Ypsilanti sentinel. [volume] (Ypsilanti, Washtenaw Co., Mich.) 1843-1900, 1847-02-10
The Morning Visitor.
TALEoF MODERN MANY

A TALE OF MODERN G BRM MANY.
| BETWEEN ten and eleven o'clock on the NOR
ming of the 2Sth of February, l8l2,a gentleman
presented himself at the door of MIR. Schmidt,
the affluent merchant of Leipsic. Being adj
mtted to an interview, he informed Mr.. Schmidt
that he was from Hamburg, where, not find
ing affairs favorable to his objects, he had come
| to see what could be done in Saxony; and, de-
| scribing himself as especially recommended to
| Mr.. Schmidt's good Offices, he requested that
| gentleman's advice with respect to the most
advantageous mode of laying cut his money.
In the course of this conversation, which las
ted upwards of half an hour, MIR. Schmidt open
ed his desk, and took from it bill to the "a
mount of one hundred dollars, which the visit
or begged leave to inspect. Having done so
he restored it to the owner, who whilst retur-
ming it to the place whence he had taken it,sud-
denly sank to the ground, deprived of conscious
ness. On recovering bis senses, he cried to
the stranger to assist him; but the stranger
was gone.
When Mr.. Schmidt arose from the floor,
which he did with much dficulty--for his head
was bleeding profusely-he saw the chairs STAN
ding about in confusion, and his desk open, and
a moments examination showed him that bills
to the amount of three Thousand dollars were
missing.
BY this time his cries had summoned to his
aid Vetter, the landlord of the house, and his
wife, who, having bound up his bleeding head
as we'll as they could, the unfortunate man, 10
whom indignation and despair lent strength,
rushed into the street, and making his way
to the sheriff s Office, and lodged information
against the stranger, giving the best descrip-
ton of him he could. Notices were immed-
ately sent to all the banking houses in the city
together with the numbers of the missing bills,
but quickly as this was done, it was too late.
The house ofFrege and Company had already
cashed them.
On learning this Mr.. Schmidt returned home
took to his bed, and, after an illness of some du-
ration, died from the consequences of the wounds
in his head, which the surgeons declared
had been inflicted with considerable violence
and by blunt instrument.
Before he expired, he reiterated upon oath
the above particulars, adding that he did not
know how or why he had fallen, nor wheth-
er the stranger had struck him or not. An j.
dea seems to have prevailed at the time that he
had sunk to the ground Immediately fter taking
pinch of snuff from the Strangers box: but
this fact was not positively established. Of the
appearance of this ill-omened visitor he could
give very little description, except that he be-
lieved him to be about forty years ofage.
The account given by the bankers was that
between the hours of ten and eleven on the day
in question, stranger had presented himself;
requesting cash for the bills, which he duly re-
ceived, partly In gold, and partly in silver. As
far as they had observed, he exhibited no ap-
pearance of haste or uneasnessswhatever. On
the contrary, he had not only counted the mon
ey and inspected the various coins with great
deliberation, but he had returned some of them
requesting others in this place. With respect
to his appearance, both they and Vetter, who
had seen him i'm Mr., Schmidt's office, agreed
that he was we'll dressed and had much the air
of country clergyman.
This scanty Information furnished no clue to
the discovery of the assassin. The murdered
man was laid in his grave; and, after causing
much terror and excitement amongst the inhab-
itants of Leipsic for time, the story sank into
oblivion. and was forgotten, or at least ceased to
be talked of.
wear had elapsed, and the month of Febru-
arv had come round again, when one morning,
rumor spread through the city that fearful
murder had been committed on the person of
an elderly lady of property called Kunhardt.-
II anneared that Madame Kunhardt had sent
out her maid between eight ard nine o'clock in
the morning to fetch flask of wine from a
house hard by. The girl declared she had not
heen absent FIVE minutes, and that on her return
She was met in the entrance hall by clergy
man. ,xubos asked her if she was going out, and
whether. s!e. should be long. She told him she
was now ret.,raf5}p: whereupon he went quickly
forth st tho street door. The girl then ascen-
ding to her mistress, heard the old iaays voice