Year: 1866

L had some renOWn as successful
rogue character, and l had sbme ex-
perience, too. My field Of operations,
as usual thing, lay within the confines
Of the Department of the Lower Alps,
and though I served under the Sub
Prefect of the third Arondissement,
yet the Project of the Department call
ed upon me when he chose. One
morning-it was in the latter part of
May-I received a note from the Pre-
feet, ordering me to come to Digne
and see him with all possible dispatch.
The missive came through the office of
our Sub -Prefect, so that l had nothing
to do but get ready and start, I took
an early dinner, assumed the dress of a
peasant, Drowned my face and hands
and set forth. I reached Dinge just at
night fall, and as soon as it was dark,
/ waited on the Prefect. He seemed
to. be relieved when he saw me, and
took me to his private closet.


Now said I, ''have you got work
for me ~ =


yes he replied, "sit down and
listen @


We sat down and he proceeded -
"Within few months past, there have
been some of the most mysterious muir
ders committed in this Department and
in the Department of War, that have
ever come under my notice. They are
done mostly on the road from Castel-
lane to Aups. The first victim, was a
Marseilles merchant, who had come up
to Castellane to purchase preserved
fruits. His body was found by the
roadside, near the line, between the
two Departments and at first it was
supposed that he must have fallen there
in fit, as no marks of violence could
be found upon him. His pockets had
been rifed, however. The next one
was found near Annot, and under the
same circumstances. He was a mer-
chant also, and from Nice Since then,
five or six more died upon the same
road, in the same mysterious way, and
no marks of i'll usage have been found
upon any Of them, but all have been
robbed" g. t.7i


'Have most of them stopped in Cas-
tellane % -


The Prefect told me they had.


"And I suppose they must have put
up at the same inn then ?' I remarked.


"Yes,'' said the Prefect


I then supposed some of the land
lords must be concerned But my
companion Informed me that they had
been narrowly watched, and that no
shadow of evidence rested against
them.


''But,'' said I, els there not poison
in this matter? Some inn keeper may
administer the poison, and then send
an accomplice after the victim"


"No," returned the Prefect, with a
shake of the head Experienced ply
sicians have examined the stomachs of
the dead men, but no traces of poison
have been found 1t is mysterious
affair The Sub -Prefect has done all
he could, but without effect; and now
we mean to give the whole thing into
your hands. You must go to Castel-
lane at once, and there you can get
such further information as the Sub
Prefect can give you"


After comforting awhile longer with
the Prefect, he let me have a suit of
ordinary tradesman's clothing, and
thus habited, I went to hotel and put
up for the night In the morning,
reaching Castellane at noon. During
the day I pretended to be doing bust
ness; went to the woolen factory and
examined a lot of stuff and I also visit
ed several places where preserved fruits
were put up. I learned that most of
the people that came there on business,
put up at an inn kept by a man named
Juan Fontaix; so left my horse and
engaged lodgings.


After dark I called upon the Sub
Prefect. He told me that he had used
all the means in his power, but had
been able to gain no clue to the guilty
party. Most of the murdered victims
had been from Marseilles, and the ex-
citement in that city was intense. Gen
darmes had been sent out upon all the
roads, and secret police had also been
upon the watch. The last victim had