CAUSES CÉLÈBRES. XX. THE MYSTERY OF METZ. [1669.]
LITTLE after noon on the 25 th of
September, 1669, Wilhelmina, wife of
Gilles Lemoine, the cartwright, residing in
Glatigny, went to a spring a few hundred
yards distant from the village to wash linen.
She was followed by her little son Didier, — a
pretty, rosy child, with fair, long curls, aged
about three. As they went, the little boy
stumbled and fell.
"Not hurt, not hurt, my mother! " shouted
the young hero, jealous of being assisted.
"I am coming, my mother. Go on!"
She did go on, never to hear her child's
voice again.
Busied with her work, some minutes
elapsed before Madame Lemoine became
aware that she was alone. She then hastily
retraced her steps, calling sharply as she
went; for she fancied that the child had
concealed himself, and she was at the mo
ment in no mood for play. Receiving no
answer, she -ran back to the house, and not
finding him there, hastened with her hus
band to the cottage of her father-in-law,
which was close at hand. No one there
had seen the child; and now seriously
alarmed lest he should have strayed into
the adjacent wolf-haunted forest, the anx
ious parents assembled their friends, and
aided by the town-prefect in person, exam
ined every inch of ground in the vicinity of the spring. Their search in this direction
proved vain; but a shout from one of the
party who had reached the high-road leading
to Metz, brought every one to the spot, where,
clearly traceable on the soft white dust, were
seen the footprints of the little wanderer.
Soon, however, these tiny tracks were lost
in the marks of wheels and hoofs, and again
the searchers were at fault.
Suddenly there came up, riding from Metz, a horseman, wearing the livery of the Count de Vaudemont, who, to the ques tion had he met a straying child, promptly answered that he had encountered, but a few minutes before, a huge black-bearded Jew, on a white horse, proceeding towards Metz, and carrying before him a little curly-headed boy, apparently between three and four years old. No sooner, he added, had the Jew caught sight of him, than he had quitted the highroad, so as to preserve in passing the distance of a pistol-shot. There could be no question that the child was Didier; and the unhappy parents, hur rying on to Metz, inquired at what was called the German Gate of the city, if such a person as they described had been seen to enter. Yes; a turner named Regnault, living close to the gate, had observed him pass in. At this moment there came in through the gate an acquaintance of Lemoine, resident in the neighboring village of Hex, who, on being informed of what had occurred, at once identified the Jew as one Raphael Levi, of Boulay, whose face dwelt freshly enough in the speaker's recollection, inasmuch as less than two hours since, Levi had passed him on the road to Metz, carrying something be fore him, covered with a cloak. Where did he lodge, this Raphael Levi? At the house of his cousin Garcon, not a minute's walk from the gate. To the eager demands of the Lemoines, Gabon's servant persistently declared that her master was absent, and that nothing was known of any strange child. The baffled inquirers were about reluc tantly to withdraw, when a young Jewess.
