Sunbury American. [volume] (Sunbury, Pa.) 1848-1879, 1852-01-31
THE BATH OF BLOOD.

mantle history:
Abou, the year 1910, Elizabeth Bathori,
sister to the king OF Poland, and wife of
rich and powerful Hungarian magnate, was
the principal actor in the most singular and
horrible tragedy mentioned in history. She
occupied the castle Of Cseita, in Transylvania.
Like most other ladies of iha, period, she
was surrounded by troop Of young girls,
generally the daughters of poor but noble pa
rents, who lived in honorable serviiude; in
! return for which, their education was cared
for, and their dowry secured. Elizabeth was
of severe and cruel disposilon and her
hand-madens led no joyous life. Slight
| faults are said 10 have been punished by
most merciless torlures
One day, as The lady of Csej,a was adj
miring at a mirror those charms which that
! faithful monitor told her were fast waning,
she gave way TO her ungovernable temper,
excited, perhaps by the mirrors unwelcome
hint, and struck her unofending maid with
such force in the face as to draw blood. AS
she washed from her hands the stain, she
! fancied the par, which the blood had touched
grew whittier, softer, and, as it were, younger.
Imbued with tn. credulity of the age, she be-
lieved she had discovered what so many
philosophers had wasted years in seeking for.
She supposed that in a virgins blood she had
! found The el,rer rite, he fountain of never fail
| ing youth and beauty. Remorseless by nature,
and now urged on by irrepressibIe vanity,
| the thought no sooner flashed across her
| brain than her resolution was taken; the life
of her luckless hand-maden was not TO be
compared with the precious boon her death
promised TO secure. Elizabeth, however,
was wary as well as cruel. AT the foot of
the rock on which Csea stood was small
cottage inhabited by two old women, and
between the cellar of this cottage and the
castle was snbterranean passage, known
only to one or two persons, and never used
but in times of danger With the aid of
these old crones and her steward, Elizabeth
led the poor girl through the secret passage
10 the cottage, and after numbering her, bath
ed in her blood Not satisfied with the first
essay, at different intervals, by the aid of
these accomplices aud the secret passage, no
less than three hundred maidenS were sac.
rificed on the alter Of vanity and superstition.
| Several years had been occupied in this
piliess slaughter and no suspicion of the
! trnth was excited, though the greatest amaze
/ ment pervaded the country at the disappear
ance Of so many persons. AT last, however,
Elizabeth called into play against her two
passions even stronger than vanity and cum
ming. Love and revenge became interested
in the discovery Of the mystery. Among
the victims of Csejt was beautiful virgin,
! who was beloved by and berothed TO Young
man of the neighborhnod. In despair nj the
loss of his Mistress he followed her traces
with such perseverance, that, in spite of the
/ hitherto successful canton of The mnrdercss,
no penetrated the bloody secrets of me cas-
/ lie, and burning for revenge, few 10 Pres
bnrgh boldly accused Elizabeth Balhori of
murder, before the Palaline, in open court,
and demanded Judgment against her. So
grave an accusation, brought against per-
son of such high rank, demanded the most
serious attention, and the Paatine undertook
TO investigate The affair in person. Proceed
ing Immediately 10 Cseja, before the mur-
deress or her accomplices had any idea of
( the accusation, he discovered the still warm
body Of Young girl, whom they had been
destroying as the Palaline approached, and
had not time 10 dispose Of before he appre-
! hended them. The rank of Elizabeth miti-
gated her punishment, TO imprisonment for
| life, but her assistants were burned at the
/ stake.
I Legal documents still exist 10 attest the
( truth of this apparently improbable circum.
stance. Pagel, IA distinguished English la.
weller, who visited Csejr about twenty years
ago says; "Wiih this tale fresh in our minds,
we ascended the long hill, gained the castle,
and wandered over lis deserted ruins. The
shades of evening were just spreading over
the valley, the bare, gray walls stood up
against the red sky, the solemn Stiffness o.
evening reigned over the scene, and as two
ravens, which had made their nesls on the
castles highest towers, came toward it, wing
ing their heavy flight, and wheeling once
round, each cawing hoarse welcome TO the
Other, aighied on their fayorite turret,
could have fancied them the spirits of the
Two crones, condemned TO haunt The scene of
thsiI former crimes, while their internal mis-
iress was cursed by some more wreiched
doom
The "BEAR WALTz."--We hear with
pleasure that new waltz, bearing This lille
is to be introduced in our ball rooms this
season, the principal feature of which is the
hug, 1t is already quite The rage in small
parties and private reunions, where the hug
has met with such very high favor, that lts
production in the ball room has been deci.
ded upon by very large number of the
volaries OF the new waltz.-St. Louis Organ
and Repeille.
"LooK OUT up dare how you irow bricks
guess ou ypant IN L IN dis niaoaO said a lusiy v