Year: 1869

gled heap, in which could scarcely be dis
covered a resemblance to the human form.
1t was the body of the miserable fortune
teller, crushed out of all shspe, every limb
broken, and with a frightfdl 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 strong
and dexterous hand, with the razor found,
as before mentioned, in the unfortunate
woman's bed chamber,


Again and again the police explored
every nook and corner of the house. but
rot the slightest clue to the mystery Of the
affair rewarded their efforts. The famous
police OF Paris were for once completely
helpless. The Rue Morgue, the quarter
ST. Roche, indeed the entire city, became
feverishly excited over this tragedy, as in
explicable as it was terrible


The great question was, Who is the
murderer ?"


Now Madame rEsparaye 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 deposed that Madame PES
n 10 Cf toy hN Nd
francs, and had been connected with him
in business for eight years; that she very
frequently brought her savings to him TO
he 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 not stated for what
purpose she wanted the money. He had di-
rected his clerk, Adolphe lie Bon, to accom-
pany her home with the money He knew
nothing further in regard 70 the unfortu-
nate woman.


OF course, the D )lice now found in Mon
sieur le Bon an object for their special ex-
animation. They determined To give that
young gentleman 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 a species
of refined torture into their searching ques-
tions, turned pale with fright, and stood
with chattering teeth aud trembling knees
before the dread tribunal. His answers
were given hesitatingly, 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 mademoIselle the other, and then
both had very politely bid him goodbye
As he hoped for salvation, this was all he
knew about the matter.


Now, the young fellow certainly
seemed limo cent enough, and so tim
orous that it was doubtful whether
he could have mustered up sufficient
courage to decapitate chicken.
Still, after certain preliminary HUNS i"
and "ha's," and various profound redec
tions as to the depth of still waters and
the short-sightedness OF mankind in gen
eral, the police arrived at the satisfactory
conclusion that it could not result in the
least Inconvenience to them if Monsieur
lie Bon were to be kept in close confne
ment for a few weeks.


Aud so AGolphe was taken to prison
for further examination. In vain did the
magistrates torture him with sharp cross
questionings; in vain did the police trace
out, step by step, every act of the clerk
on the day of the murder; not the slight
est evidence, not even new ground OF
suspicion, could be found against him.


All at once the ever open and attentive
ears of the police became sensible of a
whisper floating about on the atmosphere
Of public opinion: 1.-The murder must
have been committed by chimney
sweep none but chimney sweep could
have entered the house, with its bolted
shutters and locked doors none but a
chimney sweep could have dragged the
body of that poor girl 50 far UP the chin
ney."


"Ah, those foolish people are wiser this
time than we pupils of Monsieur Vidocq.
Why, Of course, none but chimney sweep
could have done the murder. Let us look
then, among the most suspicious chimney
sweeps of Paris"


And SO saying, the police went among
the chimney-sweeps. They found the
very one who had last swept Madame
rEspaIaye's chimney-Francois Ramel
He, they learned farther, had, on the very
day of the murder, cleaned the chimney
of house in the Rue Morgue, in the i'm
mediate neighborhood of that occupied by
madame and her daushter.


The police were in high spirits. There
could be no doubt now They had vindi-
Gated their reputation. Arresting Ramel,
they gave Adolphe le Bon his liberty.
They had more promising candidate for
the guillOtine.


But their triumph was destined to be
short lived. Nevertheless, every day they
discovered fresh grounds of suspicion
OF hn I'm nln
examination of his person, they found on
his arms and legs, but especially on his
knees, many little scratched wounds
from the finger nails of the victims of his
murderous frenzy


"How did you come by these scratches,
Francois?"


"They are not scratches every chin
ney-sweep has such marks always. We
get them from slipping and climbing in
narrow flues where the SCOT is sharp"


bah that is poor mskeshift. What
were you doing at three o'clock on the
night of the murder?"


=" was at home asleep In my bed"


"Can you prove it?"


"Oh-oh-well, really believe-I
don't lust know-but the truth is, no one
saw me in bed, for everybody in the house
was asleep too"


"Very good, my friend. We know you.
You are the very man. You have already
been punished twice for fighting-evi-
IDENTIFY with intent to kill-and your un-
governable temper was on both &C
casions the cause of the difficulty. Come
now; you see the police know everything,
so be brave and confess that you muir
dered Madame pEsparaye and her daugh-
ter. There is NO use in lying. Come, out
with the truth :"