Kitobni o'qish: «Убийство на улице Морг. Уровень 1 / The Murders in the Rue Morgue», sahifa 3
“Henri Duval34, a neighbor, a silver-smith35, сorroborates the testimony of Muse1t in general. The shrill voice, this witness thinks, was that of an Italian. He is sure that it was not French. He is not sure that it was a man’s voice. It can be a woman’s voice. He does not know Italian, so he could not distinguish the words, but was convinced by the intonation that the speaker was an Italian. He knew Madame L. and her daughter. He is sure that the shrill voice was not that of either of the deceased36.
“Odenheimer, restaurateur37. He does not speak French, he was examined through an interpreter. He is from Amsterdam. He passed the house at the time of the shrieks. They lasted for several minutes-probably ten. They were long and loud-very awful and distressing. He is sure that the shrill voice was that of a man-of a Frenchman. He could not distinguish the words. They were loud and quick. The voice was harsh, he cannot call it a shrill voice. The gruff voice said repeatedly ‘sacre2,’ ‘diable,’ and once ‘mon Dieu!38‘
“Jules Mignaud39, banker, of the firm of Mignaud et Fils, Rue Deloraine40. He is the elder Mignaud. Madame L’Espanaye had some property. She made frequent deposits in small sums. The third day before her death, she took out in person41 the sum of 4000 francs. This sum was paid in gold, and a clerk went home with the money.
“Adolphe Le Bon, clerk to Mignaud et Fils42. About noon, he accompanied Madame L’Espanaye to her residence with the 4000 francs, put up in two bags. The door opened, Mademoiselle L. appeared and took from his hands one of the bags. He then bowed and departed. He did not see any person in the street at the time. It is a very lonely street.
“William Bird43, tailor, an Englishman. He lived in Paris two years. He ascended the stairs and heard the voices. The gruff voice was that of a Frenchman. He cannot remember all the words. He heard distinctly ‘sacre2’ and ‘mon Dieu.’ There was a scraping and scuffling sound. The shrill voice was very loud-louder than the gruff one. He is sure that it was not the voice of an Englishman, maybe that of a German. He does not understand German.
“Four of the above-named witnesses44 deposed that the door of the chamber in which was found the body of Mademoiselle L. was locked on the inside. Everything was perfectly silent. When they entered, there was nobody in the room. A door between the two rooms was closed, but not locked. The door leading from the front room into the passage was locked, with the key on the inside. A small room in the front of the house, on the fourth story, was open. This room was crowded with old beds, boxes, and so on. The house was a four story one, with garrets. The time between the hearing of the voices and the breaking open of the room door, was three – five minutes. The door was opened with difficulty.
“Alfonzo Garcio, undertaker45, resides in the Rue Morgue. He is Spanish. He heard the voices, too. The gruff voice was that of a Frenchman. The shrill voice was that of an Englishman-he is sure of this. He does not understand the English language, but judges by the intonation.
“Alberto Montani, confectioner46, he was among the first to ascend the stairs. He heard the voices. The gruff voice was that of a Frenchman. He distinguished several words. The speaker was expostulating. The second one spoke quickly. It may be the voice of a Russian. He is an Italian.
“Several witnesses testified that the chimneys of all the rooms on the fourth story were too narrow. By ‘sweeps’ were meant cylindrical sweeping-brushes, such as are employed by those who clean chimneys. The body of Mademoiselle L’Espanaye was so firmly wedged in the chimney that it could not be got down until four or five of the party united their strength47.
“Paul Dumas48, physician, deposes that he was called to view the bodies. They were both then lying in the chamber where Mademoiselle L. was found. The corpse of the young lady was much bruised and excoriated. The throat was greatly chafed. There were several deep scratches just below the chin. The face was fearfully discolored. In the opinion of M. Dumas49, Mademoiselle L’Espanaye was throttled to death by some person or persons. The corpse of the mother was horribly mutilated. All the bones of the right leg and arm were shattered. Whole body dreadfully bruised and discolored. It was not possible to say how the injuries was inflicted. The head of the deceased was entirely separated from the body. The throat was cut with some very sharp instrument-probably with a razor.
“Alexandre Etienne50, surgeon, was called with M. Dumas to view the bodies. He corroborated the testimony, and the opinions of M. Dumas.
A murder so mysterious was never before committed in Paris. There is not, however, the shadow of a clue apparent.”
