Writer 1879: Solitary Journey in France

Chapter 88 There is a picture and the truth

For the remainder of the holiday, a whole week, the disturbance at 12 Antawn Street did not end. Those residents who could leave left, and those who could not leave closed their doors to visitors.

As one of the most sensational sex and murder cases in Paris recently, it has become an important pastime for Parisians to pass the time.

Not only did popular newspapers like Le Petit-Les Les Parisien, Le Monde, and Le Nam all begin to follow up on the case, but even Le Figaro devoted a great deal of coverage and commentary to it.

Lionel opened the newspaper and saw a series of sensational headlines—

The Little Daily News – “Bloodbath on Antanthave Street! Husband shoots his adulterous wife and lover before committing suicide!”

[...The terrified neighbors rushed over at the sound and witnessed a hellish scene: Mrs. Petit and Mr. Pensay lay in pools of blood, their bodies torn apart by powerful shot, and died on the spot!]
Mr. Greenheit, the usually taciturn and widely regarded as a "model husband," sat in a blood-stained armchair, pointed a gun at his jaw, and blew half his head off! The scene was a gruesome, bloody mess! ...

We can't help but ask: Is this tragedy a sign of moral decay or a distortion of human nature?

Le Parisien – "Love home on Rue Anthon becomes a graveyard, three dead!"

Madame Petit had a long-standing illicit affair with Monsieur Lucien de Pansé, an opera singer who lived in the same building. Monsieur Pansé was handsome, charming, and had a long history of romantic affairs; his dissolute lifestyle was well-known. The tragedy was seemingly triggered when Monsieur Greenheit caught them in the act, causing his long-suppressed anger and shame to erupt instantly, leading to an irreparable tragedy.

The grief-stricken relatives from both sides have arrived at the scene and are currently in stable condition.

Upon seeing this, Lionel remained relatively calm and opened Le Figaro again.

As a newspaper whose main clientele is the middle class, Le Figaro did not overemphasize the gruesome nature of the crime scene, but instead focused on a deeper exploration of the reasons behind the case.

Le Figaro – "The Triple Tragedy of Rue Antán: Social Disorder or Individual Collapse?"

Mr. Greenheit was both the perpetrator and the victim. He represented a typical good Parisian citizen: hardworking, with a decent income, and striving to maintain a happy family life.

Monsieur Lucien de Pance symbolizes another type of existence in the city: relying on charm and disregard for morality to walk the line of the law. Madame Petit's behavior exposes the alienation and even degeneration of values ​​in Paris during its rapid expansion.

Criminal experts and forensic experts from the Paris Police Department pointed out to this newspaper that this case highlights the necessity of promoting a "born criminal" identification system. Greenheit's flat forehead and high brow bones indicate he has difficulty controlling his emotions and is prone to violent crimes; Lucien's long, narrow face and high-set skull are typical features of a con artist and sex maniac…

"Born criminals?" Lionel thought it was a bit outrageous after reading it, and muttered to himself, "If this were to be promoted, Paris would need to build ten more Bastilles."

But a subsequent report in La Croix sent chills down Lionel's spine: "Obscene novels breed real-life tragedy! The Antanne Street massacre serves as a warning of the devastating consequences of moral decay!"

The blood that flowed at 12 Rue Anthon has not yet dried, and three souls have already fallen into the abyss due to sinful lust! It is the poisonous fruit of the continuous collapse of the moral foundation of Paris and even the whole of France! And what nourishes this evil soil is the rampant publications that blaspheme and corrupt customs!

Look at the characters in this case! The alluring and decadent Lucien de Pensée not only shares the same surname as the libertine character "Louis Pensée" in the banned book "Decadent City," which is poisoning countless souls, but also engages in the same profession! Is this a coincidence? No, this is a divine revelation.

His Excellency Bishop Gilbert and His Eminence Cardinal Montelli have already issued a resounding warning in Parliament! *Decadent City* and its ilk are a spiritual plague cast upon humanity by Satan! The tragedy on Rue Antanne is the latest and bloodiest example of this plague! We strongly urge: a complete ban on *Decadent City* and all related publications! Hunt down its publisher and the wicked author hiding behind the mask of "honest Parisians"!
The blood shed on Antawn Street cannot be shed in vain! It is a heart-wrenching indictment and a sacred warning to the entire society! Let us, under God's guidance, cleanse ourselves of filth and rediscover purity!

Lionel broke out in a cold sweat as he read the last sentence.

When he used Lucian as a model for "Decadent City", he never imagined that one day the two would be connected by such a thing.

If reporters find out he's a neighbor of Greenheit and Lucian, he'll definitely be interrogated. And if anyone sees this report then, they can make some wild guesses...

Lionel couldn't even imagine what kind of chain reaction would occur.

Fortunately, he was no longer at 12 Antanne Street, but at 64 Lafitte Street, in an "Ottoman-style" apartment of similar size to his previous one.

Unlike the previous No. 12 Antal Street, which was right next to the opera house, this apartment was two blocks away, next to Boulevard Haussmann and the Raffia department store. The residents were mostly office workers, small writers, grocers, and the petty bourgeoisie.

The only inconvenience is that there is no running water in the house; you have to go to the communal water tank in the hallway to get water. However, this also reduces the rent to 80 francs per month.

He moved in as quickly as possible on the third day after the murder, taking only the most important items from 12 Antawn Street, in order to sever all ties with the crime as soon as possible.

The manager of 12 Rue Antand did not make things difficult for him; on the contrary, he happily refunded the rent and deposit—after all, compared to a former tenant who did not lie to reporters and left early, a few hundred francs was simply a stopgap measure rather than a loss.

Lionel also noticed a bad sign—

The newspaper "The Noise" failed to follow up on the murder case, instead routinely publishing vulgar stories, jokes, and gossip, while the advertising space continued to increase.

This was clearly unusual, raising Lionel's alarm bells to the highest level.

But there's also good news—

A few nights later, when he sneaked back to 12 Antal Street to retrieve something, he received a reply from Emil Bégera, editor of Modern Life.

Emil Bergera agreed to pay 30 sous per line for "Letter from an Unknown Woman" and attached a sample copy of the current issue of the newspaper.

The front page of *Modern Life* featured the headline "Letter from an Unknown Woman" in large letters, below which was a large, impressionistic illustration.

A living room covered with a deep red velvet carpet, with the curtains half-drawn, let in a warm but dim winter morning sun that slanted in and fell on the wooden floor.
A man sat on the sofa, wearing a half-undone bathrobe, holding a long, opened letter in his hand. His expression was confused and bewildered, with a barely perceptible slight upturn at the corners of his mouth, carrying a hint of sarcasm or hesitation.

To Lionel's astonishment, the illustration was in color!

(End of this chapter)