent
failed to see the white thread; and
have been severely blamed for it since.
i The thread must have come Off
I Yes, took 1t off that night, be-
cause 1t was not convenient to me to
deal with you them said, seeking to
Impress him with the idea that knew
everything. But now you have not
yet told me from whom you received
these orders you speak Of
i Il took out my revolver and laid it
on the table.
We'll, then, if must say it-from
Prince George himself
Thank you, that is enough. Now
as soon as you have written that down
and signed it in the presence of this
gentleman and myself, you may go
home
Ten minutes later he had gone,
leaving me in possession of a docu-
ment which i regarded as not less val
liable than the papers entrusted to me
by poor Starovitch.
i Afterwards, the affair passed out
of my hands. You may imagine that /
11nI !. u u.