Year: 1876

but the former custodian could not bt
found.


At the close OF last year Dunesme sud
denly came upon the person whom hs
had given up all hope of ever seeing
again. She was in poverty and he aided
her, and in return she told him the story
of his wife's wrongs, and gave utterance
to the suspicion that Lecoq had himself
murdered her.


Dunesme, who was q lawless mar,
then concocted the plot which has been
already treated of. Two of his compan'
ions played the part of detectives, and
arrested Lecoq, as they said, for the
murder OF Madame Dunesme over thirty
Years ago. He was taken to Paris and
kept there in seclusion, the supposed
officers assuring him that, for large
sum of money which he had drawn from
his bankers, they would secure his ulti
mate safety. At length he was released,
and returned home, having been assured
by the sham detectives that his innocence
had been established to the satisfaction
of the police, and that he would suffer
no further molestation.


When the outrage perpetrated on Mon
sieur Lecoq was made known to the po-
lice, the most strenuous exertions were
put forth to capture the offenders. Lee
cog was summoned to Paris, and after
several days spent in perdhbulating the
city, he at length fixed on a street which
he believed was that in which he had
been confined. The police watched it
thoroughly for several days, and ulti-
mately arrested man of suspicious be-
havior as he was entering one of the
domiciles early i'll the morning. Lecoq
positively identified him as one of the
sham detectives, and room into which
he was going when taken as the apart
ment in which he had been imprisoned.
There was memorandum written in
pencil on the wall by Lecoq, which left
no doubt as to its being the place.
There were letters on the man arrested
which led to the securing of the other
sham detective, and finally to the cap
ture of Dunesme. Thelatter was in the
last stage of disease, and made revela-
tions of an astounding nature.


Among other things he detailed the
facts respecting his wife and Lecoq al
ready given, but his most important con-
fession related to the dreadful tragedy
of which Chateau Vert was the scene.


After his discharge from the galleys
and the restoration of his daughter he
rented tract of woodland from Mou-
sieur D'Eimer at the Chateau Vert.
There he went under the name of Foille.
1t was he who encouraged the visits of
young D'Eimer to his dwelling, and pro-
he 30. l. l. -.
nette. When Monsieur D'Eimer brought
home his young wife, Foille saw the
hope of one day seeing his child the
mistress of the chateau and the mother
of children who would inherit vast
wealth cut of. The thought preyed
upon his mind until he became almost
demented.


The woodland which Foille rented was
in the rear of the chateau, and within it
were the ruins of small chapel. While
searching them one day he partially re-
moved a large slab and saw deep hole
underneath. He raised the block, and
flight of stone steps was discovered.
Procuring lantern and flint and steel,
he explored the subterranean opening,
and soon found himself in the vaults of
the chateau. More than one skeleton
lay around, and here and there rusty
bolts and chains, which showed that the
place had once been used as prison.
In one corner of the vault he discovered
an opening and winding staircase, which
he ascended. After while it became
narrow and straight, and evidently ran
inside the walls of the chateau. Having
assembled some distance he came to q
landing, and to the right saw what re-
sembled wooden door. He gave it a
gentle push and it shook. A careful
search disclosed q small knob in the
wood, and slight pressure upon it sent
the door aiar, and flood of daylight
poured in. He was somewhat startled,
and drew the door toward him. Hear
ing no indication any ones being on
the other side, he opened the door, and
saw that he was ON the threshold of what
he knew at a glance must be Monsieur
D'Eimer's bedroom. The door was
panel of the wainscot extending from al
most the top of the room to within a
foot of the floor. He retired and closed
the door, and thought little of the dis
covery until the dread of his daughters
children being robbed of splendid in
inheritance dwelt on his mind like hor-
rible nightmare.


To shorten q horrible confession,
Foille resolved to murder the elder
D'Eimer and his young wife, and enter
ing the room by the secret stairway, ac-
complished his design only too effect
ually. AS soon as his daughter and her
husband were securely domiciled in the
chateau Foille disappeared, his son-in-
law having first made arrangements by
which he was secured an income amply
sufficient for his ordinary wants. Foille,
however, became a gambler, and finally
got miZed up with lawless gang, who
assisted him subsequently in carrying
out his designs on Leccq. He died
within a month of his confession, and
the two sham detectives are now under
going fifteen years sentence.


There is every reason to believe that
neither Charles D'Eimer nor his wife
ever had the slightest suspicion of
Foille's having any hand in the long un-
explained murder of the elder D'Eimer.


MuxrCAn walla1 into tho obo,, of a