Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1927-03-27

do you like a good joke? Hers
Is one. You wanted information on
the cocaine ring. had it, Your
police tried to make me give Il to
you. But / was so terrified Of death,
which the gang threatened, that T.
was not afraid of your threats and did
not tell. Whereupon you decided to
play a little joke on me. You ror
Nine. Carbutti to pretend that she
loved me. to give me a leading part I'm
the theater, where / had been only
a despised extra
well. your little joke worked, and
l told her. out of love, what / did
not tell you out of fear. Then She
cast me out, explaining at the same
time your joke, her joke, the Joke
that life played on me. agree IL
is a good joke. And one good Joke
deserves another. So on the night OF
November Z / stole into Mime. Car
BUTTS apartment and waited till she
came in from her performance of
'Zaza--it was a joke as IL perform
ance.
when she saw me, pretended
that came to kill her, but had lost
courage. She sat down on the couch
and. leaning her head back, roared
with laughter at my pleading 10 be
taken back into her love. She, OF
course, did not know still kept my
knife. When YOU found her. her head
was still in the posture OF daughter
But she laughs no longer.
Il had still my joking account 10
square with you, gentlemen of the
police. So l sent the half-wit TO con.
Tess TO the murder. You threw him
out. Then ] felt it was safe TO CON
Tess the murder myself. I did it at
the banquet OF police chiefs.
Was not that good joke?
but L am tired of 1t, as / am tired
OF iife itself. Come and get me at the
following address:
There was a rushing of detectives
ana reporters in taxis To the address
given. "A Janitress met them.
Yes, the strange little monsieur
waited till half an hour ago. He did
not tell me for whom he was waiting.
But he said that l was to give this
address to any one who asked for
him"
All the way across Paris rushed the
police, and the reporters. too. while
their newspapers waited breathlesslv
for the flash over the wires that would
tell Of the capture of this remarkable
murderer. But when the new address
was reached d little boy was found
with note in his hands, ito be given
to lot of people who would come
rushing UP to the house,
Il apologize" the note read. "But
1 want to say goodbye to a dear friend
and have to hurry off to -
Still another address on the other
side of Paris was given.
\ X *
1T became apparent by now that a
practical joker was at work. But
there was such circumstantial evil
dence in the letter of it's genuineness
that the police dared not risk letting
the joker escape without a thorough
investigation. So the whole crowd
dashed off again to the new address.
as the trail was so hot.
This time note was found pinned
on the door of a little apartment near
the top of Montmartre.
Sorry again. Have to find my
friend, who seems to be as lively as a
flea But If you think am still play
ing a joke, that is your risk. i will
wait for you in the middle of Pont
Neuf, the bridge on which I have
dreamed so many vain dreams as I
stood looking over my beloved Seine.
If you come, you can have me. Life
is too huge a joke for me to bear it
Here half the reporters quit the
chase, convinced that the whole thing
was a good joke, but getting stale. So
these went back to write what they
knew of Ii. The other reporters, to-
gether with a squad of police, piled
into taxicab and rode pell-mell for
Pont Neuf.
Traffic was not great on the bridge
as the taxicab whirled up. So that a
lone figure, standing in the middle of
the span. apparently waiting for some
one, was visible for some distance.
It's the man who announced him
self at the police banquet a reporter
cried.
The slight man with the quizzical
smile waited until the foremost of the
police was within 10 feet of him. Then
with a terrific effort he got to the
broad stone parapet of the bridge and
stood up.
Good bye, you joke Of world! It's
/ who play one on your
With that he launched out into
space and shot down into the water.
A policeman who had won medals
for rescues from drowning vaulted
over the parapet and dove after Benet.
But he came up without him.
1t was not till late that afternoon
that the body was found. But when a
policeman tried to lift it out of the
water he was astonished at it's great
weight. 1t was then that Benets
really last joke was discovered. He
had weighted his pockets with stones.
THE END.
Copyright 1927