The mountain sentinel. [volume] (Ebensburg, Pa.) 1844-1853, 1852-05-13

bed by law TO the Jews.
He lost time in repairing to the house of
| Rebecca She was still unmarried, and again
he made his proposals this time it was with
more success. He had all the appearance of
man of high consideration and the riches
which he half-negligently displayed, took their
| due effect. He had enjoyed good character
when he lived in Tunis before and they took it
for granted thar he had done nothing to forfeit
it. They asked questions how his riches had
| been obtained, but gave him Rebecca in mar
riage
At the end of six months the French Consul
received inquiries from Algiers about Ibrahim
his wife, it was said, had become alarmed at his
| prolonged absence.
| The Consul sent for Ibrahim, and toid him
what he had heard. Ibrahim at first appeared
disturbed, and afterwards indignant He deni-
ed In the strongest terms that he had any other
wife than Rebecca, but, that the woman in ques-
ton had fallen in love with him. He also deni-
+ ed that he had given her any sort of legal claim
upon him The French Consul was perplexed
| Ibrahlms papers were all regular, he had al
ways led an exemplary life in Tunis, he denied
his marriage, and there no proof of it.
(
Of mind, no harm could have befallen him. In
that land of polygamy, his two wives (even
/ though one were European) would have caused
little scandal. His domestic position was some
what complicated, but by no means desperate
On departing from the Consuls house, however,
he would seem to have become possessed by
strange panic not to be explained by any rules
of logic, and to have gone mad straightway.-
His one idea was that he was carried on by des-
tiny to-murder Rebecca
This miserable wretch, possessed by the fixed
idea of destroying Rebecca, made deliberate
preparations for carry it into effect And with
the strange fanatcism and superstition which
forms part of many such characters in those
countries he determined to give her chance
for her life for he seems to have thought in
some confused, wild, mad vain way. that it
might still be the will of Providence that she
J should live.
| He concerted measures with the captain of
| Greek vessel, whom he induced by heavy bribes
TO enter into his views. He gave it out that he
was going to Algiers, to put an end to the ridi-
culous reports which had been raised, and to
destroy the claim which had been set up by his
pretended wife.
| lie embarked with Rebecca, without any at
| tendants, on board the Greek vessel which was
! bound for Algiers. Rebecca was at once taken
! into the cabin where her curiosity was excited
| by strange looking black box which stood at
one end of it. The black box was high and
| square. and large enough to contain q person
! sitting upright. The lid was thrown back !; and
! she saw that the box was lined with thick cot
ton cloth, and contained small brass pitcher
| full of water and loaf of bread. Whilst she
was examining those things, Ibrahim and the
captain entered; they neither of them spoke
one word but coming behind her, Ibrahim
placed his hand over her mouth and muffiing
her head in her veil, lifted her into the box with
j the assistance of the captain, and shut down
the lid, which they securely fastened. They
/ then carried the box between them upon deck,
! and lowered it over the side of the vessel
| The box had holes bored in the lid it was
! very strong, and so built as to hoat like
boat.
! The Greek vessel continued her course towards
Algiers. Either the crew had really not mott
ced the strange proceedings of Ibrahim and the
captain, or (which is more probable) they were
paid to be silent. 1t is certain they did not at
| tempt to interfere.
The next morning, as a French steamer the
Panama, was bearing towards Tunis, something
like the hull of a email vessel was seen drifting
about directly in their course. They picked it
! up, as 1t foated athwart the steamers bow; and
were Mortified to hear feeble cries proceeding
from the interior. Hastily breaking it open,
they found the unhappy Rebecca nearly dead,
with fright and exhaustion. When she was suf-
fciently recovered to speak, she told the captain
how she had come into that strange condition,
and he made all speed on to Tunis
| The French Consul Immediately dispatched q
swift sailing steamer to Algiers, with Rebecca
and her nearest friends on board, bearing dis
patch to the governor, containing hasty account
of all these things. The steamer arrived first
| When the Greek vessel entered the port, Ibra-
him and the captain were ordered te follow the
officer on guard, and in a few moments Ibrahim
| stood face to face with his victim To render
the complication more complete the French wife
! hearing that steamer from Tunis had arrived
with dispatches, went down to the governors to
make inquirer after her husband
| At first, Ibrahim nearly tainted but he soon
regained his insane self, and boldly confessed his
crime. Addressing himself to Rebecca, he
said
AL 6laI tE,, a.