AMAZING TRIUMPH OF DETECTIVES.

Manawatu Herald, Volume XXXII, Issue 857, 25 June 1910, Page 4

AMAZING TRIUMPH OF DETECTIVES.

8000 HOUSES SEARCHED. The Paris police recently arrested the murderer of Else Vaudamme, the woman whose head was found in a paper parcel in a doorway in Paris on February 28th. Elsie Vandamme had been seen iu the streets speaking to a man with large red hands on February 28lh. She disappeared, and the head found was hers. That was all tne information the police had. The detective force worked hard to unravel the mystery, and during lire last two mouths visited eight thousand houses iu and near Paris, questioning the concierges Their euquines led lo no result until quite recently, when a man and woman gave information that on the night of the murder they had ueard a quarrel and groans from the room ol a workman called Vincenzini.

'• Eet us see this Vincenzini,” said M. Hamard, the chief of the detective force, aud the man was brought to him. M. Hamard has a good memory, and he has studied the Bertillon system of finger-prints. “Your name is not Vincenzini,” he said to the man. “it is Paul Ferdinand. You were arrested for theft in 1901 and sentenced to five years’ hard labour.”

The man grew very pale. “ Aud now,” proceeded M. Hamard, ‘‘ I arrest you tor the murder of Elsie Vandamme.”

“ You will have to prove that,” said Ferdinand, ” I will,” said M. Hamard. A search was then made of the man’s room, aud in a table drawer M. Hammard found a key, “ Where does this come from? ” he asked Fedinaud. ‘‘ My mother gave it to me,” the man replied.

M. Hamard turned to his assistant. “This is the key to the mystery,” he said. “Twenty in Roman figures is engraved on this key, with the word ‘ bis,’ and 2obis was the number of Elsie Vandamme’s room in the hotel where she lived.” There and then M. Hamard sent a policeman to have the key identified. The man came back at once. It was the key. Then Ferdinand broke down and confessed that he had killed Elsie Vandamme, but said that it had happened accidentally during some rough horse play. “I caught her round the neck,” he said, “and suddenly she grew quite still. I had strangled her by accident. “ I was dreadfully afraid, and the more so because of my past, so I cut the body to pieces, and for two days aud two nights I walked about Paris leaving them in different place. I do not remember where I threw them, and I don’t think you will find them now.” Ferdinand’s arrest caused an immense sensation in Paris, where it was announced in special editions of the papers.