UNDER THE SPELL.

Otago Witness, Issue 2545, 24 December 1902, Page 65

UNDER THE SPELL.

By Rubin. During my 15 years' service as captain of several of the largest P. and O. steamers plying between Sydney and Southampton I tad come into contact with persons of almost every nationality, character, "and appearance — many, no doubt, whose history would make interesting reading. On my last trip from Sydney I liad among my passengers a man whose name -was Matthew Allisson. Upon ordinary observation nobody would have dreamt that this man had a history which, were it not that it was amply verified by several of the leading newspapers at the time, would be listened to with anything but credulity. He was born in London, and, at a comparatively jearly age, evinced the desire to follow "in the footsteps of his father, ■who at that time was holding a responsible position in Scotland Yard. • He had no difficulty ,in obtaining a position on the staff, and for the next five years. he rose steadily in the profession, until he attained the rank of chief detective, and ..there waslnot a. man .more feared amongst the lawless than "Matthew Ailrsson. -^His last promotion was ' the^'result of a clever piece-:oi work, as the papers -.'called it, in the capture of a notorious female swindler. She was'a Frenchwoman of remarkable beauty, who had eluded the vigilance of Scotland Yard and other officials for many years. Some time after this lie married, and had everything that goes to make a man happy. He had risen to the top of his profession, and enjoyed the reputation of being the most valued detective in the yard ; but, to crown all, he had a loving and devoted wife. Could* any man wish for a better lot? He had been married about two years — two years of almost perfect happiness, and had returned home one evening after a fortnight's absence. He was about to enter the front gate when he was accosted by a lady wearing a long, red cloak and deeply veiled. .He had no difficulty in recognising here as the Frenchwoman. > "Seeing that you recognise me," she began, "there is no occasion for me -to introduce myself. I have called several times during the week on purpose to see you. I give you the credit of being the first and only man who has ever baffled and hounded me to justice, and it was certainly very clever of you; but I assure you,, Mr Allisson, I shall never forget your kindness, and to your future welfare I will give some consideration, and if ever I get the opportunity of paying in full the debt I owe you, mark my words, I will. So, beware ! and don't forget Lucile Meiliers's parting promise.". With these words she turned and left him. Her manner at first had been both modest- and respectful, but as she proceeded her eyes flashed fire, and the true strength of her character and the meaning of her words gradually dawned upon foiq Xhe fefilino-. however, was onl^

' momentary, and after a hasty glance after her he turned to go inside. Little did he dream of the plot that was to be gradually drawn around him, the first link of which he was about to forge on stepping inside. Judge of his surprise when, instead of tlie I happy welcome which he had been accustomed- to receive on similiar occasions, he was met with a coldness which completely bewildered him. He was at a loss to know the meaning of it. He implored, coaxed, protested, but all to no purpose. She remained as he found her. It seemed strange to him, considering the loving way in which they had parted only a fortnight before, that such a complete change should have came over her without some reason. Forgetting the fact that he had not eaten anything since morning, lie i went to his study," and there gave himself j up to meditations" which were not of the ! pleasantest. In "vain he endeavoured to i fathom the cause cf such strange behaviour, but it was all to no purpose. Theory after theory he rejected as impossible. In the end he tried to console himself with the thought that it was only a momentary dislike she had taken to him, which j would disappear before, the morning. '- He Airas doomed to disappointment, for with the morning came a reptition of her behaviour of the previous evening.- Again -he coaxed and pleaded with her for an explanation, but all to no purpose. He was at his wits' ends to know what to do, and for, the remainder of that week and following weeks was unable to attend to his' business. He was afraid to leave ' the house, as he began to 1 have doubts about her being in her right mind. Day by day her coldness towards him grew stronger, until it absolutely amounted to a feeling of disgust when in his company. What he suffered during that time those with a similar experience can imagine. It tor* him asunder to see his wife daily drifting further and further from iim, and he helpless to prevent it. Many were the inquiries which came to him from the office concerning his absence. but to all he turned a deaf ear. He seemed to be unconscious of what was on around him. His life had become one mechanical routine day after day. He had long since ceased in his efforts at reconciliation, ber manner towards him be- , coming so unbearable that he had left her ! to herself. I His meals he had brought to his own room by the maid, but of these he ate very little. It was now about six months since j his return from that fateful trip, and he • had not seen his wife for the last fortnight, j as lately she had been in tlie habit of going '' away for days and sometimes weeks. One evenings as the maid brought in his tea, she informed him that- his wife had returned that afternoon, accompanied by another lady and two gfintleuien, who at that moment were sitting in the drawing. room. She, had also overheard that they , intended going ,tc the opera in, the evening- . . ' - This was a ( new revelation to him. He had gradually schooled himself into the ' belief that he had' lost his place in his wife's heart, but was ifc possible that that place had been filled by another. The thought was maddening. He asked the maid foi a description of the gentlemen, but not having taken much notice of them she was unable to do so ; but the lady, she said, she could not possibly forget, as she was so tall and dark, and wore a long, red cloak. I The cup almost fell from his fingers, for, after the mention of those few words, he . had no "doubt as to this new acquaintance of his wife's being none other than the notorious French swindler, Lucile Meiliers. So quick does the human brain work iv j times of excitement that, in a few moj ments, he understood all. The French- , woman by some devilish means or other . had got his wife into her power, and was i slowly but surely leading her away from her husband. The thought of his wife going about the country ir> the company of this blackhearted criminal almost maddened him. He lost all control of his feelings. The suffering he had. undergone during the last •six months had left its effects. He was no longer in his right senses. His one thought was of revenge, and without knowing' what he was doing he grasped his revolver, and made his way to the drawing , room. It was empty. He stood there like a madman, and would prolmbly have fired at the first object that showed sign's of human life. He swore that the accursed Frenchwoman would not see the light of another day, and, with the intention of carrying out his threat, went to his wife's dressing room, which was the most likely place to find his victim. He was too late, for they had gone, and he was turning to retrace his steps when he thought he heard a sound as of someone in the room, but he could see nobody. But he "was not to be baffled. His thirst for revenge grew tenfold, and he swore aloud that he would wait in that spot until their return, and at the first sight of that infernal red cloak he would send her where, although it might not be the means of undoing the wrong she had done him, at anyiate she could do no more. He waited in that room until close on midnight, when the sound of -footsteps became audible. He sprang to his feet, and • stepped behind one of the screens, from , where he commanded a full view of both doors leading into the room. He could hear • quite distinctly the voices of the gentlemen mingled with the laughter of the ladies ; a fact which only served to feed his thirst for revenge. The steps drew nearer ; they were now on the top landing, and the would-be murderer had become desperate. The handle turned, t the door opened, and the first object his eyes rested on was the red cloak. Without hesitation, he fired. There was a scream, a fall, and all was over. Like a madman, he rushed through the opposite door, down the stairs, through the back door and into the street. He fled, he knew not where. Ho was mad. He remembered nothing more until he • inimd. himself nexfc morauuL lying by the

roadside, on the outskirts of the city, while two men, who turned out to be sailors, were endeavouring to raise him to his feet. As his senses gradually returned, he began to realise the awful position in which he now stood, for he had no doubt but that Lucile Meiliers was now a dead woman. There were only two courses now open to him ; either give himself up to justice, or fly the country, but, with all his misery, life was yet sweet to him. With all haste he made for the docks, where he was fortunate in catching a steamer outward bound for Australia. Before sailing, he had obtained a morning paper, which, as soon as the boat got under way, he took the seclusion of his cabin. If the trouble lie had already gone through had worked havoc with his mind, i the paragraph which met his bewildered gaze was destined to put the finishing touch to it. There, in the top right-hand corner, in glaring, -large type, was the heading — " A well-known London detective shoots his wife and disappears." How Matthew Allisson got through the rest of that voyage nobody but himself will ever know. All that is known is that Le landed in Melbourne, and at once took to the backblocks, where he remained in seclusion for over 12 months, s-nd would probably have remained there for the rest j of bis life if the following paragraph- in a ; Sydney paper had not accidentally met his eye : — " Any person giving information as t' the whereabouts of Matthew Allisson, who is thought to be somewhere in the colonies, will be handsomely rewarded by the Scotland Yard authorities, and at the' same time receive the gratitude of his sorrowing' wife." Although he read and re-read this paragraph, he was at a loss to understand its That a reward should be offered j for his apprehension followed^ as a matter of course ; but that his wife, whom he was supposed to have murdered, should be alive and sorrowing for him passed his comprehension. He obtained - some back /lumbers of the same paper in the hope of finding something that would enlighten him. : He was fortunate in obtaining one which gave a complete account of the case from start to finish. It was early evening when Matthew Allisson read the account of the tragedy and subsequent inquiry, but the sun had already risen before he made an attempt to rise from the chair, in which he had sat the whole night reading' and re-reading the most peculiar case that hud ever come under his notice. From start to finish the case was full of mystery, and would have remained so had not the French woman, Lucile Meiliers, made a confession which revealed a' plot of the vilest cunning. .. \ As a means of revenge for a past | grievance,, she went to the detective's house j during his absence, and completely hypno- j tised his .unfortunate , wife into the belief j that he was no longer her husband. "The confession went on to state howi "oh the j evening of the opera, she accidentally- fotmd \ an opportunity of perfecting her . villainy, which fortunately did not end as she ex- < pected. ' I They had all departed to the opera on the evening of the tragedy but a few moments before Matthew Allisson entered the room, icvolver in hand. In the "confusion of getting away, the Frenchwoman had forgotten \ her gloves, and oti returning was smpvised j to find the detective standing in the room. She hastily departed, but once, outside the j door, she stood long enough to hear him j make use of the threat concerning the ac- { cursed red cloak. Being a woman of unusual nerve this threat gave her little concern, and '■he went to the opera with the intention of enjoying -herself. While returning from the play, however, a brilliant idea presented itself to her, which she at once proceeded to put into execution. On alighting from the carriage to enter the house, the French woman jokingly exchanged her own cloak for that of the detective's wife, remarking that red suited her (the detective's wife) to perfection. The result is already known to the reader — how at the first sight of the led cloak in the doorway the detective had fired-, little dreaming that he was attempting the mur- . der of his .own. wife. The ' confession, when published at tlie time, caused a great sensation, and deep ■was the sympathy felt for both the detectiv« and his wife — who, I forgot to mention, had only received a mere scratch, the bullet having iust grazed her. She was confined to her bed.^ however, for some weeks, the shock having completely prostrated her. When she recovered she was restored to her natural feelings, and was /reed from a spell which had so long mastered her. The verdict of the court was that Ala!thew Allisson had attempted to shoot Lucile Meiliers while in a state of mental excitement, the result of a villainous plot by the Frenchwoman, the attempt accidentally resulting in the wounding of his wife. After consideration, however, the detective was acquitted from blame. It was no wonder Matthew Allisson lost no time in booking a passage home, and it may be taken for granted that he received a better welcome from his wife this time than cm the occasion when she thought he was no longer her hu&band.