The mountain sentinel. [volume] (Ebensburg, Pa.) 1844-1853, 1852-08-26
s Strange story.

3 Strange story.
| A remarkable circumstance is related by Mrs
Catharine Grove, in the might side of Nature,
as having occurred at Odessa, in 1912. An old
blind man named Michel, had for many years
been accustomed to get his living by seating
| himself every morning on beam, in one of the
| timber yards, with @ wooden bowl at his feet,
into which the passengers cast their aims. This
long confined practice had made him well known
| to the inhabitants, and as he had been q
soldier his blindness was attributed to the wounds
he had received in battle. For his own part he
spoke little, and never eontradicted this opinion.
One night, Michel by some accident fell in with
a little girl named Pawleska, who was friend
less and on the verge of perishing with cold and
hunger. The old man took her home and adopted
her, and from that time instead Of sitting in the
timber yard, he went about the streets in her
company, asking aims at the doors OF houses
The child called him father, and they were ex-
tremely happy together.
But when they had pursued this mode of life
for five years, theft having been committed in
house which they visited in the morning, Paw
leska was suspected and arrested and the blind
man was left once more alone. But instead Of
resumng his former habits, he now disappeared
altogether and this circumstance causing the
suspicion to extend to him. the girl was brought
before the magistrate TO be interrogated with
regard to his probable place of concealment.
'.Do you know where Michel is ?'' enquired
the magistrate.
s'He is dead !" replied she shedding q torrent
of tears.
IL, u L, i
without any means of obtaining information
from without this answer together with her
feigned distress, naturally excited considerable
surprise.
'eWho told you that he was dead ?" they en-
quired
'.Nobody."
'EThen how can you know it 20
81 saw him killed"
fsBut you have never been out of the prison p
s'But / saw it nevertheless %
''But how was that possible !? Explain what
you mean"
81 cannot AL can say is, saw him kill
led.o
''When was he killed. and how ?
ssIt was the night was arrested"
''That cannot be he was alive when you were
seized''
eyes, he was; he was killed one hour after
that they stabbed him with knife.'
81 can't tell, but saw it."
The confidence with which the girl asserted
what seemed to her hearers impossible and alb
surd, disposed them to imagine that she was
really either insane, of pretending to be so SO,
leaving Michel aside, they proceeded to interro-
gate her about the robbery, asking her if she
was guilty
go, no !" she answered.
''Then how came the property to be found
about your"
81 don't know I saw nothing but the muir
der"
'sBut there is no grounds for supposing Mi
chel is dead, his body has not, as yet been
found"
cit is in the aqueduct."
'FAnd do you know who slew him ?'
Yes, twas woman. Michel was walking very
slowly after L was taken from him. A woman
up came behind with large kitchen knife but
he heard her and turned round and then the
woman flung piece of gray stuff over his
head, and struck him repeatedly with the knife.
The gray stuff was much stained with the blood.
Michel fell at the eighth blow, and the woman
dragged the body to the aqueduct, and let it fall
in without ever lifting the stuff that stuck to
his face"
As it was easy to verify these latter asser-
tons, they despatched people to the spot and
there the body was found, with the piece of
stuff over his head, exactly as she described
But when they asked her how she knew all this,
She could only answer : sI don't know"
ssBut you know who killed him ?''
'sNot exactly; it is the same woman that put
put his eyes but perhaps he will tell me her !
aame tonight, andif he does, l win tell you"
.SWlh do you mean by he 2'
s'Why Michel to be sure p
During the whole of the following night, with |
,ut allowing her to suspect their intention, they
watched her and it was observed that she ne
5er Law down, but sat upon her bed in sort of
etharcic slrmber Her body was quite notion
ess. except at intervals when this repose was |
Interrupted by violent nervous shocks, which |
oervaded her whole frame
On the ensuing day, the moment she was |
brought before the judge, she declared that she
vas now able to tell the name of the assas-
sin. -
'.But stay,' said the magistrate, 'did Michel |
neyer tell you, when he was alive how he lost
his sight ?'' aaa7 235 o e
s1No but the morning before was arrested |
- l.. \ &1,n.k hn