The Washington times., 1922-11-12
PARIS, Oct. 2S.

HE recent theft of 100000 in
bonds and more money in gold and
Il notes from the vaults of the import
n.y. paris branch post office Of the Rue
%?".crarguoS furnished a grave problem
fcr solution to the Paris police
For this was, evidently, only on" coup
in a long series Of da"ng rohNcries
planned by the same mind crimes that
had rifled the treasures of fAnIS, mu-
scums, churches, post offices and great
private mansions.
It was now clear to the keen detectives
that behind the actual criminals was "a
master mind" a nan Of science and
organizing power, driving his hirciNgS to
crime, gathering the spoil, alternately
terrifying them and winning their aff"c-
ton: supplying them with money and
with narcotics, if necessary; protecting
them and controlling them.
The detectives, with much difficulty,
found the trail of some ordinary criminals
concerned in the post office re very, but
even if they fixed the crime upon these
men their task would have been only one
quarter done.
Their duty was to find ''thc master
mind" and that is what M. Faralicq, the
clever chief detective of the city of Paris,
and his able assistants have done.
From one of the common burglars they
learned about a middleman of crime, one
Genser. who was by no means common
burglar, but yet was far from having the
intelligence and wealth necessary for "a
master mind" Then, by patiently watch
ing Genser, they finally unearthed the
"master."
And this proved to be no less person
(, An the Baron de Rcith dc Bailcncourt,
generally known as Baron Ecith. one OF
the best known financicrs of Paris, an
associate of French and American mil
liosaires, the friend and hcncfactor OF
several of the pretticst actresses in Paris,
the posseSsor of a great town mansion
and, beautiful chateau in the country,
owner of half dozen motor cars amt
racing stable, collector of art treasures,
an organizer of daring stock operations
and corners
The Baron de Rcith, detectives say,
had lived in splendor from the proceeds
of organized crime, with hundreds OF
common criminals working for him, but
only seeing him at respectful distance
as ne sat surrounded by agents and subor-
dinates. 1t was through such agents as
Censor that he conveyed his orders.
Baron dc Rcith's legitimate financial
business had for some years been on the
down grade, hut he found organized
crime far more profitable. His banking
office. in the heart of the financial quar-
ter. where everybody else was n wealthy
banker, sta TX broker or promoter, made
splendid headquarters for his work OF
criminal direction, and an excellent ca
mouflage. Nobody would suspect that
burglary was being planned in banker
office. Everybody knows that financial
honesty is the first requisite OF genuine
financier.
Thus, through these clever detectives,
tho publc is at last convinced that the
master mind" of crime, so much exploited
Inv novelists, paywrights and motion pic
ture writer's, really exists. These i'm
apitative writer's have long given us pic
lures revealing the doings of great organ-
. igers of crime--mcn of tremendous sc'en.
tifie and mental power and utter lack OF
morality who direct the operations of ordi-
nary criminals and live luxuriously in the
highest society on their enormous gains.
There was the wonderful DIR. Moriarity,
NJ the "Sherlock Holmes" stories, who
directed vast criminal operations from an
underground fortress, surrounded by pri-
vats v Telephones, flasks of thermite and
oxvhvdrogen, and all the other necessary
i,nnlements of scientific burglary. The
ex2stence of this unseen director long
baffled the police.
Then there was the "master criminal
Of the "Arsene Lupn" stories, who
moved In the highest French circles.