The Police Detective Who Caught…Himself?
The story of a sleepwalking Sherlock
Sherlock Holmes, Nancy Drew, Perry Mason, and Magnum P.I. are all well-known fictional detectives throughout our time. However, have you ever heard of Robert Ledru? Probably not. Ledru was a real-life detective during the 1880s and was considered one of France’s best. That is, until after a horrendous crime, the finger-pointing turned in his direction.
A True Public Servant
Robert Ledru’s story really begins when he was 35 years old and was the go-to man when it came to solving criminal cases. Compared to Sherlock Holmes, Ledru had made his name in Paris as the man who caught murderers and abhorred violent lawbreakers. He was well known for his part in breaking up black magic cults and the arrests of vicious anarchists. In 1884, he even led the investigation that resulted in the imprisonment of a group of political rebels who had made plans to overthrow the government.
In 1887, due to his track record of solving cases, authorities in Le Havre, France asked Ledru to assist them on a case involving missing sailors. After arriving in the Normandy port, Ledru…
