Page:The Green Bag (1889–1914), Volume 02.pdf/491

 448

CAUSES CÉLÈBRES. XIX. DESRUES. [1 777-] Concluded. UPON receiving this communication from " Where are you taking me? " he asked, Madame Masson, the Commissary Mu- "and what street is this? I do not think I tel at once repaired to the Rue de la Mortel- was ever here before." The cries of the lerie. The door of the cellar was forced crowd redoubled in the distance; women, open, and they found there the cask of cider, leaning from the windows, hurled impreca two empty bottles, a glass, an iron bar, and a tions and shook their fists. Desrües, with a wooden shovel. In one spot the earth ap look of gentle pity, advanced toward the peared to have been recently disturbed, and house, saying to the Commissary Mutel, upon digging in this place the great canvas- " Monsieur, those poor people there do not covered package was presently discovered. know what they are doing; we must not be Removing the canvas covering, it was found angry with them." to contain a large box made of rough boards The other carriages contained Madame which had evidently been hastily nailed to Desrües, Bertin, who was for the moment gether. Within this box lay the dead body suspected of complicity, the daughter of of a woman. Desrües, M. Jolly, and several other persons At first sight they were satisfied that they who had known Madame de la Motte. had before them the remains of Madame de The body of the poor victim was placed in la Motte, as they corresponded in every par a hall on the ground floor. Desrües was first ticular with the description given by M. de taken into the cellar, which he examined with la Motte of his wife. a certain curiosity; and when he was con The next day, the 19th of April, the whole fronted with Madame Masson, Rogeot, and quarter of La Greve was in a state of great the other dwellers in the house who had seen excitement. An immense crowd filled the the false Du Coudray, he answered them approaches to the Rue de la Mortellerie, kept calmly that he had not the honor of know ing them. They all unhesitatingly identified at a distance from " The Pewter- Pot " by a de tachment of* French guards. It was known him as the little man with the cart. Conducted before the body, he said, " Do throughout all Paris that Desrües, who now wholly engrossed the public attention, was you take that to be the body of Madame de la to be confronted with the body of Madame Motte? There is, it is true, some slight re semblance; but how can it be Madame de la de la Motte. About eleven o'clock in the forenoon sev Motte, when I saw her at Lyons on the 8th eral carriages, preceded and followed by of March? She must have been buried mounted police, entered the narrow gloomy here since that date, then." street which led from the Place de Greve. Madame Desrües did not deny that it was Loud cries arose from the crowd : " Death the body of the lady of Buisson; she recog nized her, as did all the other witnesses. to the villain! Kill him! The poisoner!" There was then no question as to the The carriage containing Desrües stopped before the house. The little man alighted, identity. It only remained to determine the calm and smiling. He glanced around him. cause of her death. Two physicians exam