The Washington times., 1922-04-23
PARIS, April 13.

THERE have been poison pen mys-
teries" in many parts of the world.
but not one probably which sur
passes in gravity and interest the now
famous Tulle poison pen mystery"
This mystery has terrorized the ancient
city of Tulle for nearly six years, and now
it is puzzling the whole OF France, and
will probably continue TO do so, although
some progress has been made toward its
solution.
The Tulle mystery has caused one Off.
cial to die insane and one woman to com
NIT suicide. Many other deaths are at.
tributed to it more or less directly. Three
persons are known to have been driven
insane by ii, while 1t is generally believed
to be concerned in other cases OF insanity.
The interest and trouble excited by the
mystery have spread far beyond the city
of Tulle. The national government has
taken the matter up and has disciplined
one important official for improper meth
ods of conducting his investigation-for
resorting to the services of a spiritualistic
me lium in fact.
taken up the matter and has discussed it
from the most profound viewpoint. 1t has
discussed the causes that lead persons to
write poison pen letters" and to what
extent such episodes may be contagious
in a community. 1t discussed the possi-
bility of unravelling the mystery by the
dream analysis method OF Freud, or by
the philosophical theories of Bergson the
FrenChman.
The mystery is said to have had its
origin in the ancient city of Tulle just be
fore the war, but it has been a matter OF
serious concern ever since the armistice.
Tule is the place which gave its name to
the well-known dress material, and up to
the advent of the mystery it was a very
quiet, picturesque, prosperous and con-
servative little city.
One day a prominent citizen received a
letter warning him that his wife was car.
ryinC on an affair with an important local
official of the national government. The
letter was printed in capital letters to
disguise the writing and signed Tigers
Eyes" and was accompanied by a crude
drawing of a pair of eyes to illustrate the
signature.
These letters began TO grow more fire.
uuont. Everybody in the town began to
fear he would receive one Always there
was the same signature and crude drawing
of a tigers eyes and the disguised hand
writing.
Hardly man or woman of any impor-
tanco in the town failed to receive letter
that made him or her desperately unhappy
or murdcrously wrathful. People dreaded
to see the letter-carrier in the morning for
fear that he would bring a message that
would wreck their lives. They even dread.
ed to venture out, TO meet their friends or
to go to church. Husbands were ashamed
to look at their wives and wives at their
husbands
NJ. Auguste Gilbert one Of the officials
connected with the Prefecture OF the Cor
roze. the department in which Tulle is
situated. became insane when his wife's
reputation was attacked by the letter
writer and few days later died
This tragedy was shortly followed by the
hopeless insanity of a second official, the
mental arrangement of third and the
nervous breakdown of a fourth. All OF
them had been attacked by the anonymous
lcttcr.writer. 1t is explained that these
men had been subject to a terrible strain
during the war and were in a condition
which made them susceptible to mental
injury
Tho strange pscudonym, Tigers Eyes"
used by the writer, and the ideas II ex
cited, had a great effect in wrecking their
minds. They felt that they were nces-
sanity pursued by the evil vengeful eyes.
In order TO make the evil effect of the
messages more far reaching many of them
were not addressed to the persons do
famed, but to Others who were requested
10 disseminate the ISLANDERS. II is be-
ieved that one effect OF the messages was
to set up a kind Of mania in many per
sons OF weak and depraved mentality and
cause them to produce flood of similar
letters,