The Monmouth inquirer., 1918-02-07

on the wall Win MS DlOOu. I1dIlLussu
ist.' The missing word was Vernon.
when Vernon, who was on the
watch for Mr.. Morris. saw from his
window that the latter was accompa-
MED by myself and M. Duvall. he at
once suspected trouble, and ded from
the hotel while we were interview
ing Mile. Mercier.
He made at once for his own
apartment, OF which he, of course,
had the key, and as he could appear
as himself, he posed as Charles Yer
non, his brother At this stage of the
proceedings, he tells me, he trimmed
down the long black beard he had
been wearing, so as to change his
disguise and render himself more
youthful in appearance. At his apart
ment he again changed his clothes,
putting on one of his own suits which
he found there.
He could undoubtedly have es-
capped in perfect safety at this time,
but he had made up his mind to get
the franc piece from Mile. Mercier,
and he wrote her letter, decoying
her to his apartment, on the pretext
of buying the coin from her for
thousand dollars. He also called to
his assistance a woman of his ac-
uuaintance, clever crook, whom he
had known both in Paris and in New
York.
81 went to see Mile. Mercier, dis
guised as a teacher of music substi-
tuted the worthless franc for the real
one, and accompanied her to Vernon's
apartment.
Il very foolishly went on the as
sumption that he was alone, and for
that mistake both Mile. Mercier and
myself came near paying with our
lives. I also made the mistake OF
taking the real franc along with me.
1 prevented them. from securing it,
only to let it. unknown to them, again
fall into their hands.
81 had, however, led Vernon to be
Heve that had placed the coin in the
safe at the Hotel Rochambeau. Think
ing that he had safely disposed of me,
he attempted to recover the coin by
breaking open the safe at the hotel.
Again he was disappointed.
"He and his companion now began
to realize that they were in danger
Gus predicament. All his plans had
gone wrong. He was wanted in New
York for the murder of Reinhardt
and so far as he knew, for that of
Mile. Mercier and myself as we'll He
thereupon hit upon a bold plan. He
decided to go aboard the Richelieu in
the early morning, as though he were
a passenger, and by locking himself
in the storeroom in which he was
afterward found. pretend that he had
been there ever since the robbery OF
the safe a week before.
''In order to carry out this plan he
was obliged to purchase, early The
next morning. the demijohn or water
bottle and the tins of food which were
found in his room. He
states he did this about eight o'clock
that day, at a small store near the
waterfront, and at the same time Fe-
cured a canopener.
He had the articles wrapped up 10
paper, went to a vacant lot near by,
opened the tins of food, threw away
the paper, Then he walked boldly
aboard the steamer, unnoticed in the
hustle Of her approaching departure.
descended to the storeroon, Of vhich
he had & key, entered, locked the
door, and waited until the vessel
should sail. The false beard which
he wore until he entered the room he
subsequently destroyed by burning it
His whole story about being i'm
prisoned in the storeroom, as well as
about his twin brother, was lie. /
have aseertained that he has no
brother. He certainly conducted the
affair cleverIy. however. since his ac-
sount was believed by every one. l,
myself. should, no doubt, have be-
deved it, had it not been for the scar
upon his forearm. The matter of his
shaving Immediately after his re-
lease, and of the way in which the
meat-tins appeared to have been open
ed, were not sufficient in themselves
to have discredited him. He had ar
ranged for the woman to sail on the
same vessel. but after their pursuit by
the police he did not feel at all sure
that she would be able to do so.
when he found that she had, and
later discovered that she had regain
ed possession of the missing franc,
he concluded that, after all. his luck
had turned.
You all doubtless know how Cap
tain Bonnot refused to permit his ar
rest at Havre, and insisted upon plac-
ing me in confinement instead, but
luckily was able to get word to my
assistants in time to have him fol-
lowed 20 Paris.
"The woman stopped in Havre for
several hours. l had her followed as
well. and learned, through the sweet
heart Of Musset, the facts concerning
his departure for America with Rein
hardt. Vernon had sent his woman
companion to her, to tell her that
Musset was dead, and thus prevent