Southern sentinel. [volume] (Plaquemine, Parish of Iberville [La.]) 1848-1858, 1850-10-19
TIE Swiss .LeWeler.

currence winch look place IN SPAN lew years
since
An Englishman had for some time previous
to the year 1889 resided in Barcelona, who
taught English, and gave lessons to my chill
dren. He was associated with a Frenchman,
who also instructed several families and these
two lived together in house with Il Swiss
jeweler. They had no servant, and none but
these three occupied the mansion. The jewel
er suddenly disappeared. He was no where to
be found, and no trace remained Of him; and
there was no appeal to the police, as they very
seldom take any trouble in such cases.
On the morning of the oath Of October, the
Englishman came to my house and begged to
see me. found he was scarcely able to speak;
and what he did say was so incoherent that
fancied he had either been drinking or lost his
neenses. He stated that what he had to impart
was so dreadful that he could not bring HIM
self to relate it. However, by degrees he be-
small details, | collected that in the room which
small closet, which had an opening in it to ad-
NIT light from the room near the ceiling.
! The night before, as he was sitting alone, he
! fancied he perceived disagreeable smell in that
part Of the room. He tried to open the door
of the closet, but found it locked. He then
climbed up a chair, and with a candle looked
mat the little opening, and, to his horror, saw
4 corpse in fragments on the floor-part of
leg in one place, an arm in another, and large
sledge hammer lying between them. He near
| ly dropped with horror; and at that moment
it was just twelve oclock-he heard the knock
of the Frcnchman at the door. AS they were
alone in the house, he had no resource
but to appear as calm and quiet as if he had
seen nothing When he let him in he remark
ed that he was late that night, as he had to be-
gin giving his lessons early next morning,
which was Monday. The other answered
''Oh, it does not happen often-never mind"
And they went to bed. Their two beds were
SO close that they were only separated by
little division at the head. The man said that
the agony in which he had passed the night
was indescribabIe, as, in addition TO the orig-
nal horror Of finding the dead body, he dreaded
that the Frenchman would suspect his being
aware of it, and murder him also; and there
was no escape from the house, nor means to
call for help. In this dreadful state he remain
ed till morning, when the Frenchman going
out to give his lessons, the other rushed straight
to my house, to apprise me Of what had hap
pened.
was much puzzled what to do, as the po-
However, after taking down his statement
shortly in writing, applied there. They spid
they could have nothing to do with it, and, sts
the supposed criminal was French, must 60
to the French consul. All they would do was
to give me a little hump back man to assist me
in catching the murderer. l went to the French
consul, and after comforting with him, we pro-
ceeded together, with our hump-backed COM
panion, to the house where the Englishman
eyed. We went up stairs and found the
Frenchman at his door. We told him there
was little matter to be settled with the police,
on which he answered: "Ah oui pour Ia con-
trebane, n'est-ce- -pas?" Che had good deal to
do with the contrabandista concerns0 and
he rushed to table, pulled open a drawer,
from whence we saw him extract pair of pis-
tolls, which proved to be loaded. He, however,
seemed to lose his head, and be quite bewi-
dered, saying: al s'agit de SOS pistolets, nest
ce pas? lis sont Francaise, ct de Ia CONTRA
bande." He then put his hand farther into the
drawer and was dragging out a sword, when
my colleague and sprang upon and seized him.
The humpbacked man then said it was not
that he wanted, but that we must have him
open the door of the closet. He then turned
deadly pale, and drawing himself up, with a
peculiar emphasis and theatrical air; exclaimed,
aires volontier, monsieur" He then instantly
rushed to the open window, and, from the bal
cony, dashed himselfto the ground-it was the
fourth story, and he died in twelve hours after.
He would make no confession, but frequently
repeated, in a sort Of delirium, I'll est coup en-
petits morceaux. t' n
The investigation of the mutilated corpse,
which proved to be that of the jeweler, was
dreadful. Under the coat of the Frenchman
were found, close to his side, small hatchet
and an enormous knife, with which he must
have hacked and hewed the dead body, to car
ry portions of it from the house when he went
out, as the only way in which he could dis
man with the sledge hammer, which was found
in the closet. None of the jewelers. property
was ever found or heard of. ..r
Union Meeting-We are glad to see that the
friends of the Union are moving in the great
work before them. A meeting was advertised
b.. l - S,f,, % I'll