Year: 1860

An extraordinary tale, gravey told by Pou-
chet in his Memories Tires deS Arcliues de la
Police, has Just been made the subject OF
drama at one of the boulevard theaters, under
The title Of "Syrene de Paris" AT the time
when NJ. de la Reynie was Lieutenant General
of Police, under Louis XIV great sensation
was caused at Paris by the mysterious disap-
pearance of not fewer than twenty young
men, aged from II to %, belonging to noble or
wealthy families. Among the common people
the report was spread that the young men had
been murdered by foreign princess, in order
that she might take baths of their blood to cure
herself ef the liver complaint! The matter at
last became serious that Louis XIV com
planned of it to NJ de la Reyne, and the latter
consulted one of his ablest agents, named Lecoq.
This person suspected that the young men must
have fallen into some snare set for them by
female charms and be employed natural son of
his own, a handsome and intelligent young man,
to try and discover the mystery. This young
man, whose name was Exupere, was sent,
Fplendidly dressed, every day to the Tuileries,
the Palace Royae, and the Luxembourg, which
were then the places of fashionable resort. At
length be saw in the Tuileries a young woman of
marvellous beauty, attended by aged female,
and his looks expressed his admiration She
seemed far from displeased, and at length her at
tendant, accosting him, said she Polish
princess Of the name Of Jabirouska, immensely
rich, and as she was much struck by him, she
would perhaps allow him TO visit her. The
young man declared that he bad conceived a
violent passion for the lady, and after some con-
versation the attendant told him that if at nine
O'Clock at night he would present himself in
front of the church of st Gerraain- LiAuxerrois
she would meet him and take him to her mistress.
The young man Of course told Lecoq of this, and
an the evening the latter caused several of his
men to be placed in such way as not to lose
sight of EXupere, and In the event of his incur
ring danger, to be able to render him assistance.
AT The appointed hour the young man was at the
rendezvous aud the woman joined him there.
She wanted to banGage his eyes, but he refused
to let her do SO. She then led him by various
obscure streets to the Rue des Orfevres, and
there introduced him into a small house near the
Chapel st. Elo After walking along dark
corridor the young man was introduced into
sumptuously furnished room in which he found
the foreigner. She received him so kindly that
he entirely forgot to give Lecoq outside the sig
nal which had been agreed on. After a while
the lady retired, and the young man, proceeding
to examine the room, found behind q screen
glass case in WHICH were twenty-six men heads
each placed in silver dish and each so carefully
embalmed that it retained the appearance of lite
lie started back with horror but at the same
moment whistle outside was heard, being the
signal of LecoG, and in o few seconds after the
windows were forced open, and that officer and
his men, who had ascended by ladders, jumped
into the room. The sol dlsdnt princess, hearing |
the noise, rushed into the apartment, followed |
by four erocious- looking bandits, but the police
were strong enough to arrest all five. The |
bandits were in due time condemned to death |
and executed. AS TO the female, she turned out
TO be not Pole, but an Englishwoman, who is
stated in Heuchet's account to have enticed the
young men TO her house to satisfy her passions,
and had them murdered in order to rob them.
She was oondemed to DEATH but escaped in a
strange way. The King spoke of the affair to
his brother, Monsieur, to the Chevalicr de Lor-
raine, and some other high personages. The
Chevalier suggested to the Prince that it would
amusing to sup with so singular a criminal.
Monsieur at first objected, bHt at last consented.
BY means of a blank iettre de cachet the Prince
caused the woman TO be given up to some per-
sons sent by him, on the preteXt that she was to
he conveyed to another prison. He had her, !
however, carried to a country-house some miles
across the country where be, the Chevalier de
Lorraine, and NJ. d'Efiat were waiting to re-
ceve her, The whole four supped together
AT length Monsieur, having seen enough Of her,
suggested that she ought to be sent back to the
Bastile but his companions proposed instead
that she should be conveyed either to London or
Brussels and set at liberty. The good natured
Prince consented and went away. The two
mobiles passed the night in an Orgie with the
woman, telling her that the next day they would
convey her out of the country; but instead of
trusting to them she thought best to save herself
so, plying them well with drink until they were
overcome, she locked them in, and escaping, was
seen no more. The governor of the Bastile, on
learning that the woman bad been got out of his
custody by trick of the Kings brother, thought |
The best thing he could do was to pretend that |
She was dead, and he accordingly had q prOces |
Ueg6at darwin up TO that effect.