about noon
He shuddered , and warned himself he must learn to hold his imagination in better check . The newspapers of Paris , that day , had a sensation that crushed into insignificance the news from Château de Montalais : in a compartment which he had occupied alone on the night rapide from Lyons , a man had been found with his throat cut , his clothing ripped to rags , even his luggage slashed to ribbons . Whether through chance or intention , every possible clue to the victim 's identity was missing . In London , about noon of that day , a gentleman whom Lanyard most often thought of by the name of Wertheimer deciphered a code message whose contempt for customary telegraphic brevity was quite characteristic of the sender , indeed a better voucher for his bona fides than the initials appended in place of a signature . With some editing in the way of punctuation , it follows : `` Dear old bean : -- Please advise Prefecture de Police without revealing your source of information , unidentified man found murdered on rapide arriving Gare de Lyon eight-thirty this morning stopped yesterday Hôtel Terminus , Lyons , under name of Comte de Lorgnes . During entire evening before entraining he was shadowed by two Apaches , one of whom , passing as Albert Dupont -- probably recent and temporary alias -- booked through to Paris occupying berth in same carriage with Lorgnes , but detrained Laroche six-fifteen , murder remaining undiscovered till arrival in Paris . -LSB- An admirably succinct sketch of the physical Dupont is here deleted . -RSB-