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TRUTH ABOUT THE CASE
The Experiences of M. F. Goron, Ex-Chief
of the Paris Detective Police
Edited by Albert Koyrer
THE STAINED COLLAR
ETfl
icnpyrlKlit
ES, sir; my mistress left
homo yesterday afternoon
nt four o'clock to call on
Mmo. Melser, whero she
stayed till nlno In tho eve
ning; nnd from that mo
ment I have not heard of
her. I sat up nil night, and
L' nrnnc, tho dojr, never left
off howling. I nm certain
' something has happened."
Two big tears ran down
her wrinkled face.
"How long havo you been with Mmo.
Servols?" I asked.
"Twelve yenrs. I enmo to her n
few days after her husband died. This
morning nt ten I beenmo bo nervous
that I went down to Nogent-BUr-Mnrno
to seo Mmo. Melser; nnd when I
learned that my mistress was not
there T. called on M. Edouard. Hut ho
coild glvo mo no tidings of her."
"Who Ib M. Edouard?"
"Mmo. Scrvols'B nephew, or, rather,
one of her nephews. My dear, good
mistress! I am suro nho has been
mi mur "
I saw tho woman was becoming hys
terical, nnd advised her to go home,
promising to search for Mine. Servols.
I lenrned that Mme. Servols was a
widow of about forty-flYe, comfortably
off, living In tho Ituo Lnblo, a qulot
street leading from the Boulevard
Perelre. Her only relatives wero two
nephews, tho sons of her deceased Bis
ter. Auguste, tho elder, a genuine
nohemlnn, having' failed In various
professions, took up painting and
earned hlB living by drawing portraits
for ono franc each in tho cafes in
Montmartro, whero ho was well known.
Ills yojunger brother, Edouard, waB n
Btock-broker's clerk. Both visited their
mint pretty regularly, especially Au
guste, who frequently applied to her
for small loans. I was also Informed
that Mmo. Servols had mado a will
bequeathing them tho bulk of her
property. Mmo. Servols entertained
very little; but, music-mad, was seen
nt every concert and matinee. Her
closest friend wns Mme. Melser, nnd
during the last two years tho two had
been Inseparable.
Josephine, tho woman who enme to
me, had given me Edounrd's address,
nnd I asked him to call. Ho wns a
sickly youth, prematurely bald, with
an unpleasant rasp In his voice. Ho
could throw no light on tho affair and
confirmed Josephine's statement that
his aunt's day was regulated by tho
clock. She always went to bed nt
ten; and the fact of her having stayed
out all night certnlnly looked suspi
cious. "She may have met with nn acci
dent," ho said, "but I dread worse."
"What makes you Bttpposo this?"
Ho shrugged his lean shoulders, and
I repeated by question.
"I don't know. It's a presentiment
I have."
"Where 1b your brother?" I nsked.
"My brother!" he rasped; "he and
I don't speak. His address Is wher
ever he can obtnln lodgings on tick.
You'll find him any night knocking
nbout La Butte. You don't need a
' letter of Introduction," he added, with
a chuckle.
I dismissed my unpleasant visitor
and an hour later saw Mme, Melser,
a well-preserved, fashionably dressed
woman with dazzling white teeth.
Mmo. Servols, she stated, had spent
a few hours with her and had left her
nt about nine o'clock, making an ap
pointment to meet the following aft
ernoon. Sho' was very much dis
tressed, and begged me to do all In
my power to discover her missing
friend.
"That young Edouard," I said, "did
not seem very upset."
"I nm not surprised," she retorted;
"ho Is a selfish llttlo brute. My friend
always disliked him and- preferred
Auguste, vagabond as he is,"
"Having known Mmo. Servols Inti
mately, can you think why ahe should
havo gono away?"
"No, I cannot. If thero had been a
secret In her life she would havo con
fided It to mo. It seems extraordi
nary." I had already sent tho exact descrip
tion of Mme. Servols to every police
commissary In tho metropolis; nnd,
that same night after dinner, went to
Montmnrtro to have a talk with Au
guste. His brother had spoken the truth.
Augusto was well known in that part
of the town, and In less than a quarter
of an hour I ascertained where to find
him. It was in one of tboBe quaint,
small cabarets which abound nt Mont
mortre, whero for tho price of a glass
of beer one can listen to rccltntlons
and songB by talented, out-of-elbow
artists, to many of whom Montmartre
Is the first step on the ladder to fame.
Mile. Claire, a pretty girl with Cleo
Merodlc hair, who sang some senti
mental ballads, was, I had been told,
Augusto's particular friend.
It struck eloven o'clock, and there
was no sign of Auguste. I saw Claire
enter a small room, wbenco she
emerged with her hat and cloak and
then walked rapidly to tho door.
I followed bor, and aBked whero I
could find Augusto. She replied that
sho had been waiting for him since
Paris slang for Montmartre.
Hi
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ten, and was now going to call at an
other cafo where, perhaps, ho might
have found "work."
This cafo, to which sho conducted
mo, was filled with smoke, and the
audience roared tho refrain of a song
delivered by nn elderly man with n
long red noso nnd laughing eyes. Aft
er a quick glance through tho room,
my companion walked up to a tnhlo
occupied by flvo art studcntB and
four girls comfortably squeezed to
gether. "Have any of you seen Auguste to
night?" nsked Claire.
No; nobody had Been him. Tho
girl after a moment's silence turned
to me.
"I will mako another try will you
come?"
Tho next place with which I was
vory fnmlllar wns a thlrd-rnto night
restnurnnt. Somebody wob presiding
over nn old piano In tho corner, but
tho clatter of plates and the noisy
laughter drowned every other sound.
"I wonder what hnB become of
him?" said Claire. "Ho Is not hero;
nor did I seo him last night I shall
wait hero a llttlo while."
As I was ordering refreshments, a
youth passed.
"Seen Augusto tonight?" Clalro
called to him.
"No, nor last night. But I caught
Bight of him yesterday at Nogent-sur-Marne.
Ho was walking down a prl
vato road with a young chap who
looked llko a Jockoy."
"What on earth was ho doing nt
Nogcnt-sur-Marno?" remarked Claire.
And I asked myself tho Bamo question,
remembering that Mme. Servols had
pot been heard of since sho went to
that place tho day before.
Pour days elapsed, and every morn
ing nnd afternoon Josephine camo to
mo, to know whether I had any tid
ings of her mistress. Mmo. Mesler
and Edouard likewise called; but none
of them could supply any clue. As to
Augusto, who, aa I discovered, lived
in a Email bedroom on tho sixth floor
1n tho Rue Houdon, he had not been
homo for several days, nor had Claire
seen him.
This Is how matters stood when on
the fifth day Paris was startled by the
news of a horrlblo discovery In tho
Fontaincblcau Forest. A party of holiday-makers
had been picnicking In
tho neighborhood of Barblzon and had
gono for a ramble, when, passing
through some bushes, two of them
stumbled over a sack. They cut the
rope with which It was tied, and be
held tho headless body of a woman.
I immediately went to Barblzon to
inspect tho ghastly And. Tho head
was absent, tho arms and legs were
mangled beyond recognition, nnd ac
cording to tho medical evidence tho
crime must havo been committed a
couplo of days before. Tho skirt still
clung to tho body. It was of a silky
material called, I think, foulard, of a
dark blue color with little white dots
printed all over It.
My first thought, of course, was of
Mme. Servols,- and I begged Mme.
Melser and Josephine to assist me
in my Investigations. The condition
of the body rendered identification
almost impossible, but Mme. Mesler
at once recognized the dress as hav
ing belonged to her friend; whereupon
Josephine shook her head and de
clared tho white spots on her mis
tress gown were bigger.
"I swear it Ib Mme. Servols' dress,"
said Mme.' Mesler.
"I swear it Is not!" exclaimed
Josophlno.
"Whore did she buy the material, or
who made tho dress?" I asked.
Unfortunately neither of them
knew. Mme. Servols had tho year
b iforo made a tour through Germany
and bad bought tho costume there.
Tho body was transferred to Paris
and exposed . in the morguo, where
upon matters' became still moro com
plicated, for a farmer from Llsleux
recognized, tho drcsB as that of his sis
ter, who had run nwayfrom her homo
a month ago; and a corn merchant in
tho Ruo Vleille-du-Templo was equnlly
posltlvo that it had belonged to his
divorced wife. How, In view of these
conflicting statements, could I hopo
to trnco the murderer? I instructed
my chief assistant to follow up tho
vaguo clues supplied by tho farmer
and tho corn merchant, and Imposed
upon myself tho task of discovering
whether thero was a connecting link
betweea Mme. Servols' disappearance
and, tho finding of the body.
The coincidence of Auguste having
been seen at Nogent-sur-Marne, the
day Mme. Servols called there on her
friend, had caused me to have his
lodgings watched night and day. But,
thus far, he had not turned up there
nor at his favorite haunt, whore Claire
was still waiting for him every night.
I next saw Mme. Servols' lawyer, who
was vory anxious nbout bis client.
"Young Edouard," he said, "has al
ready been to boo me several times.
He knows that in the event of his
aunt's death be will Inherit a large
share of her property, and his
thoughts seem to run moro on tho
money than on the fate that may
have befallen her. M. Goron, do you
really think that tho body found Ib
that of Mme. Servols?"
"la the face of all these contradic
tions," I replied, "I cannot glvo nn
opinion. Slnco tho day Mme. Mesler
rightly or wrongly rccognlzod tho re
mains as those of tho missing woman
I havo had nothing but supposition to
guldo mo."
At Mmo. Servols' bnnkers, I lonrncd
thnt sho kopt her securities nt home
In nn Iron Bafo, and regularly with
drow the greater part of tho Bums
collected for her. Neither they nor
tho lawyers had tho faintest Idea how
much money sho had In her posses
sion, ns sho never volunteered any
statement; but they thought tho
amount must bo considerable
I was growing Impatient. Thus far
no fact thnt could In nny way nsslnt
my search hnd been brought to light.
Certain deductions led mo to suppose
that Mme. Servols might havo been
murdered, while nt other momenta I
wns Inclined to ngreo with Josephine
that tho body found In tho Fontnlne
bleau Forest was not thnt of her mis
tress. But, in that case, what had bc
conio of her?
Whllo I was groping my way
through this mlRt It waB reported to
mo, late ono nfternoon, thnt Augusto
had renppenred. Ho had gone back
to his old lodglngn nnd paid the six
weekB' rent ho owed. That Bamo
evening at nlno I entered tho cafo
whore I hnd first met Claire. Clalro
was sitting nt n llttlo tnhlo opposlto a
tall youth, who, oven without the de
scription I hnd of him, I at once recog
nized by his likeness to Edouard.
But he, who hnd been portrayed to me
ob shabbily dressed, wore n now suit
of well-fitting clothes, and now nnd
then looked down with evident pride
at tho gold watch chain thnt adorned
his waistcoat. I waited till it was
I Bit0 ira l l43fadw1mWimm1w f
I AT ONCE RECOGNIZED HIM BY HIS LIKENESS TO .EDOUARD
again Claire's turn to sing, and, walk
ing to his table, said:
"Good evening. I am M. Goron, and
am anxious to have a chat with you.
As it is too noisy here will you como
with mo to my office, whero we can
smoke a cigarette?"
He gave a passing nod to Clalro,
who was in the midst of her song,
nnd wo drove together to tho Prefec
ture. "Do you know," I said, "that your
aunt, Mmo. Servols, hnB mysteriously
disappeared and that her friends are
concerned about her?"
He nodded. '
"Do you llkewiso know that a wom
an's mangled remains have been
found near Barblzon, and that Mme.
Mesler firmly believes they aro thoso
of your aunt?"
Ho nodded again.
"Knowing all this," I continued,
"bow Is it that you should have se
lected this moment to vanish In an
inexplicable manner?"
Ho cleared his throat and said:
"I was compelled to absent myself
on an important matter."
"What matter?"
"That's my business. Why do you
ask?"
"I will tell you that later. Where
did you go?"
"That's also my business."
"Do you know whom your aunt
went to see tho. day she disappeared?"
"Yes, she went to see Mme. Mesler."
"How do you know?"
"I read it in the papers."
"Where were you that dnyf"
"Why do you ask?"
"Because you, too, were at Nogent-sur-Marne,
and I thought that you
might glvo mo Rome information about
Mme. ServolB' movements."
He blew a cloud of smoke and re
mained silent
"For more reasons than one," X ra
sumctl, "you nro Interested In knowing
what befell Mmo. Servols. She may
posBlbly havo been tho victim of a
foul plot; nnd I nsk you now to roply
to my questions."
"I am Borry," ho said, after a pauso,
"I cannot obllgo you. My business tn
Nogent-sur-Marne wns of a strictly
prlvato naturo, and had nothing to do
with my nunt'H disappearance."
"You will, I am nfrnld, think mo
vory Indiscreet, If I nsk you now how
It Is thnt you, who for tho last three
yearn havo not had a flve-frnnc piece
In your pocket, nro nil at onco remark
ably flush?"
Ho changed color, nnd watched me
a moment.
"M. Goron," ho nt Inst oxclnlmed, "I
have made a lucky stroke; and, I re
pent, It Is a prlvato mutter that docs
not concern nny ono."
"I linvo no right," I retorted, "to pry
into your nffalrs; but you nuiHt ex
cuse mo If I draw my own conclusions
from your attitude. I havo no moro
to say to you. Good night."
Ho moved toward the door, nnd then
suddenly turned around. ,
"M. Goron," ho cried, "I hnvo not
withhold nny Information from yon,
becauso I havo nono to offer. But let
mo glvo you Bomo ndvlco. Bownro of
my brother. With hl9 sanctimonious
airs, ho Is an unprincipled black
guard!" I watched him cross tho road, whllo
out of the darkness ono of my men,
dressed llko a laborer, emerged, nnd
shadowed him.
I was making no hendway. Thero
wero no tidings of Mmo. Servols; tho
body at the morguo had not been ofll
dally Identified. Mmo. Mesler nnd
Josephlno had nothing but lamcntn-
tions to offer; and Auguste bad man
aged to entangle tho affair still more
by imparting to It another mysterious
nolo. Thus far with me everything
was hypothesis, and my only chance
of finding a cluo was to' make a thor
ough Inspection of Mme. Servols'
apartment.
The day following, at two in tho
afternoon, I drove with M. F. , tho
examining magistrate, to the Rue
hablo. M. F. s secretary accom
panied us. It was a cosy, well-furnished
apartment, tho pictures and
ornaments bespeaking the woman of
taste. Followed by tho faithful Jose
phine, who, as ubual, burst out crying
tho moment she caught sight of me,
I began my inspection of the place.
I lost no time over tho drawing-room,
dining-room, nnd boudoir, but mado
straight for Mme. Servols' bedroom,
for it Is a woman's bedroom that un
folds secrets not bo easily found in
any other corner of a house, and it is
there I have always como upon the
personal touches that help me in my
searches.
An hour later, on our way back,
M. F. , who had been watching me
from a corner of his eye, said,
"You look pleased, Goron. Have yon
any good news?"
"Yes," I replied, "the newa is rather
good. I have a proof that the lady
who has given me so many sleepless
nights Is alive and well."
"How dtd you find it out?" cried M.
F excitedly
"By this."
And I' handed him a white satin col
lar lined with silk, very much crum
pled. "How do you deduce anything from
that?" he exclaimed.
"Look at the back!" I retorted.
He turned tho collar around and
around.
"Do you refer to tht litUe stain?"
"Yeu."
"And you mean to nay it Is from
that stain you draw your Inferences?"
"I will oxplnln it nil to you nftor 1
hnvo found my deductions nro true.
You might find them now, perhaps, n
llttlo too subtle."
Thirteen dnyB clnpscd, nnd I then
gave a sigh of rollof, for I had solved
my problem. I Bont a moBsago to
Augusto, and ho soon put In nn ap
pearance, dressed In nnothcr now suit
of clothes. M. F , anxious to henr
tho mystery cleared up, had naked to
bo present nt tho Interview.
"M. Augusto." 1 began, "can you
give mo nny tidings of your nunt?"
"No, sir."
"Does this not distress you?"
"It does."
"Then put your mind nt rest. Mme.
Servols Is In tho best of health, nnd
went to London with n young English
man, called .Tamos BrlggB. They
hnvo tnken a furnished nimrtment In
Baker street. Would you llko to know
tho number?"
Augusto gave n slight start.
"I don't mind telling you, M. Au
gusto." 1 continued, "thnt, although of
late I had no misgivings regarding
your mint's fate, I nevertheless was
delighted, when, searching your apart
ment, I enmo upon tho truth."
"Tho collar I" cried M. F. ; "wo
havo nt laRt como to It."
"Yes; wo havo como to It Tho
crumpled collar wns In a drawer 'hid
den behind n lot of handkerchiefs nnd
ribbons. It seemed so out of plnro
that It nttrncted my nttontlon. I took
It up, and nt tho back discovered a
slight stain, which on careful exami
nation proved to havo been caused by
halr-dyo.
" 'Does your mistress dye her hair?'
I asked Josephine.
" 'Yes, sir.' ,
" 'Slnco when?'
"'Only within tho last throe
months.'
" 'Did your mlstresB tako a bag with
her tho day sho went to Nogent-sur-Marno?'
" 'Yes, sir. Tho llttlo yellow leather
bag sho generally takes when sho
goes thero, to carry books and other
things.
"I explored every nook and corner,
and did not discover a singlo bottlo
of halr-dyo. And tho truth flashed
upon mo. When a woman especially
ono of mature age starts on a Jour
ney, sho may forgot or leavo behind
many indispensable things but her
hair dyo never. I had not tho slight
est doubt that Mmo. Servols had left
Paris for some mysterious reason, and
that there wob a man In tho case. My
next step was to discover her where
abouts; and, armed with'a list of all
the hairdressers in tho metropolis, I
called every day at a certain number
of places, until I came to the shop of
M. H , in the Rue Croix-desPetlts-
Cbamps. In reply to my question
whether Mme. Servols was ono of his
clients he shook, his head. But I
guessed he did not speak tho -truth
and soon frightened him Into confess
ing that he supplied her regularly
with bale dye,
"'Have you sent her any of late?'
I asked.
"He hesitated a second, and burst
out:
" 'I can't help it! I don't see why
I should get Into trouble over this
business, Look here, M. Goron, a
young gentleman called and aBked for
a bottle of my dye. Ho paid for It,
he returned and said that, ns ho was
no hand at making parcels, ho begged
me to send the stuff to Mmo. Servols
at tho address ho gave. And no mado
mo swear not to divulge anything lu
enno Inquiries wero made.'
" 'You heard, or course,' I remnrked
to him, 'of Mmo. Servols disappear
ance nnd tho outcry It made?'
'"Yes, sir,' ho sighed; 'but tho
young gentleman snld it would ho all
right nnd that tho police, being on a
wrong Bcent, would Boon tiro of their
search.' "
Augusto turned crimson.
"Yes, M. Augusto," I snld to that
youth, "It wnB you who tried to bluff
mo. And you-nlso behaved badly to
your mint by not earrjlng out her In
structions; especially If, ns I nm atiro,
nho paid you handsomely for your
services. Poor M. Augusto. I am
nfrald sho will now Blrlko you out of
her will! With Mmo. Servols' London
nddress In my possession, thu rest
was easy. I wrote to ono of my Scot
land Yard colleagues, nnd received
prompt reply thnt at thnt nddress a
Mr. Brlggn nnd a French Indy wero
staying. This Mr. BrlggB, they wroto
to mo, wnn a tralnor's assistant who
hnd como to London In connection
with business. I next discovered that
ho wns ono of your friends; and It wns
quite evident thnt Mmo. Servols hnd
lost her henrt to thnt youth, lind taken
you Into her confidence, and, with
your assistance, run awny with him.
Why? That Ib tho only point nbout
which I am not qulto cortnln. You
might enlighten mo?"
Augusto looked bo sheepish that M.
F. nnd I burst out laughing,
"I havo nothing to add," groaned
Augusto "you ferreted It nil out your
self. Ab to tho reason why my nunt
wns In such a hurry to go away with
Jimmy, that Is a question you hnd
better put to her. When a womnn of
her ago loses her heart slio usually
loses her head ns well."
And he stnlked out of tho room.
Mmo. Servols married Mr. Brlggs; '
but loft him six months later, after
which sho returned to Pnrls, seeking;
consolation lu religion. She bequeath
ed bor fortune to tho Church, and to
chnritnhlo Institutions. Augusto and
Edouard Inherited nothing.
WHAT IS THE HARDEST SHOT?
Golfing Experts Find It Hard to Agree
As to the Most Difficult Plays
on the Links.
It wan Riiggestcd by Mark Allertfm
tho other day that tho most difficult
shot In golf In the full clonk shot up to
tho holn with tho following wind.
Ted Bny writes us that ho considers
"tho most dlfllcult shot 1b a full shot
up to tho hole with a deck, with the
ball lying on a hanging lie, nnd on
hard ground."
C. H. Mayo haa sympathy for tUon.8
who find putting on sun bnked greens
nn ordeal from which they Bhrlnk.
"Personully, I think," ho writes, "that
tho two-foot put Is the hardest slroko
in tho game, as so much depends on
It." Ho might havo added that if the
put bo downhill Kb terrors nro In
creased n hundredfold.
"Tho most difficult Bhot I know,"
writuH Georgo Duncan, "Is a full bang
up to tho holo "with the wind blowing
In from tho back." Duncan does not
specify that tho full shot is to bo
mado with a deck nor does ho mako
Ttny'B stipulation about thok!nd of lie
nnd tho naturo of tho ground.
Mr. -J. Lawrenco C. JcnklnB, the
Scottish International nnd Homl-finnllst
In last year's Irish championship, re
plies: "Ono day, ono shot; nnothcr
day, another shot." Ho points out
that it is difficult to glvo a straight
answer to tho question, becauso "one
day you may bo playing boat the shot
you wero worst at tho previous day."
Pall Mall Gazette.
To Test Darwin's Theory.
Df. John B. Watson, director of tho
psychological laboratory at the Johns
Hopkins university, has adopted a
unlquo method of testing the Darwin
Ian theory.
Seven weeks ago a monkey was
born at tho institution. Tho parents,
who were very Intelligent, had been
trained carefully by tho scientists, and
tho offspring of such parents Ib be
Moved to afford an opportunity of de
termining how near to a human being
a monkey can bo brought.
Tho little follow has not yet been
taken from hlB mother, who fondles
and guards him with jealous care.
When ready for schooling ovory effort
will bo put forth to develop his mind
along lines that will tax bin mental
capacity to assltnllato knowledge.
Rejected Ice Cream Suit.
A south sldo young man, who has
a reputation for wearing the sportiest
clothes to bo obtained, rocontly de
cided to glvo ono of his vory light
suits to tho colored houseman. The
young man took tho suit from his
room and went down Into the yard
whero tho servant, who is especially
blnck, was working.
"Look hero," ho said. "I've got a
fine suit hero which I would like to
seo you wear."
The colored fellow took one look at
tho suit and exclaimed:
"Lawsce, boss, I couldn't wear that
suit I would look like a fly in a bot
tlo of milk, and you knows that's a
terrible disgusting sight." Exchange,
Gruel Insinuation.
"BaggB told tho boys ho was very
angry when they put a monkey in
tho picture with him."
"Yes, and tho boys told him they
knew it, for anyone could see he waa
beside himself."
Explaining.
"I know a man whose life is al
ready between two covers, but nobody
has ever read it." ,
"Who is he?"
"Tho sandwich man."
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