Three syndicates or companies doing export business with the Far East have a joint office at 43 Boulevard Haussmann, Paris, under the control of a managing director, M. Lisard. who is now in Indo: China, In consequence of poor trade, the office staff was gradually. reduced until it consisted only Rene Drouhi ed under M.
Drouhin kept the books, attended to the correspondence and did every-without even the of a typist. At 7 p.m. the day before yesterday, a cleaner who mut to the office to perform his.
wual task found Drouhin, bond ug on some old sacks in the kitchen. The safe, which was open, contained no money. Drouhin's story. as told the police, was to the effect that he was visited by two men who tried to sell him packets of safety razor-blades. To get rid of them, he agreed to buy some blades, and, having no change, went to the safe for thousand-frane note, whereupon the men attacked him from behind, stifled his cries for help, tied him up and thrust a wade soaked with ether into his mouth. They the the kitchen, took 1 safe and went away. He eventually got rid of the gay and shouted help but was not hoard.
As usual in auch eases, the police asked for a detailed statement, put questions, and soon discovered' that AM. Drouhin was contradicting him-cif in various small particulars They also ascertained that, whi shouts from the kitchen might not attract attention from persons passing up and down the main staircase, they would certainly be heard on the back stairs. The wad smelt so little of ether that the supposed criminals must have used a remarkably small quantity of th liquid, The detectives plied Drowhin ith questions all day until he burst into tears and: confessed.
He said that he took to backing horses and speculating in stocks and shares. When things went wrens he helped himself to the firm's inding himself 70,000 frs. to the bad, he tried his Inck at Monte Carlo and other casinos, and ost still more. While he was wondering what to do, he received 'a cable from his superior instruct ing him to. remit 100,000 frs. to Indo-China at once. To account for On their way back to Franes, they started from Antananarivo and, leaving, land, course for the Nova, about midway across the Mozambique Channel, which separates Madagascar from the African continent. They. -were about level with the island when Capt, Goulette remarked that he smelt petrol, to which Bourgeois replied that he had just started the pump. Marchesseau, who had aleo noticed the odour, switched on his pocket Iamp and looked down. The floor at his feet was flooded with petrol! The pipe connecting the main tank with the engine had burst!
Marchesseau turned round, threw up his hands and exclaimed: "We done! We shall be drowned! Not at all! through the there's the island!" and ho signaled to the pilot to turn back. "A. quarter of an hour later they wore over the island, and the pilot, using the petrol from the reserve supply the circled about in search of a landing-place, while Bourgeois closed the broken end of the pipe with a large pair of pliers and Capt. Goulette shut the ports to prevent the fumes of the escaping petrol from coming; into contact with the escape and setting fire to the machine. While the pilot was mancuvring, his companions were rejoiced by the sight of a ship apparently anchored near the island. He discovered a glade surrounded by coconut trees and landed safer
Text read from the printed page and cleaned; old type leaves the occasional error.