The Kalida venture. [volume] (Kalida, Ohio) 1841-1865, 1850-02-01


ina great measure, out Of the public re-
collection. N
Things remained for short time In
this condition, when one morning Mr..
William Burnett, principal creditor o.
the late Clodomir Frenois, heard a.
knocking at the gate at a very early
hour. He called up one OF his servants,
who went down and opened the door,
and Immediately returned with the intel
ligence, that a stranger, who seemed de-.
sirous Of keeping his person concealed,
wished 10, speak with Mr.. Burnett in
private. Mr.. Burnett arose, threw on
his .lressing-gown, and descended TO the
parlor. Ho saw there g stranger Of tall
person, seated in an easy and familiar at
iiiude upon sofa, with number of the
-dotniug Post INNS hand. The back
Of his visitor was turned 10 Mr.. Burnett
as he entered. Rather surprised 10 see
a stranger conduct himself so Ike an old
friend Of the house, Mr.. Burnett said
aloud, nSir, may lbeg to know yonr
business with me!'' VII aSat afA (.
The stranger turned round, and ad
yanced to salute his host warmly and
cour;eously. Mr. Burnett started back,
and uttered load exclamation Of sur
prise and alarm. Well he might; for be-
fore his.eyes stood his friend and debtor,
Clodomir Frenois, whom he had beheld
nearly a year before, mutilated corpse
--whom lie himself had followed TO the
Igrave! i,.uafi t9 2ltuip aiii % slti} n.
What passed at that interview between
Mr.. Burnett and his strange visitor, re-
maineda secret. Mr.. Burnett was OBJ.
served to issue several times, pale and
agitated, from his dwelling, and 10 visit
the magistrate charged with the conduct
Of tlio criminal processes Of the colony.
In the course Of the day, while John
Moon was regaling himself with tea,
under the pa!,n-irees Of his garden, with
a Circassian female whom lie had bought
some time previously, he was arrested
and taken to prison, by the officers Of
justice. On the following day he was
brought before the criminal icourt, ac-
cused Of robbing the late ClodoInir Free
nois, the crime being conjoined with a
brcach of trust and violence. iata7a .
Moon smiled at the charge with allthe
confidence ola man who had nothing Ia
fear. The Judge having demanded Of
him il he confessed the crime, the ac-
cused replied that the charge was alto
geiher absurd; that clear testimony was
necessary to fix such "a charge upon him
and that, SO far!:rom there being any such
evidence producible, neither Tho widow
Of the deceased, nor any one person In
his service, had ever heard the pretended
robbery even once mentioned by Frenois
during his life. a'99 9p2s'RS .'H
$50 you Then affirm your innocence!"
repeated the judge, grasely, after hearing
what the other had TO say. sii
II will avoueh my innocence replied
Moon, seven before the body Of my late
master, il that be necessary" (Such a
thing often took place under the old
colonial law.) a'T sai a4t,baa
sJ,hn Moon, p said the Judge, III voice
broken by snme peculiar emotion, "it is
before y.ur late master that you will have
to assert your innocence; and may the
God of justice make the truth appear"
signal from the judge accompanied
tha words, and Immediately IA n door
opened, and Clodomit Frcnois, the sup.
posed suicide, enteredithe court. He
advanced to- the bar, with slow and
deliberate step. having his eyes calmly
lbutsirmly fixed on the prisoner, his SER
want A. great sensation was caused in
the court by Ibis appearance. Utierins
shrieks ol horror and alarm, the females
fed from the spot. The accused fell on
bis knees in abject terror, and shuddering,
confessed bis guiltfi Fora time no voice
was heard but his. However, as il be-
came apparent that a living man stood
before the court, the advocate Tor The
prisoner gained courage to speak. He
demanded that the identity Of the mer-
chant be established, and the existence
be explained. He said that the court
should notbe BIASED by what might prove
TO be n mere ACCIDENTAL likeness between
a person living and one deceased, and
that such an sayowal as that Of the
prisoner, extracted ia moment of exs
traordiDary terror, was not 10 be held Of
much weight. - ~ ~ MY
i saBefore being admitted mere az wit.