words vague and half-formed conception meaning of Dupin flitted over my mind I seemed verge of comprehension without power to comprehend - men, at times, find themselves brink of remembrance without being able, end, to remember My friend went on discourse

" ," , "that shifted the question mode of egress of ingress my design to convey the idea that both were effected same manner, same point now revert interior room survey the appearances here The drawers bureau, said, rifled, although many articles of apparel still remained within them The conclusion absurd mere guess - very silly one - and no more How are we articles found drawers all these drawers had originally contained ? Madame L'Espanaye and her daughter lived an exceedingly retired life - saw no company - seldom went out - had little use for numerous changes of habiliment Those found were of as good quality as any likely possessed ladies If thief had taken any, why did he not best - why did he not take all ? In word, why did he abandon four thousand francs in gold to encumber himself with bundle of linen ? The gold was abandoned Nearly the whole sum mentioned by Monsieur Mignaud, the banker, was discovered, in bags, floor you, therefore, to discard from your thoughts the blundering idea of motive_, engendered brains police portion evidence which speaks of money delivered door house Coincidences ten times as remarkable (the delivery money, and murder committed within three days party receiving it), happen to all of us every hour lives, without attracting even momentary notice Coincidences, in general, are great stumbling-blocks way class of thinkers who educated nothing theory of probabilities - that theory most glorious objects of human research are indebted most glorious of illustration present instance, had the gold been gone, the fact delivery three days before formed something more than coincidence It corroborative idea of motive But, under the real circumstances case, to suppose gold the motive outrage, also imagine the perpetrator so vacillating an idiot as abandoned his gold motive together

"Keeping now steadily in mind the points drawn your attention - that peculiar voice, that unusual agility, startling absence of motive in murder so singularly atrocious - glance butchery itself woman strangled to death by manual strength, and thrust up chimney, head downward Ordinary assassins employ no such modes of murder Least of all, do they thus dispose murdered manner of thrusting the corpse up the chimney, admit that something excessively outr - something altogether irreconcilable common notions of human action, even when we suppose the actors the most depraved of men Think, too, how great must that strength which thrust the body up such an aperture so forcibly united vigor of several persons was found barely sufficient to drag it down !

"Turn, now, to other indications employment of vigor most marvellous hearth were thick tresses - very thick tresses - of grey human hair These torn out roots aware great force necessary in tearing thus head even twenty or thirty hairs together You saw the locks as myself Their roots (a hideous sight ! ) were clotted with fragments flesh scalp - sure token prodigious power which exerted in uprooting perhaps half million of hairs The throat old lady was not merely cut, but the head absolutely severed body: the instrument was mere razor you also to look brutal ferocity deeds bruises body of Madame L'Espanaye speak Monsieur Dumas, worthy coadjutor Monsieur Etienne, have pronounced were inflicted by some obtuse instrument; and these gentlemen are very correct The obtuse instrument was clearly the stone pavement yard, the victim had fallen window which looked in bed This idea, however simple it may now seem, escaped the police same reason breadth shutters escaped them - because, affair nails, their perceptions hermetically sealed against the possibility windows having ever been opened at all

"If now, to all these things, properly reflected odd disorder chamber, we combine the ideas of an agility astounding, strength superhuman, ferocity brutal, butchery without motive, grotesquerie in horror absolutely alien from humanity, and voice foreign in tone ears of men of many nations, and devoid of all distinct or intelligible syllabification What result, then, has ensued ? What impression have upon your fancy ? "

creeping flesh as Dupin asked me the question "A madman," , " this deed - some raving maniac, escaped from neighboring Maison de Sant "

"In some respects," he replied, "your idea irrelevant But the voices of madmen, even in their wildest paroxysms, are never found to tally peculiar voice heard stairs Madmen are of some nation, and their language, however incoherent in its words, has always the coherence of syllabification Besides, the hair of madman such as I now hold in my hand I disentangled this little tuft rigidly clutched fingers of Madame L'Espanaye Tell me what of it "

"Dupin ! " , completely unnerved; "this hair is most unusual - no human hair "

" asserted ," said he; "but, before we decide this point, you to glance little sketch here traced paper fac-simile drawing of described in one portion testimony as 'dark bruises, and deep indentations of finger nails,' throat of Mademoiselle L'Espanaye, and in another, (by Messrs Dumas and Etienne,) as 'series of livid spots, evidently the impression of fingers '

" perceive," continued my friend, spreading out the paper table , " drawing gives the idea of firm and fixed hold no slipping apparent Each finger has retained - possibly until the death victim - the fearful grasp it originally imbedded itself Attempt, now, all your fingers, same time, respective impressions as them "

the attempt in vain

" possibly not giving fair trial," "The paper is spread out upon plane surface; but the human throat is cylindrical billet of wood, the circumference of throat Wrap the drawing around it, and try the experiment again "

so; but the difficulty was even more obvious than before "This," , " mark of no human hand "

"Read now," replied Dupin, "this passage from Cuvier "

minute anatomical and generally descriptive account large fulvous Ourang-Outang East Indian Islands The gigantic stature, the prodigious strength and activity, the wild ferocity, imitative propensities mammalia are sufficiently well known to all I understood the full horrors murder at once

"The description digits," said I, as an end of reading, "is in exact accordance drawing that no animal but an Ourang-Outang, species here mentioned, impressed the indentations traced them This tuft of tawny hair, too, is identical in character beast of Cuvier But possibly comprehend the particulars frightful mystery Besides, there were two voices heard in contention, and was unquestionably the voice of Frenchman "