Burlington free press. [volume] (Burlington, Vt.) 1827-1865, 1842-04-29

was his ol,s,inacy. that he chose rather to
hunger, than TO submit TO have her taken
from him. The circumstances of her hav-
ing been last seen in the house of the linun-
cier, after escaping from Antonio on the
road, led people to imagine that she was
kept in conccalment by his nephew, his lady
carefully Disgusting the part she had taken
in the affair. After some time, Antonio, for
want of sufficient evidence, was rcleased
f,om confinement. lie instantly FASTENED
TO the villa, TO ascertain the fate which had
bcf,llcn his victim finding the doors clos
cd, and no other vcsiige Of her than
her mattress, he conceived a suspicion that
she had found means of sustaining nature,
aud was still in some part of the premises,
perhaps with his rival; inflamcd at this idea,
he determined on taking up his abode there,
IN the hope of more readily discovering them.
Thus much was learnt from the confession
oil his companion, for the young man himself
was never afterwards heard of: his hat was
found in the grounds of the chateau, and IN
one OF the rooms we're large and recent stains
OF blood; hence il was conjccturcd that he
had fallen by the hands of the subterrancous
inmates of the mansion. In all probability
nc met them on their nightly excur-
s'ons and supposing them the objects of his
search, perhaps vcntcrcd TO attack them, or
at least to watch their motions, thus cmbar-
RAISING their operations; whence they may
nave esteemed it necessary, for their own
safety, to despatch him. Their frequent re-
turn without food, their ll-will to Theodore,
whom they perhaps regarded as the cause of
thclr disappointment and vcxation their al
tercatIon one night, as previously related,
ana the blood on the dress, all combined to
strengthen this supposi,ion. The duty of
theodore to her new-found parent the ne
ccsslly of accounting for her conduct during
50 long and strange disappearance, render
ed 1t indispensable that she should reveal to
INN the whole chain of extraordinary Cir
cumstanccs which had bcfaIlen her. Craft
tude and humanity however forbade her, now
mat she was in safety, to bctray those who
had been her prcservers she therefore ex-
acted promise of sccresy from her father,
ana constantly refused TO give any informal
ton that might serve as a clue 10 their re-
treat.
For several days nothing further trans
pred but the cmissarics of justice, indefat-
Igaolc IN their research, at length found their
wayto this subterrancous abode, the more
easily, as the secret doors leading to it were
open. Not without apprehension of de-
termIned resistance, they decenlcd into the
vault with extreme caution, but It's uniortu-
nate inmates had already fed. The place
bore evident marks of having been recently
and hastily abandoned. The ashes were vet
warm on the hearth. provisions on the table,
and articles OF dress scattered about in confu-
son; spots of blood were observed on the
lloor, on one oflhc beds, and on some of the
clothes; but nothing, after dilgcnt search,
was discovered that tended to throw any
hight on what had become OF these extraord-
nary persons, or to give the slightest indica-
ton who they were, or what could be the
cause OF their mysterious and inexplicable
conduct, in thus hopclcssly immuring them
selves and their female companions within
the loathSomc walls of IA subtcrrancous dun
ceon. That they had correspondence with
some one le}o tie precincts of the man
Sion, is clrar, from the bell which was the
usual signal Tor their departure on ,hoir noe
tnrnal expeditions. The monks of "A neigh
BORN" convent were, on this account, sts-
prrt"d of being in understanding will, them,
though noprooi could he produced to authcn-
I!calc the superstition. 1t is, however, proper
to notice report current al the time.
The daughter of the nohlcnan to whom
the villa belonged died suddenly, under sus-
pirious circumstances, some years beiorc,
and was buried in the convent. 1t was
limited that one of the females was that
Young lady, and that her demise had been
irigncd. Her relatives, on hearing this ru-
NOR, made application to the Archbishop of
Palermo for permission to di>nlrr and en-
anime the coffin and body; but after several
letters on the subject, between the arch
bishop and the prior, the request was finally
refused, as unrUs'on'ary, and contraryto the
regulations of the Church.
Concerning these mysterious personaees,
who were thus strangely discovered, and as
strangely disappeared, nothing further has
been heard to this day. Theodore soon
after married the young gentleman we have
mentioned, who, on the death of his father
in-law, received grant of the title from the
king, and was father to the present Count
R.