A PARIS MYSTERY

Hawke's Bay Tribune, Volume I, Issue 19, 5 January 1911, Page 9

A PARIS MYSTERY

LAWYER’S STRANGE FATE.

ACCIDENT OR MURDER. Paris, Nov. 26. A few days ago a M. Ranson. ,\ho had been a provincial notary, and had for some tone been engaged in very prosperous business transactions in Paris, was found dead in his bed in the flat which he occupied in company with a female friend in the Rue de Lahorde. close to the church of St. Augustin. Suffocation by gas was the cause of M. Ranson’s death, and when the police commissary of the district was informed of it he promptly proceeded to the house, and at once perceived from the state of the corpse, which was still on the bed. that the true explanation of the fatality had been given. He then questioned the woman, Aho said that she slept in a chamber which was separated by the salon from M. Ranson’s room, and that when she awoke that morning she was suffering from a racking headache, and noticed a strong odour of gas. She rang for the n aid. who at once turned it off from the meter, and then they both went to M. Ranson’s room, where they found him lying in a s;ate of insensibility. As a matter of fact, the body was already cold. The police commissary was inclined to the opinion that M. Ranson, as be was getting into bed. had accidentally turned on the gas from a meta! pipe, which communicated with a radiator, by loosening it as he passed on that side of the room. Indeed, as it was ascertained on inquiry that his affairs were in an extremely flourishing state, and that, far from having betrayed any symptoms of depression, he had been very gay and lively on the eve of the catastrophe, there scemf 4 to be little doubt that his death had been the result of a mishap. As, however, nothing is 1-ft to chance in such matters in

■his country, an examining magistrate was nominated to conduct a searching inquiry. He went several times to the house, where he had interviews with an expert, who had been instructed to ascertain whether an accident was possible in these circumstances, and aoticed one or two details, of .> hich a ready explanation was forthcoming. The examining magistrate also questioned the female friend of the deceased man. •ho repeated her statement that die had spent the previous evening with M. Ranson, and retired o her chamber at eleven o’clock. She was sure that there was no escape of gas when she left his room at that hour, and she was equally positive that she could not have been the cause of the accident by coming into contact with the metal tube as she passed out.

WOMAN ARRESTED. All this appeared sufficiently satisfactory, but before arriving at a decision the magistrate considered it desirable to find out the person or persons who might benefit by the death of M. Ranson. He therefore requested a count ry notary to whom his will had been confided to communicate the document to him. In this will, vhich was drawn up last April, the v hole of M. Ranson’s property was ■»<•- queathed to his woman frienu. Seals had been affixed to the flat in the Rue de Laborde. :• i<l then the examinaing magistrate proceeded to a search which enabled him to form a tolerably clear nJ -a of the manner in which the ft rtune had been utilised, lie also determined on what is call - I t reconstitution of the drama, am! this at night, in order to render it more realistic. He had to abandon this project. however. as the gas meter happened to have been removed m -he intenal. A great friend of M. ■Janson, who bad hern associated vi»h him in var-oes business Iran-, sue.ions, had already given pravt;- • al information Io the magistrate.

ml after another ronvm>at ion h;-h iiit’A had t-‘-» inspectors of i.e Urimit. il D-l-ctive Departn»’;>t were sent oif to fet'-h th-

male companion of the deceased, being provided with a warrant for her arrest in the event of hei’ refusal to return with them to ’ 1 e Palais de Justice. She, howc-e/, made no objection, and between six and seven o’clock, attired in black and wearing a long crape veil, she was at the magistrate’s office. What passed during the lengthy interrogatory to which the woman was subjected is not known bevond the fact that she expressed the utmost indignation at being the object of any suspicion, and that when told that she would be detained in custody, she declared m the most emphatic manner that she was innocent. As she was being led away she burst into tears, and would have fallen on the floor if the two inspectors had not caught hold of her and supported her. They assisted her as she passed through the Palais de Justice, whence she was conveyed in an automobile to St. Lazare prison. It is explained that the examining magistrate decided on aireeting her when he learnt that she had told an acquaintance that she intended to leave Paris very soon and to proceed to America, so he probably took this step in order to keep her here until the whole affair was cleared up. There is a rumour that when he returned home on the evening before his death.M. rtanson brought with him serif) to the value of £22.000. which has not been found out as it was added that it is. not known whether the scrip is in a safe or a drawer, tj.is report does not count for much. At any rate, it is certain that the ex-notari, who was 50 years of age and ver_> lively and genial, was exceedingly prosperous, and moreover expected to make a considerable addition to his fortune at the end of the vear, a fact that was known *0 everyone with whom he was intimate, so that his heir or heirs could have had no possible interest in his immediate death, the exact contrary being the case. An inhabitant of the town in which his will was deposited also denies that his companion was to come into the whole of his fortune, and says that only a quarter of his property in that place was bequeathed to her, as his three children were to inherit the other three-quarters. Ranson was divorced some time ago, the two eldest children being confided to him and the youngest to his wife, who has married again, and to whom he sent money at intervals, explaining that he did not want the child to be in want of anything. The brother of his companion is in Paris. He is very indignant at the arrest of his sister, and says that she was 'he veryfirst to maintain that M. Ranson could not have committed suicide. The burial is to take place at Villars, in the Loire.