The Bismarck tribune. [volume] (Bismarck, N.D.) 1916-current, 1934-08-14
Writer Advances Hypothesis
IN PRlNctE MuRip;ER
Asserts Councillor Is Alive
Is This Perfect Crime?'

Is This Perfect Crime?'
Here ends, as far as I am concern.
ed. the story of the unsolved Prince
murder-mystery. 10 date there Is nc
solution. To date there have been nc
clues that can be called such. The
only facts of which the investigators
are sure Is that the body was found
strewn on the railroad TRACES near
Dion, that Prince went to Dion on q
false excuse, and that he has disap-
peared. All the rest Is hypothesis.
Have We run into the perfect crime?
Is there MALTA or other organi-
cation so powerful that it consistently
embroils the work of the police?
Now. since CASTOR Doumergue has
taken over the reins OF government,
since the commission Of AZ unim-
peachable men has revealed the inef-
ficiency, If not the dishonesty. Of the
Surete, there has been a change OF
order. Doumergue has abolished the
Surete Generate. He has created an
other similar force, now called the
Surete Nationwide, hoping to 1nstill
new life and vigor into the defaulting
unit. All France Is waiting to see
what these new-blooded men will do.
But France, thus far, has been dis
appointed.
The commission. for instance, in
terrogated Counsellor Pressard, who
was so much involved In the post
ponements Of Stavisky's 1925 trial.
Day by day, as they cross-examined
him. his case became blacker. He
appeared to be the only person on
the horizon who had sufficient motive
to desire Princes removal-the mo-
tive Of protection.
And yet, only few weeks ago,
these unimpeachable men, despite all
the evidence they seemed to pile up
against the Juror. suddenly voted to
absolve him Of all blame.
1t seems incomprehensible. It Is
incomprehensible to the French pub
lie. The little people" want that
murderer caught. They want every
body who, purpoeely or through negli-
gence, aided Stavisky and his opera
tions punished and made an example
OF. Beware, CASTOR Doumergue.
There Is still dynamite In the Stavis-
ky-Prince business.
For over a month no effort was
made to locate the murderer OF Albert
Prince. Newspapers screamed at the
department Of justice. as newspapers
will. Papa" Cheron. Justice Minister,
said nothing and continued to look
like Canta Claus while his new police
force was being formed. On June /
the news was released that the sleuths
We're again on the trail-this time
without Inspector Bony. self-appoint-
ed Sherlock Holmes. He lost his Job.
Like continuous movie thriller, the
little people" are waiting for the
next episode. That cell is waiting in
the Sante. Monsieur de Paris is oil
ing his guillotine. That man has got
to be found. I might almost say that
some man has got to be found, ar
rested. tried, condemned and behead-
ed. That will seal the Stavisky case.
The public wants blood. That same
French public has not forgotten the
Place de Greye where the best pub
lie spectacle was to see-free Of
charge-a man drawn in two direc-
tions at once by Percheron horses,
quartered and broken on the wheel.
The scaffolding on the Boulevard
Arago is less pretentious. The little
people" Of today are less blood-thirs-
ty. But they want that man caught.
Writer Advances His Hypothesis
I am going to close this history with
an hypothesis for the new Surete Ma
tionale to folloW-in case they want
it. As a newspaper man who was
present in Paris through most of the
Stavisky-Pr Prince affair. I feel entitl-
ed to an opinion. And this, really, is
less than an opinion. Call it bunch.
At least nobody yet has ever thought
OF 1t this way.
Here it is:
At the beginning Of Chapter Thir-
teen Of this story I emphasized that
the only Identification Of the body
found strewn along the tracks at the
Combe- Aux-Fees, was the recognition
Of the fragments OF the back Of his
head by one Of the counsellor,s
friends.
Now I claim and hold that any
,, American police detective will agree
with me, that Is no Identification.
Secondly, they found no bullet
hole, no trace Of knife wounds, and
no conclusive signs of foul play.
Thirdly, nobody has yet explained
away the fake phone call, the fact
that Nine. Charles Prince was not
| i'll, the fact that Prince himself mis-
quoted DR.. Ehringer's name, calling
him Hallinger, although he knew him
we'll, and especially the telegram
Prince sent home to his wife saying
that he was going to clinic. There
was no clinic, no such doctor, no sick
woman.
What is my hypothesis?
That Albert Prince Is not dead!
Insurance companies all over the
world will testify that substitutions
Of bodies have been made before, and
that frequently. Suppose Prince
himself were involved In the Stavisky
scandals. Have we not had, already
three suicides and several attempted
ones by persons involved? And who
will deny that 1t IS better to appear
dead, to lead new life under an
other name, breaking all connections
than to blow your brains out?
Mind you, do not claim this Il
the case. I claim that this hypothe.
sis was never considered, and that l,
Is the business Of the police to con.
slider all hypothesis.
In fact. It could have happened
that way.
So watch the newspapers.
Copyright Mcclure Newspaper Syn
dicate)