Page:The Green Bag (1889–1914), Volume 01.pdf/338

Rh cord, a little silver medallion of the Virgin. In a small bag, attached to the child's shoulder by a strap, they found a top.

Upon the edge of the ditch, in a little pathway which bordered it, traces of blood were discovered. It was here, then, that the crime had been committed. It was observed that a carriage had passed near this place, and had stopped directly opposite the spot where the body was found. From the tracks of the wheels, from the deep marks of the horses' hoofs, and from the evident signs of the pawing of the horses, it was inferred that the victim had been brought in this carriage to the spot and there killed. The audacity of the murderer was surprising, for the location was an exposed one, open to view on every side and but a short distance from the main road, which was always frequented, even in the night-time.

The body was removed to a room in one of the public buildings in the village, but no one of the inhabitants recognized it. At ten o'clock it was taken to Paris and placed in the morgue, and all the powerful means of the police were set in motion to unveil this mystery.

Information was sent to all officials within a radius of one hundred and twenty kilometres of Paris, with instructions to make inquiries as to any missing child. Physicians were summoned to examine the body and to make an autopsy.

This examination disclosed the fact that the child had been first struck a terrible blow with a blunt and at the same time heavy weapon which had crushed his skull and penetrated the brain. He had then been struck a second blow upon the temple, and finally the murderer had completed his work by drawing a razor or sharp knife across the throat. Death appeared to have occurred seven or eight hours before the discovery of the body.

For two days the curious throng at the morgue did not diminish; but no light was thrown upon the identity of the victim, who was designated as the "Child of Villette." This atrocious crime still remained enveloped in darkness.

The delicate features of the child, this picture of innocence brought to an untimely death, worked deeply upon the feelings of all the spectators. In Paris and out of Paris nothing was talked of but the "Child of Villette." Each person, as he viewed the body, was carefully scrutinized by agents of the police who, in disguise, mingled with the crowd, but no one displayed the slightest surprise or sign of recognition.

On the 19th it was decided to embalm the body, the rules of the morgue permitting it to be exposed for only three days; this time being ordinarily sufficient for identification. M. Garuel, a celebrated embalmer, was called, and, notwithstanding the mutilations caused by the crime and the autopsy, succeeded in preparing the body so that it presented a natural appearance, and thus assured its preservation for such a length of time as might be necessary to discover the murderer. The body was then dressed in the clothes found upon it, removed from its gloomy place of exposure, and placed upon a little bed which stood upon a raised platform. In this state the child appeared as if sleeping.

Public curiosity was still further excited, and that was what the authorities desired. Heretofore visitors had recoiled before the horrible sight; now they gazed without a feeling of repugnance or shrinking.

On the 23d of March it was believed that the mystery was at last solved. A school boy on seeing the body cried, "Why, that is Edouard, one of my schoolmates!" On being questioned he persisted in his assertion. The school which he attended was without the city limits, and the master was promptly summoned. He asserted that the boy's statement was entirely incorrect, and, as a matter of fact, he had just left Edouard at the school, alive and well.

The next day there was another identification. A woman about forty years old, neatly dressed, had waited a long time before