The Bismarck tribune. [volume] (Bismarck, N.D.) 1916-current, 1934-07-09
BY FULTON THATCHER GRANT
CHAPTER ONE

man, now called Monsieur K for want
of a better name. They will convict
him of the murder Of Magistrate Al
bert Prince. There Is cell waiting
for him in the Sante prison on the
Boulevard Arago. This prison IS an
unpleasant place, intended Tor un-
pleasant people. It's courtyard houses
an interesting machine. invented by
DR.. Guillotin about 1880. A matter
of-fact individual. known Familiarity
as Monsieur de Paris, will set this
machine up, one day. in the middle
of the Boulevard Arago. At four
o'clock some morning he will release
a heavy knife in the machine. and the
head Of Monsieur x will drop into a
basket. The scene will be witnessed
by few officials, some unlucky news
paper men and a few morbidly cur
ious spectators. This Is called Jus
tice." The scene will be the last act
in what is popularity called the
Stavlky Scandal. After that, cur
tains.
The only catch is that the French
police, two sections or services OF IT,
cannot find their man. Prince was
killed in an especially brutal manner
on February 81, 1884. After four
months and more Of investigation
during which they arrested no FEWER
than six suspects-all OF whom have
been subsequently released-the po'
lice Of France are just as near to
catching the murderer as they were
on February %. And no nearer.
The murder of Albert Prince Is
merely number eight in list OF ten
deaths either directly associated with
or indirectly caused by the rollicking,
swashbuckling, scandalous adventures
of one Serge Alexandra Stavisky.
Everyone who reads the newspapers
has heard something of Stavisky, but
because the world excitement of these
extraordinary times causes more high
powered news to be printed daily on
pulp-stock than ever before in his
tory, they amt as the saying goes
heard nothin' yet" The real truth
about that dapper crook and his hand
iwork, the story which has escaped
Mr.. Gentle Reader In the morass Of
our own quite sufficient troubles, Is
so fantastic that it might make q
novel from the combined pens Of
Messrs. Poe, Wells. Doyle. Wallace
and Hammett. But 1t really happen
ed, believe it or not.
Path Of Empire
Take look at the facts, a brief re-
sumo. Just one little sWindle-the
doctoring of a bond-issue on the city
Of Bayonne-su the neat sum
of $4O,OOO000 from the thrifty Little
People" of France. The total OF Sta.
visky's operations in Germany, Swift.
erland. Belgium. Spain, Britain, Hol-
land, South America and France
brought that nifty figure up to ap-
proximately one billion dollars. Anc
the whole truth is not yet known.
Nor is that all. He planned to buile
an empire in South America OF which
he. naturally, was to be emperor. He
bribed his way into the political anc
administrative system Of France tt
so great All extent that no less thar
forty high officials, including foul
states ministers, three senator's. sew
eral deputies, judges of the supreme
court and the head of the nationa
and Paris police, have been dragged
into his scandals. Many are in Jail
He played a major part in an in
ternational spy-ring. He caused muir
ders to be committed. He stole docu
ments and evidence against him on
Of the very files Of the courts. H
was protected by the very police tina
were supposed to catch him and hi
kind. He enjoyed the aid and tn
protection of maffia-or at leas
some sore of powerful and mysteriou
organization for crime-Which IN
cluded among its members, not deni
zens of the underworld, but dignitar
les of the state. A name cannot,
yet. be given to this criminal com
monwealth, but its existence has bee
revealed beyond any doubt.