the works of edgar allan poe-1-第34章

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mouth。　No　foam　was　seen；　as　in　the　case　of　the　merely　drowned。　There　
was　no　discoloration　in　the　cellular　tissue。　About　the　throat　were　
bruises　and　impressions　of　fingers。　The　arms　were　bent　over　on　the　
chest　and　were　rigid。　The　right　hand　was　clenched；　the　left　partially　
open。　On　the　left　wrist　were　two　circular　excoriations；　apparently　
the　effect　of　ropes；　or　of　a　rope　in　more　than　one　volution。　A　part　
of　the　right　wrist；　also；　was　much　chafed；　as　well　as　the　back　
throughout　its　extent；　but　more　especially　at　the　shoulder…blades。　In　
bringing　the　body　to　the　shore　the　fishermen　had　attached　to　it　a　
rope；　but　none　of　the　excoriations　had　been　effected　by　this。　The　
flesh　of　the　neck　was　much　swollen。　There　were　no　cuts　apparent；　or　
bruises　which　appeared　the　effect　of　blows。　A　piece　of　lace　was　found　
tied　so　tightly　around　the　neck　as　to　be　hidden　from　sight；　it　was　
completely　buried　in　the　flesh；　and　was　fasted　by　a　knot　which　lay　
just　under　the　left　ear。　This　alone　would　have　sufficed　to　produce　
death。　The　medical　testimony　spoke　confidently　of　the　virtuous　
character　of　the　deceased。　She　had　been　subjected；　it　said；　to　brutal　
violence。　The　corpse　was　in　such　condition　when　found；　that　there　
could　have　been　no　difficulty　in　its　recognition　by　friends。　

The　dress　was　much　torn　and　otherwise　disordered。　In　the　outer　
garment；　a　slip；　about　a　foot　wide；　had　been　torn　upward　from　the　
bottom　hem　to　the　waist；　but　not　torn　off。　It　was　wound　three　times　
around　the　waist；　and　secured　by　a　sort　of　hitch　in　the　back。　The　
dress　immediately　beneath　the　frock　was　of　fine　muslin；　and　from　this　
a　slip　eighteen　inches　wide　had　been　torn　entirely　out　…　torn　very　
evenly　and　with　great　care。　It　was　found　around　her　neck；　fitting　
loosely；　and　secured　with　a　hard　knot。　Over　this　muslin　slip　and　the　
slip　of　lace；　the　strings　of　a　bonnet　were　attached；　the　bonnet　being　
appended。　The　knot　by　which　the　strings　of　the　bonnet　were　fastened；　
was　not　a　lady's；　but　a　slip　or　sailor's　knot。　

After　the　recognition　of　the　corpse；　it　was　not；　as　usual；　taken　to　
the　Morgue；　（this　formality　being　superfluous；）　but　hastily　interred　
not　far　front　the　spot　at　which　it　was　brought　ashore。　Through　the　
exertions　of　Beauvais；　the　matter　was　industriously　hushed　up；　as　far　
as　possible；　and　several　days　had　elapsed　before　any　public　emotion　
resulted。　A　weekly　paper；　｛*9｝　however；　at　length　took　up　the　theme；　
the　corpse　was　disinterred；　and　a　re…examination　instituted；　but　
nothing　was　elicited　beyond　what　has　been　already　noted。　The　clothes；　
however；　were　now　submitted　to　the　mother　and　friends　of　the　
deceased；　and　fully　identified　as　those　worn　by　the　girl　upon　leaving　
home。　

Meantime；　the　excitement　increased　hourly。　Several　individuals　were　
arrested　and　discharged。　St。　Eustache　fell　especially　under　
suspicion；　and　he　failed；　at　first；　to　give　an　intelligible　account　
of　his　whereabouts　during　the　Sunday　on　which　Marie　left　home。　
Subsequently；　however；　he　submitted　to　Monsieur　G；　affidavits；　
accounting　satisfactorily　for　every　hour　of　the　day　in　question。　As　
time　passed　and　no　discovery　ensued；　a　thousand　contradictory　rumors　
were　circulated；　and　journalists　busied　themselves　in　suggestions。　
Among　these；　the　one　which　attracted　the　most　notice；　was　the　idea　
that　Marie　Rog阾　still　lived　…　that　the　corpse　found　in　the　Seine　was　
that　of　some　other　unfortunate。　It　will　be　proper　that　I　submit　to　
the　reader　some　passages　which　embody　the　suggestion　alluded　to。　
These　passages　are　literal　translations　from　L'Etoile；　｛*10｝　a　paper　
conducted；　in　general；　with　much　ability。　

〃Mademoiselle　Rog阾　left　her　mother's　house　on　Sunday　morning；　June　
the　twenty…second；　18；　with　the　ostensible　purpose　of　going　to　see　
her　aunt；　or　some　other　connexion；　in　the　Rue　des　Dr鬽es。　From　that　
hour；　nobody　is　proved　to　have　seen　her。　There　is　no　trace　or　tidings　
of　her　at　all。　。　。　。　There　has　no　person；　whatever；　come　forward；　so　
far；　who　saw　her　at　all；　on　that　day；　after　she　left　her　mother's　
door。　。　。　。　Now；　though　we　have　no　evidence　that　Marie　Rog阾　was　in　
the　land　of　the　living　after　nine　o'clock　on　Sunday；　June　the　
twenty…second；　we　have　proof　that；　up　to　that　hour；　she　was　alive。　On　
Wednesday　noon；　at　twelve；　a　female　body　was　discovered　afloat　on　the　
shore　of　the　Barri鑢e　de　Roule。　This　was；　even　if　we　presume　that　
Marie　Rog阾　was　thrown　into　the　river　within　three　hours　after　she　
left　her　mother's　house；　only　three　days　from　the　time　she　left　her　
home　…　three　days　to　an　hour。　But　it　is　folly　to　suppose　that　the　
murder；　if　murder　was　committed　on　her　body；　could　have　been　
consummated　soon　enough　to　have　enabled　her　murderers　to　throw　the　
body　into　the　river　before　midnight。　Those　who　are　guilty　of　such　
horrid　crimes；　choose　darkness　rather　the；　light　。　。　。　。　Thus　we　see　
that　if　the　body　found　in　the　river　was　that　of　Marie　Rog阾；　it　could　
only　have　been　in　the　water　two　and　a　half　days；　or　three　at　the　
outside。　All　experience　has　shown　that　drowned　bodies；　or　bodies　
thrown　into　the　water　immediately　after　death　by　violence；　require　
from　six　to　ten　days　for　decomposition　to　take　place　to　bring　them　to　
the　top　of　the　water。　Even　where　a　cannon　is　fired　over　a　corpse；　and　
it　rises　before　at　least　five　or　six　days'　immersion；　it　sinks　again；　
if　let　alone。　Now；　we　ask；　what　was　there　in　this　cave　to　cause　a　
departure　from　the　ordinary　course　of　nature？　。　。　。　If　the　body　had　
been　kept　in　its　mangled　state　on　shore　until　Tuesday　night；　some　
trace　would　be　found　on　shore　of　the　murderers。　It　is　a　doubtful　
point；　also；　whether　the　body　would　be　so　soon　afloat；　even　were　it　
thrown　in　after　having　been　dead　two　days。　And；　furthermore；　it　is　
exceedingly　improbable　that　any　villains　who　had　committed　such　a　
murder　as　is　here　supposed；　would　have　throw　the　body　in　without　
weight　to　sink　it；　when　such　a　precaution　could　have　so　easily　been　
taken。〃　

The　editor　here　proceeds　to　argue　that　the　body　must　have　been　in　the　
water　〃not　three　days　merely；　but；　at　least；　five　times　three　days；〃　
because　it　was　so　far　decomposed　that　Beauvais　had　great　difficulty　
in　recognizing　it。　This　latter　point；　however；　was　fully　disproved。　I　
continue　the　translation：　

〃What；　then；　are　the　facts　on　which　M。　Beauvais　says　that　he　has　no　
doubt　the　body　was　that　of　Marie　Rog阾？　He　ripped　up　the　gown　sleeve；　
and　says　he　found　marks　which　satisfied　him　of　the　identity。　The　
public　generally　supposed　those　marks　to　have　consisted　of　some　
description　of　scars。　He　rubbed　the　arm　and　found　hair　upon　it　…　
something　as　indefinite；　we　think；　as　can　readily　be　imagined　…　as　
little　conclusive　as　finding　an　arm　in　the　sleeve。　M。　Beauvais　did　
not　return　that　night；　but　sent　word　to　Madame　Rog阾；　at　seven　
o'clock；　on　Wednesday　evening；　that　an　investigation　was　still　in　
progress　respecting　her　daughter。　If　we　allow　that　Madame　Rog阾；　from　
her　age　and　grief；　could　not　go　over；　（which　is　allowing　a　great　
deal；）　there　certainly　must　have　been　some　one　who　would　have　thought　
it　worth　while　to　go　over　and　attend　the　investigation；　if　they　
thought　the　body　was　that　of　Marie。　Nobody　went　over。　There　was　
nothing　said　or　heard　about　the　matter　in　the　Rue　Pav閑　St。　Andr閑；　
that　reached　even　the　occupants　of　the　same　building。　M。　St。　
Eustache；　the　lover　and　intended　husband　of　Marie；　who　boarded　in　her　
mother's　house；　deposes　that　he　did　not　hear　of　the　discovery　of　the　
body　of　his　intended　until　the　next　morning；　when　M。　Beauvais　came　
into　his　chamber　and　told　him　of　it。　For　an　item　of　news　like　this；　
it　strikes　us　it　was　very　coolly　received。〃　

In　this　way　the　journal　endeavored　to　create　the　impression　of　an　
apathy　on　the　part　of　the　relatives　of　Marie；　inconsistent　with　the　
supposition　that　these　relatives　believed　the　corpse　to　be　hers。　Its　
insinuations　amount　to　this：　…　that　Marie；　with　the　connivance　of　her　
friends；　had　absented　herself　from　the　city　for　reasons　involving　a　
charge　against　her　chastity；　and　that　these　friends；　upon　the　
discovery　of　a　corpse　in　the　Seine；　somewhat　resembling　that　of　the　
girl；　had　availed　themselves　of　the　opportunity　to　impress　press　the　
public　with　the　belief　of　her　death。　But　L'Etoile　was　again　
over…hasty。　It　was　distinctly　proved　that　no　apathy；　such　as　was　
imagined；　existed；　that　the　old　lady　was　exceedingly　feeble；　and　so　
agitated　as　to　be　unable　to　attend　to　any　duty；　that　St。　Eustache；　so　
far　from　receiving　the　news　coolly；　was　distracted　with　grief；　and　
bore　himself　so　frantically；　that　M。　Beauvais　prevailed　upon　a　friend　
and　relative　to　take　charge　of　him；　and　prevent　his　attending　the　
examination　at　the　disinterment。　Moreover；　although　it　was　stated　by　
L'Etoile；　that　the　corpse　was　re…interred　at　the　public　expense　…　
that　an　advantageous　offer　of　private　sculpture　was　absolutely　
declined　by　the　family　…　and　that　no　member　of　the　family　attended　
the　ceremonial：　…　although；　I　say；　all　this　was　asserted　by　L'Etoile　
in　furtherance　of　the　impression　it　designed　to　convey　…　yet　all　this　
was　satisfactorily　disproved。　In　a　subsequent　number　of　the　paper；　an　
attempt　was　made　to　throw　suspicion　upon　Beauvais　himself。　The　editor　
says：　

〃Now；　then；　a　change　comes　over　the　matter。　We　are　told　that　on　one　
occasion；　while　a　Madame　B　was　at　Madame　Rog阾's　house；　M。　
Beauvais；　who　was　going　out；　told　her　that　a　gendarme　was　expected　
there；　and　she；　Madame　B。；　must　not　say　anything　to　the　gendarme　
until　he　returned；　but　let　the　matter　be　for　him。　。　。　。　In　the　
present　posture　of　affairs；　M。　Beauvais　appears　to　have　the　whole　
matter　looked　up　in　his　head。　A　single　step　cannot　be　taken　without　
M。　Beauvais；　for；　go　which　way　you　will；　you　run　against　him。　。　。　。　
For　some　reason；　he　determined　that　nobody　shall　have　any　thing　to　do　
with　the　proceedings　but　himself；　and　he　has　elbowed　the　male　
relatives　out　of　the　way；　according　to　their　representations；　in　a　
very　singular　manner。　He　seems　to　have　been　very　much　averse　to　
permitting　the　relatives　to　see　the　body。〃　

By　the　following　fact；　some　color　was　given　to　the　suspicion　thus　
thrown　upon　Beauvais。　A　visiter　at　his　office；　a　few　days　prior　to　
the　girl's　disappearance；　and　during　the　absence　of　its　occupant；　had　
observed　a　rose　in　the　key…hole　of　the　door；　and　the　name　〃Marie〃　
inscribed　upon　a　slate　which　hung　near　at　hand。　

The　general　impression；　so　far　as　we　were　enabled　to　glean　it　from　
the　newspapers；　seemed　to　be；　that　Marie　had　been　the　victim　of　a　
gang　of　desperadoes　…　that　by　these　she　had　been　borne　across　the　
river；　maltreated　and　murdered。　Le　Commerciel；　｛*11｝　however；　a　print　
of　extensive　influence；　was　earnest　in　combating　this　popular　idea。　I　
quote　a　passage　or　two　from　its　columns：　

〃We　are　persuaded　that　pursuit　has　hitherto　been　on　a　false　scent；　so　
far　as　it　has　been　directed　to　the　Barri鑢e　du　Roule。　It　is　
impossible　that　a　person　so　well　known　to　thousands　as　this　young　
woman　was；　should　have　passed　three　blocks　without　some　one　having　
seen　her；　and　any　one　who　saw　her　would　have　remembered　it；　for　she　
interested　all　who　knew　her。　It　was　wh