Vidocq Pirsues Phantom Murderer.

Star (Christchurch), Issue 19060, 3 May 1930, Page 23 (Supplement)

Vidocq Pirsues Phantom Murderer.

(Written for the “ tar by J

“ When he reached the * ine he fo * j lowed the path towards t! town unti , he came to the bridge nea*he Auberge | de Rotten, and there, we could ] stop him. he sprang iP the water ; I jumped after him, b r rancois, i j swear!—he never came*P again. Ihe moment he leapt I sho e d to the men to spread out: two e fl swam acros= and ran in opposite .irections along the bank, lies “Nonsense!” \'ocq growled. ” There is probably P ole the bank, of which he knew, a* he held on, keeping only his face t of water, until you had gone. I tderstand now why my help was acceded although they knew all about m hat bothers me is how he mixed l narcotic with mv food.” , . , ••Easily enou-—the convict vffio served out the ations is also of the band. What vfi - . “ Back to jadquarters to snatch some sleep. 3-morrow we will examine da Sil\ s house - 1 fancy that is where Labnsse went. I begin to believe the ortuguese nobleman is the mysterivr leader of these bandits But my her throbs like a drum, and I want to <nk-” Thp nex-morning Vidocq laid his plans for' simultaneous raid on the tavern an4a Silva s house, should Labiousse i*eed. have gone there. Cocolacour’hl been sent to gather what informal he could meanwhile, and Vidocq as swallowing a hasty meal when hi lieutenant stumbled into the room wh twitching face and staring eves Is breath came in gasps, for he had bei running—but at last he man need t crv hoarse!}-; • wre all in 1 tangle, Francois. Da Silva :annot be Nathan the Jew, for he is lead. , „ .... “ \ho is deed, you fool? \ ldocq ■dioued, shakirg his friend fiercely. " jjrnando dl Silva. He was found deac vesterday morning; and his eyes hav changed :olour. The doctor is dovnstairs.” _. •Take him °my office. The eyes, vQI sav? ad yesterday morning Labrousse was=ti!l in prison. I’ll come at Mice.” . , , . , Ouickly sppmg into the clothes he were as ckf of the Surete, his face transforme by wig and beard, Vidocq entered hioffice. An elderly man, in sombe dre. rose at his appearance and bowed. _ _ . . „ “ I am^ r Ferre-Boitier, monsieur, he said, dcing a pinch of snuff. “ I thought iat y° u would like to hear of the strafe death of a foreign nobleman. D 1 Fernando da Silva.” “ XaPSHy* maitre —strange deaths alway£ nterest me - Vhat is the name of voi patient? ” “'D Silva —but he was not my patie • I was summoned yesterday mori-i? to a house near the old church of sPi erre by a servant who said his was dying. As a matter of fact-he man was dead, had been dead ma y hours.” ‘.Tow did he die—this foreigner? I cannot say. I found him lying p,cefully in bed—but his face was tit of a man who las died of sheer t ror. The expressioi was horrible. I fought at first that be had been suffoited —the blue lips and purple skin -ere very suggestive —but the eyes vere not bloodshot. Vhile I was examining them, the secant cried suddenly : ‘ God in heavm, master's eyes were light brown ard now they are black —black! * I sus>ect that tHe man was poisoned. But preferred to see you before reporting officially.” “ And the poison—have you any idea what it is? The doctor shruged his shoulders. “ Something qvte unknown to science. Only—l remembered that when the son of Tonsieur de Castell was found near th« Seine —his eyes had changed from gre to black. “ But how can seh a thing be ? ” '“The eyes do not really change, monsieur, but ths poison causes the pupils to dilate tc uch an extent that the iris becomes Visible —hence they are always black.” Vidocq nodded toughtfullv. “ I understand. >id you see anyone besides the servtt while at this house ? “ Yes ; a very beitiful girl. She was kneeling by the ti and sobbing as if her heart would reak. I understand the dead man is Y father. I wish you good-day, monsie-” The instant e doctor had gone Vidocq jumped bis feet. “ Hurry now. carriage! I must examine the roc where da Silva died. No one must k»w we suspect a murder has been outfitted.” When the ca»age drew up near da Silva's house Vocq saw to his dismay that the wall rrounding the spacious grounds was and unbroken and without the ghtest foothold. There was nothing « it but to summon the

H. ASHTON-WOLFE.)

lodge-keeper. Placing his men within call, he was about to do so, when a servant in livery came out. Despite his altered appearance Vidocq recognised him instantly. It was Labrousse, and with a flash of inspiration Vidocq saw his chance. Throwing a heavy cloak over the fellow’s head, he pinioned his arms, and with the assistance of Lacour and his men, who came running at his whistle, Labrousse was bound, gagged and thrust into the carriage, which had brought them, and driven to headquarters. “ Now, my fine fellow.” Vidocq cried, when ropes and scarf had been removed, “ you will do exactly as I say or back you go to La Force, whereas if you help me I'll give you a chance to leave the country.” “ Send me to prison if you like,” Labrousse replied sullenly. “ I .never 1 betray those who trust me.” “ Put him in a cell,” Vidocq ordered curtlv. “ I shall arrest everyone in that house, while you, Coco, will raid the Auberge de Rouen. Place men on both sides of the river and search all boats. I'l net Nathan and his gang before nightfall.” “ What? ” Labrousse yelled. “ Oh, vou blind fool! Why didn’t you say vou were after that fiend? It was Nathan l tried to kill when the police caught me. I stabbed one of the band J by mistake. My master has sought him for years. But he was too clever, and now he has murdered Don Fer- “ So you also believe da Silva was murdered? ” “Of course. Nathan the Jew has secretly followed us without respite. It was he who betrayed my master in Portugal and we had to flee to France. He is after—something—Don Fernando had hidden. Several letters with his diabolical signature found their way into the house, threatening assassination if what he sought was not given willingly. We know at last what those symbolical eyes meant.” “By ‘we ’ you mean Mademoiselle Isabella da Silva, the lady who helped you to escape?” “ Yes. She had begun to suspect—we both had—who Nathan really is; although we have no proof yet. She needed my help, but I arrived too late. Our every move is watched.” “ What does this bandit leader look like? ” “ I don’t know,” Labrousse, answered evasively. “ Some say he is tall and handsome, others swear he is a crooked hunchback— ” “ Why not tell me what you suspect ? Who is Nathan ? ” “ No, no—l dare not. But, for God’s sake, let me return to the house. My mistress is now alone. I will assist you in every way.” “ You have not mentioned her uncle Leon da Silva, who also lives there,” Vidocq said quietly, his eyes riveted on the man’s face. “ He is useless, a dreamer and visionary, and no protection for a young and beautiful gj^rl.” “ Well, 1 cannot release you until I have examined the body and the room where it lies. You need not fear that I shall alarm the bandit’s spies. I am going to take your place. You will instruct me so that I can play the part successfully. Wait—first. I'll show you something. Take off your clothes.” Labrousse obeyed wonderingly, and Vidocq disappeared into his room. Ten minutes later, while the servant still sat gazing with curious eyes at the door, a gasp of surprise caused him to turn quicklv. Standing full in the light from a window, he saw his exact counterpart. So perfect was his disguise that even Lacour emitted an admiring whistle. “ Well done, Francois! What an actor the stage lost in you! ” Labrousse no longer hesitated, but explained in detail what Vidocq would have to do. When he had finished, the detective repeated his instructions word for word, and then, accompanied by Coco-Lacour, drove once more to the house where da Silva lay dead. The key Labrousse had given him made everything simple, and none of the servants noticed the substitution, for Vidocq possessed the perfect gift of mimicry. Yet he shrank from the first meeting with Isabella, and prayed that she would not examine him too closely. It was his duty to wait at table, and he placed the tapers so that his lace would be in shadow. Although he had expected a change in the girl, be was not prepared for the entrancing vision that entered the room, and he realised how outrageous his coarse pretence at love-making must have seemed to her. Fortunately, his burning cheeks passed unseen, for she was led to the table by a tall, clean-shaven man of middle age, whose swarthy features and swift, animal motions at once impressed Vidocq unfavourably. This

he felt sure was the uncle, Don Leon. They spoke little during the meal, which was soon over, and when coffee had been served Vidocq was free to do as he pleased. His first care was; to examine the murdered man. He had learnt that the body would be placed in the family vault the next morning, and was not surprised to find it lying in an open coffin. By the light of the tapers placed at each end of the bier, he scrutinised the discoloured face, half-hidden by a pointed beard, and lifted the eyelids. At once the horror of the incredibly dilated pupils caused him to start back with a shiver of dread. “Devil’s work!” he muttered, and, taking one of the candles, he eagerly examined the panels of carved oak. and finally the bed and the windows. These were heavily barred, and a ponderous bolt on the door, which had been torn away by an onslaught from the passage, made it clear the man was alone when he met his end. lie saw that a heavy curtain which hung before the entrance would serve to conceal him should anyone come, and lighting a tiny lamp of his own he settled down to w’atch and wait. Soon he heard the servants shuffle up the stairs, and a few minutes later Isabella and her uncle entered the room and knelt by the body in prayer. Then they, too, sought their beds, and the house fell silent. Like a ghost Vidocq glided along the dark corridors and up and down the stairs, tintil a concise picture of the premises was impressed on his memory. Whence had the murderer come? was the problem which engrossed him. Abruptly, as he again passed the room where lay da Silva, his nerves thrilled to the shock of a faint metallic click, I following by a prolonged scraping and rustling. Someone had entered through a secret door. Jncli by inch he lifted the curtain. The unknown intruder had extinguished the tapers, and the room was now pitch-dark, yet he sensed a lurking inimical presence, and a faint smell, as from an animal, made his gorge rise with disgust. While he stood motionless, striving to master an unreasoning horror, there came again the snap of a spring, followed by a shrill, neighing laugh that turned his blood to ice; then wood scraped against wood and all was still once more. “A sliding panel, of course,” Vidocq murmured, shining his lamp into the chamber. The body lay as before in its oaken shell, the silver coverlet fell in shapely folds to the floor, and the crucifix clasped in the waxen hands glittered eerily as he swept the dancing rays along the walls. Seized with a nameless fear, Vidocq hastened to a door that led to the garden and whistled softly. A vague shadow among the shrubs moved at the sound, and Coco-Lacour slipped to his side. “What is it?” he whispered cautiously. “I cannot tell yet,” Vidocq replied. “But I feel uneasy. Come, we’ll keep watch together.” Back in the room of death, his first care was to light the tapers again. As he did so something peculiar about their appearance startled him. “I’ll swear they are longer and thicker than before,” he whispered. “What on earth does it mean? Don't make a sound, mon ami; we must watch and be prepared,” and, pulling his friend behind the curtain, he settled himself in such fashion that he could see into the chamber. Hardly had the heavy velvet fallen into place when soft hurrying footsteps came down the passage, and to his surprice Isabella appeared, staggering under the weight of a narrow box. As she passed the curtain, a corner slipped from her hands and struck the carpet with a dull metallic shock. Glancing about with frightened eyes, she swiftly withdrew a number of tiny leather bags and pushed them under the rigid body wherever there was space. Then she knelt and kissed the lifeless face and the watchers heard tearful words of love. But she did not remain thus for long. Lifting the massive coffin lid, she adjusted it firmly, then, drawing a chair to a corner, placed a cushion behind her head and lay wearily back, w r ith the obvious intention of waiting for dawn. Almost at once Vidocq became aware of a subtle resinous odour, which reached his senses in intermittent waves. It seemed to him, too, that the tapers burnt queerlv, and their golden light was tinged with green. While he stared, wondering what this portended, there came a choking cry from the girl; she had staggered to her feet and now stood swaying dizzily, one hand clutching her throat. And as she slowly sank to her knees, Vidocq heard her call him by name.

“Francois, Francois—beloved—help ! ” It was only a whisper, yet it sufficed to rouse him to instant action. He dashed into the room, only to reel against the bed as a foul poisonous breath entjdpi his lungs. “The candles!” he gasped. “Quick, help me to drag her out! ” and, twisting a scarf about his face, he grasped the unconscious girl by the shoulders, and with the assistance of Lacour they gained the passage, staggering like drunken men. It was long before Isa-

bella revived under their ministrations, but at last she opened her eyes. “The Medici candles,” she muttered. “Take care, Vidocq, their fumes are death. Help me to my room—l feel faint—then open the windows and extinguish those devilish things. I trust you to watch my father’s gold.” “Flow did you know I was in the house?” Vidocq cried in amazement. “I Isnow—never mind how—perhaps I recognised you at dinner. I felt safe because you were watching, and tried to hide the treasure. We are both fighting the same evil man.” “But the candles—you called them—” “Yes—l will explain later. Hurry, please! ” Thrusting a pistol into the girl’s hand, Vidocq and his friend ran frantically down the stairs, but they arrived too late. The poisoned tapers were gone, the windows were open, and the coffin despoiled of its bags of treasure. Vidocq cursed furiously, but as he ran to examine the ■walls he uttered a triumphant shout. A crack still showed where a framed picture had been slightly displaced. Inserting the blade of a knife he succeeded in reaching the hidden spring, and a moment later a gaping aperture disclosed narrow winding stairs. Vidocq did not pause to ask himself why the cunning murderer had neglected to close the secret door. Instead he seized his lantern and slipped through the opening, followed bv Coco-Lacour. The steps were massive blocks of stone, and of these they counted a hundred before they reached a level circular space and saw that a narrow tunnel opened before them. The roof hung low and compelled them to stoop, but they were determined to see where it led, and crept cautiously forward. Water glistened on the sides, rats scampered squeaking to their holes, and a queer smell as of a perspiring beast filled their nostrils. It was the same odour Vidocq had noticed when the panel opened, and it caused him to halt, a kerchief to his face. Suddenly Coco-Lacour, who was close behind, whimpered like a hurt child. “ I’m afraid, Francois—afraid! What kind of a creature is it that haunts this place and kills from afar?” Vidocq shivered, and the movement caused the lamp he held to fling its yellow beams from floor to ceiling. “We must go on—tonnerre! Two hardened galley felons, well armed into the bargain. What have we to fear? Ah! look ! ” The dancing rays had flickered over the ground as he spake, and his hand pointed to huge stone flags at the foot of a blank wall, for on these lay a little heap of leather pouches. “The treasure—he dropped it here 1 ” Vidocq stooped and lifted one of the bags, and on the instant the stones slid from beneath his feet and he dropped into a black void. lie did not fall far, but as his friend came tumbling to the ground beside him, a shrill neighing laugh, vibrant with ghoulish glee,

sounded from over their heads Looking up, they saw, framed by the crimson glare of a torch, a bestial, malignant face that gibbered and mocked, -while again that inhuman laugh pealed out. Then, with a resounding slam, the

treacherous stone swung into place and the night of the grave closed down. “A nice fix ,” Vidocq was beginning, when abruptly he yelled with terror. Invisible hands gripped him, a rope was twisted about his arms and legvS. and he was lifted and carried some distance and finally flung to the ground. Before he could .struggle to his feet, a chain snapped around his waist, and as though this had been a signal, countless torches burst into smoky flame, illuminating a gruesome scene. lie was lying in a circular pit of stone; from the roof of massive but rotting beams, curved rafters spread like the ribs of some monstrous beast, and under them the air vibrated to the sough and sweep of huge bats. lie looked for his friend and found him trussed like himself and upheld by the chain that bound them to a wall. Escape seemed hopeless, for the vault was filled with masked men who gazed at them with smouldering hatred, yet their presence dispelled the fear which was sapping his strength. Despite the animal stench that now floated like a mist in the air, these creatures of the night were human—and of such Vidocq was not afraid. “So you are the thieves and murderers I have hunted?” he cried with contempt. At his words a crooked, loathsome shape shuffled forward—and Vidocq looked into cruel eyes that mocked his plight. It hardly needed the curved nose, the fleshy lips, and yellow skin to convince him that at last he was face to face with Nathan the Jew. For a minute neither spoke, | then a hoarse croaking voice issued from this monster. “Leave me now,” it said. “In an hour we meet at the river. I will deal with these two.” At once the men filed through a door while their leader busied himself with mysterious preparations. Vidocq shuddered as he saw him place two heavy candles on the ground just out of their reach; then, grinning ferociously, the creature tightened the chain round their bodies and locked it to a ring in the wall. “So, my friends, your end, at least, shall be painless. Already a while ago you tasted the fumes of my papers. When I go I set fire to the church above and a beautiful funeral pyre shall wipe out all traces of your end. You thought to trap me—look —do you know who I am?” On the words a swift and amazing change swept over the hunchback The curved nose, fleshy lips, and parchment skin came away together, the lump behind the shoulders straightened out