“We chose an old mansion in a run-down part of
Faubourg St.Germain. It had been abandoned a long time ago due to the
superstitions which surrounded it.” Pág.4
“This morning, about three o’clock, the
inhabitants of the Quartier St.Roche were woken by a series of terrible screams
coming from the fourth floor of a house in the Rue Morgue.” Pág.8
“The apartment was in complete disorder; the
furniture was broken and had been thrown around the room.There was only one bed
and from this the mattress had been removed and thrown into the middle of the
floor. On a chair there was a razor covered in blood. In the fireplace there
was some grey human hair, wich was also covered in blood. It appeared to have
been pulled out by the roots. On the floor they found four Napoleons, a topaz
earring, three large silver spoons, three smaller ‘métal d'Alger’ spoons, and
two bags, containing nearly four thousand francs in gold” Pág.8-10
“The drawers of a ‘bureau’ were open and had
been rifled, although many articles still remained in them. A small iron chest
was discovered under the mattress (not under the bed). It was open, with the
key in the door. It contained nothing except a few old letters, and other
papers of little importance.” Pág.10
“They could not see Madame L’Espanaye but as
there was an unusual quantity of soot in the fireplace, they searched the
chimney. From there they dragged down the corpse of the daughter” Pág.10
“She had severe scretches on her face, and on
her throat, dark bruises and deep finger nail marks, as if Mademoiselle
L’Espanaye had been strangled.” Pág.10
“After a thorough search of every part of the
house they went into a small yard at the back of the building, where they found
the corpse of the old lady” Pág.10
“Pauline Duborg, washerwoman, has known both
the deceased for five years and washed their clothes during this period.”
Pág.12
“Pierre Moreau, tobacconist, has been selling
small quantities of tobacco and snuff to Madame L’ Espanaye for nearly four
years. He was born in the neighborhood and has always lived there.” Pág.12-14
“The shutters of the front windows were rarely
opened and those at the back were always closed, with the exception of those in
the large back room fourth floor. The house was in good condition and it was
not very old.” Pág.14
“Jules Mignaud, banker, of the firm of Mignaud
et Fils, Rue Deloraine. He is the elder Mignaud” Pág.18
“Adolphe Le Bon, clerck to Mignaud et Fils,
says that at noon on the day in question, he accompanied Madame L’Espanaye to
her house with the 4000 francs,which was in two bags” Pág.20
“William Bird, tailor, says he was one of the
group who entered the house. He is English and has lived in Paris for two
years. He was one of the first to go up the stairs” Pág.20
“It was a four story house with attic rooms.
There was a trapdoor on the roof that was nailed down and had not been opened
for years” Pág.22
“Alfonzo Garcio, understaker, says he lives in
the Rues Morgue. He is from Spain.” Pág.22
“Alberto Montani, confectioner, says he was one
of the first to go up the stairs... He is an Italian and has never spoken to a Russian”
Pág.24
“Paul Dumas, doctor, says that he was called to
examine the bodies about daybreak.” Pág.26
“The corpse of the mother was horribly
mutilated. All of the bones of the right leg and arm were shattered to a
greater or lesser extent. All her body was bruised and discolored.” Pág.26
“Alexandre Etienne, surgeon, was called with
Monsieur Dumas to view the bodies. He corroborated the testimony and the
opinions of Monsieur Dumas” Pág.26
“The police were searching the house again and
questioning the witnesses for a second time. The newspaper also said that
Adolphe Le Bon had been arrested and imprisoned although nothing appeared to
incriminate him” Pág.28
“The mystery, so far, has been solved. The
murderer had escaped through the window which was behind the bed. After he
climbed out, the window dropped down by itself or he closed it became fastened
by the spring” Pág.42
“’The next question is how the murderer got
down’ continued Dupin.’My walk around the building had helped me in that
respect. There is a lightning rod about five and a half feet from the window.
From this rod it would have been impossible to reach the window.” Pág.42
“It is one of those unusual shutters called
‘ferrades’ and is three and a half feet wide” Pág.42
“Madame L’Espanaye and her daughter led a very
simple life. They didn’t go out very much and didn’t need many special clothes.
They probably didn’t have any clothes of better quality than those found in the
drawers” Pág.44
“If we think gold was the motive for these
atrocities then the murderer must be a complete idiot to have left it behind”
Pág.46
“It also required extraordinary strength to
pull out Mademoiselle L’Espanaye’s hair and to cut off her mother’s head with a
razor” ´Pág.46
“The bruises on Madame L’Espanaye´s body are another
matter. According to the police these were caused by a blunt instrument. They
are correct. The blunt instrument was the stone pavement in the yard, onto
which the victim fell.” Pág.46
“It was a detailed anatomical description of
the large orangutan of the East Indian Islands. The immense size, the
prodigious strength, and the wild ferocity of this mammal are well known. It
also has the ability to imitate humans” Pág.50
“Well, I’m not sure about it. However, here is
a small piece of ribbon. From its form and greasy appearance it is clear it was
used for tying the hair in one of those lose pigtails which sailors can tie,
and it is peculiar to the Maltese.” Pág.52
“The man entered. He was clearly a sailor. He
was tall, fat and muscular. He had a bold expression on his sunburnt face,
which was half-hidden by a large moustache and whiskers. He was holding a huge
club” Pág.54
“ ‘Well,’ replied my friend, ‘that sounds fair.
Let me think-What could ask for? Oh, I know! My reward will be this. You will
tell me all you know about the murders in the Rue Morgue’
Dupin said the words in a very low tone, and
very quietly. Then also very quietly he walked towards the door, locked it and
put the key in his pocket. He then took out a pistol and put in on the table”
Pág.56
“It was sitting in front of a mirror, trying to
shave. It had obviously observed his master shaving trough the keyhole. The man
was terrified when he saw the animal with the razor and for a moment did not
know what to do” Pág.58
“The streets were very quiet as it was nearly
three o’clock in the morning. As the animal was passing down the alley behind
the Rue Morgue it saw a light coming from the open window of Madame
L’Espanaye’s room. It saw the lighting rod and climbed up with great agility.
If then grasped the shutter, and swung itself onto the bed” Pág.60
“The screams the old lady made the orangutan
furious and it tore the hair from her head. Then with one movement of its
muscular arm it nearly severed her head from her body.” Pág.62
“Later it was caught by the owner, who sold it
for a large sum at the ‘Jardin des Plantes’. Le Bon was instantly released
after we related the facts at the police station.” Pág.62
