Year: 1869

these evidences Of some frightful struggle


they found four bright NapoleOns-d'or, q


blood-stained earring set with topazes


several silver spoons and two bags con


tanning some four thousand francs in gold


The money appeared to have been taken


from small iron cash-box that stood open


on the bed


On chair lay an open razor covered


With blood, and in the CRATE were found


three long, blood matted locks of human
hair.


There had evidently been both robbery
and murder. But where were the yic-
tims-where the perpetrators Of the
double crime? The FAST nings of the
doors and windows were apparently in


capped through these. For moment al


were Observation-Disclosures. But the
hair found in the CRATE suggested to Mu,
set that perhaps the murderer might have
fed by the chimney, Examining the


CRATE once more, he found on the hearth,


plate heap of newly fallen SCOT. He
crawled into the fireplace and felt up the
chimney. - E -


"Ah?' he exclaimed, "here is some
thing soft ! It is hair-the long hair Of q
woman, and my hands are wetewith some
thing. Oh, poor womani l feel her face ;
tits wet too. My God it must be blood
Her neck apd shoulders are still warm /;
but cannot stir her, she is wedged SO fast


in the chimney"


Some of the'more courageous of the by
ISLANDERS hastened to assist him. Finally,
by their united efforts, they succeeded in
withdrawing the body from the narrow
flue-a sad and frlghtful spectacle-the
mangled and dlsfigured corpse of poor
Ludmilla pEsparaye.


Her face and neck were covered with
deep scratches and round purple spots at
regular intervals There was no doubt of
it, she had been strangled, and that by
some one possessed of superhuman
strength. The marks of the ten finger
nails were plainly visible Yes, it must
have been something more than human
strength that had dragged the poor girl so
tightly into the chimney that it required
the united efforts of four men to draw
her body out again.


But what had become of her mother !?
At least, where was her corpse, for no one
expected to find her alive.


Meanwhile, the police bad been alarmed
and were now flocking to the scene In
vain was the house thoroughly explored
from cellar to garrett Not a trace of
either Madame PEsparaye or the muir
derer.


At length, on the pavement of the back
ward or court, they found bloody, man
gled heap, in which could scarcely be dis
covered resemblance to the human form.
It was the body of the miserable fortune
teller, crushed out of all shape, every limb
broken, and with frightful cash across
the throat--a cash that must have been
made by powerful hands, for as they has
tened to lift the inanimate mass, the head
of the poor woman was found to have
been completely severed from her body.


The physicians summoned to examine
into the case declared that Ludmilla PEs-
paraye had been strangled by one or more
persons, but that her mother had been
knocked down by powerful blows
from some blunt instrument, either
of wood or iron, and her head had then
been severed from her body, by agstrong a
and dexterous hand, with the razor found,
womans bed chamber, s....--


Again and again the police explored
every nook and corner of the house, but
not the slightest clue to the mystery of the
affair rewarded their efforts. The famous
police of Paris were for once Z ompletely
helpless. The Rue Morgue, tie quarter
st. Roche, indeed the entire city, became
feyerishly excitedover this tragedy, as in
explicable as it was terrible.


The great question was, "Who Is the
murderer" ar,- ,n.,.


Now Madame pEsparaye for several
years past had had for her banker Mon
sieur jules Migrand, of the firm of Mi
grand & Son, in the Rue Deloraine. The
police Thought it necessary, therefore, to
take the deposition of Monsieur Jules Mi
grand.


The banker de, osed that Madame / Es-
paraye possessed q fortune of ten thousand
francs, and had been connected with him
IN business for eight years; that she very
frequently brought her savings to- him to-
be added to her capital and that three
days before her death she had come to him
and drawn out the sum of four thousand
francs in gold She had notstated for what
purpose she wanted the money He had oil
rected his clerk, Adolphe lie Bon, to accom-
pany her home with the money. He knew
nothing further in regard to the unfortu
nate woman. @f Hff1 GsgE IN


Of course, the police now found in Mon
sieur lie Bon an object for their special ex
animation. They determined to give that
young gentleman a pretty thorough sitting.
The poor fellow, for the first time in his
life in the presence of the police, their
dark and sinister faces infusing species
of refined torture into their searching ques-
tions, turned pale with fright, and stood
with chattering teeth and trembling knees
before the dread tribunal. His answers
were given hesitatipgly, but he finally
stammered out that he had accompanied
Madame pEsparaye home, carrying two
bags for her containing four thousand
francs, and that at the door the madame,
thanking him, had taken one of the bags
and mademolselle the other, and then
both had very politely bid him goodbye.
As he hoped for salvation, this was al he
knew about the matter. i & }asI.A


Now, the young fellow certainly
seemed innocent enough, and so tim,
orous that it was doubtful whether
he could have mustered up sufficient
to decapitate chicken.
Still, after certain. preliminary huns
and "ha's," and various profound refiec-
tions as to the depth of still waters and
the shOrt-SlgnteuneS5 OF Lndnklnu III seu-
er.l, the police arrived at the satisfactory
conclusion that it could not result in the
least Inconvenience to them if Monsieur
le Bon were to be kept in close confiue-
ment for a few weeks. 49,


And so Adolphe was taken to prison
for further examination. In vain did the
torture him with sharp cross
in vain did the police trace
out, step by step, every act of the clerk
on the day of the murder; not the slight