On the evening of Sunday, December 13, an unusual event occurred in the small Souletin village of Montory. A man in pajamas and with a haggard face hurriedly opens the door of the town’s only bar, under the incredulous gaze of the ten or so consumers sitting at the counter. Breathless, the stranger asks the boss to alert the gendarmerie. He launches in rough French: “I am the German consul, I have been held hostage for several days by strangers”! Surprise at the pillars of the counter: “Ah, yeah, speak German”, they say! The visitor barely answers when suddenly, three mastiffs appear out of nowhere, grabbing him manu-militari to escort him back to the premises of the presbytery from which he had escaped. It’s incredible but true: at the village bar, no one thought of warning the Tardets gendarmerie of this incident. As if boss and clients had all believed in a bad joke …
How did he escape his captors?
We learn later that Eugène Beihl has simply distorted company with his captors. Night had fallen several hours ago this Sunday evening. In his room located on the first floor of the presbytery of Montory, the Consul hears the television set on the ground floor. Worn out by his twelve days of captivity, he tries everything for everything. Undoing the ties that tie him to his bed, the hostage jumps out of the window on the first floor. He wanders like a vagabond in the central street of the village. It’s dark. Beihl walks towards the only house lit at this time of the evening, Café Althabe. After this incredible escape, his captors sense that it is high time for a change of scenery. And quick. The diplomat is transferred overnight to a new, unknown destination. The incident at the Montory bar eventually came to the ears of the DST. When the investigators arrive on site, it is unfortunately too late. The hostage cannot be found.