The Sun. — 1869-09-27 (London, England)

THE MURDERS NEAR PARIS.  Further particulars of tho Pantin tragedy are to hand. The young man arrested at Havre on Thursday was not Gustave Kinck, as reported by telegraph, but an Alsatian named Traupmann, a friend of the Kinck family. He is the man who, calling himself Jean Kinck, took the lodging at the Hotel du Chemin de Fer du Nord, and he is, on hill own confession, one of the murderers. This phenomena villain, adopting the current rumour of Paris, which he took artful means to propagate, says that Kinck, sen., planned the murders, and that he, Traupmann, was but an accomplice with the Kincks, father and son, in the execution. The manner of Traupmann's arrest at Havre was almost miraculous. A marine gendarme named Ferrand smelt him out as if by instinct. He had been inquiring about the cheapest way of getting out to America, and was quietly taking a glass of beer at a sailors' drinking shop, kept by one Manageneau, No. 57, Rue Royale, when Ferrand, who was going his rounds at ten in the evening, to drive tardy sailors en board their ships, saw him, and did not like the looks of him. All the gendarmes of the land service had been carefully warned to keep a sharp look out for any stranger visiting Havre who might answer tho description of the supposititious Jean Kinck of the Rue Denain. Ferrand had received no official information but what he read on the subject in the newspapers. Ferrand asked him what he was doing in Havre. "lam on the look out for work." Have you any papers ?" "No." "Well, you must have a passport." "How so? There is no need of a passort to travel in the interior of France." "That's more than I know. As you have no papers you must come with me to the police-office to establish your identity." Very well." And then the two went out together and walked along the Rue Royale, and the Quai aux Casernes. Presently Ferrand asked his quasi prisoner what was his name. Wandergenberque, to least, that is the nearest spelling that can be made out. Ferrand observed that it was a queer name, and asked him if it was really true that he had no papers. "Yes," he said, " I have some letters in German," shewing them. Ferrand was by no means satisfied with the German letters, and said he should have to take him before the Procureur Imperial, at the mention of which functionary Traupmann turned deadly pale. Continuing his insidious, but conversational examination, Ferrand said :—" You say you come for work—what is your trade ?"—" A mechanic. "Where do you live ?"—" At Roubaix." " And where are you last from?"—" Paris." The three words, mechanic, Roubaix, Paris were a revelation to Ferrand. Instead of keeping his own, counsel till he had his man in safe custody, he could not resist the temptation of giving utterance to his belief in his own penetration, and he said—" Yes, and its my belief that you left Paris by way of Pantin." Thereupon Traupmann, in despair—they were on the Pont de Lombardie at the time—took advantage of a cab passing along the carriage-road to rush to the left footway, while Ferrand was on the right, and jumped over the railing cf the bridge into the dock basin. Who will rave that man for me ? cried out Ferrand in a st:nttaian voice. In an instant one of the dock porters, a man named Haugel, who has already saved four lives, plunged into the water, and after a violent struggle—for Traupmann did his utmost to drown himself and disable Haugel —the murderer was near enough to a boat to be pulled on board by Ferrand alive. He was taken to the prison infirmary, and restoratives soon brought him to a state which the doctors said was not dangerous. For a long time he kept his head under the bed-clothes, pretending to be worse than he was, and to all questions put to him answered only, " Let me be quiet." At length he said, " I will tell what I know to-morrow." Upon this promise the Judge of Instruction let him alone for the night, and now it is known he has made a full confession as far as concerns his own guilt.