The Warwickshire Herald. — 1892-12-15 (Birmingham, West Midlands, England)

TRAGIC DEATH OF A FORGER.  A tragic scene has been euacted in a quiet,aristocretin looking house in the Boulevard Port Royal, Paris. At 8 o'clock in the morning four men.dressed as artisans, entered the house,stating that they had come to do some repairs. M. Angel Desblanc, the master of the house,met them in the drawing-room. One of them was proceeding to explain that they were detectives, when Desblanc suddenly drew a revolver and blew out his brains. On hearing the report of the revolver a beautiful woman, scarcely dressed, rushed into the room, but staggered back thandersterick at the sight of the four detectives and the corpse. Desblanc was an accomplished and successful forger. One of his methods of swindling was to buy from thieves stolen and consequently unnegotiable bonds. He possessed a large stock of false Government and official stamps, and when he obtained the bonds he changed the numbers and passed them on to one of his brokers. His favourite figure was £4,000. In this way, as far as is already known to a certainty, he has obtained over £120,000. He has committed similar frauds in several other European capitals. On account of previous convictions his latest crimes rendend him liable to transportation to French Guiana. The knowledge of this probably caused him to commit suicide. The Woman with whom Desblatic was living was the involuntary cause of his arrest. Her husband, a large Antwerp brewer, wrote to the Paris police, and mentioned that his wife had elop,d, carrying off a large sum of money. Detectives were put on the track of the fugitive wife, and these discovered the lover's identity. As she was entirely ignorant of her lover's career of crime, she was not arrested.  One evening. in April—the weather was breaking and it was not very cold—everyone was talking about the exodus into the country districts which takes place in May—l was sitting reading in my apartment, Shen there came a gentle knock at the door, and, without waiting for an anAwer, it opened, and I started up to see the Countess Lesinscka. She was thickly veiled and cloaked, but, throwing up her veal, disclosed a countenance of deathly pallor; lier lips quivered painfully, and it was evident that she was deeply agitated, although she maintained a dignified mien.  "Rush!" she said, speaking in English, a tongue we usually employed, since they, like must Poles, spoke several languages. and hated to sp. ak Russian unless obliged, an las I ktrw im Polish, they preferred Engli.,ll to German or French. Caine forward and laid her hand on my arm, "Doctor Alexis, I—we—are in great treuble. alas, have no into to help me—you are English and • friend, you are brave and true." She pause I a moment, and I placed her gently in a char. " thank you," with a faint smile. "I have terrible news. An hour 340 the police MA, a raid on some premises where suspicious persons have congregated; my son—my boy—is among those arrested! God knows he has been led astray ! For him nothing can as yet be done llnt they will c,me—laler, for my daughter, Ilalka. They will suspect her has, in fact, helped her brother—not in their icheinei, but to shelter him ! They will send her to Siberia. Slit care they whether she have guilty intent or not ?"  he broke down a moment, covering her face with her hands, and I—lleaven knows what I felt then at the thought of my Mika consigned to a Russian prlson ! My brain almost reeled. But the brave woman regained her composure soon, and beat forward earnestly. "Doctor," sh., said, "have you, in your pharmacopoeia, • drug which will send into a trance—a deep sleep—f“r seen two or three days? Is there such a thing ?" The request was startling; yet I caught at something of her meaning. "Madame," I said, "I do know of such a drug; it is, of course, not recognisel, and —" "Yes? What—what?" she asked, trembling. "It is a risk, Madame," I sail, gravely. She drew a deep breath. "Duith is better than SiLeria," she said in a level voice, and tonna half aside. "To you—if discovery is made, there will be not much risk; you are English, and have A powerful governiuent." "I will run any risk for you and—yours, Madame," I said, strongly. She looked at me steadily a few secon Is, then half sighed and proceeded to unfold her plan to get Has. over the and thence to some neutral State where she would be safe. The Countess had information that in two days the police would pay her a visit. And in these two days we must act so as not to arouse suspicion. The plan was ghastly and horrible enough, and I shuddered as I thought of it. And then if—if—the drug had a bad effect on Italica, and she died under it! Great Heaven! I—l, who loved her, should be her murderer! Yet, with that terror, Siberia, before my eyes, I retained my nerve and coolness. Ali! I knew, too, that I was giving up my last hops of ever calling Hansa wife. With such a tremendous claim on the Countess's gratitude, how could I, in honour, plead for the gift which, under the circumstances, would seem to be a reward that I asked in exchange for my /services P But was it not for Halka's dear sake t  I returned with the Countess to their house. HaPM I found in bitter distress about her brother, and on account of the blow to her mother. Bb€, was aware of her own danger, but thought less of that than of the misery of others. The neat day Hallo. was taken Ill; the shock of her brother's arrest .nd col:levant danger had laid iier on a sick bod, and all in • hurry her lu tiwr bc“t for me. "r do not trust the Russian doctors," said she, "and there is no Pole. Sol consult you, Dr. Alexis.' I attended my lovely patient for two days, anti on the evening of the second day a servant rushed into the room saying that the police were coming, were here, would search the house, kc. My heart seemed to stand still: the moment was come! I bade the CoUntess Lezinecka go down and receive the officer, and keep him as long as she could, and as soon as she was gone I took from my yea  1111.1  palest • 'mall bottle. Balks WIN herself In the (Ctiyht.) , bed, with • half terrified look. ' itOlt