Indiana American. [volume] (Brookville, Ind.) 1833-1861, 1857-04-17

tlt ptopic gong dDOuI tlelF uAll1
work was full and clear, l saw a
frightful sight, q ghastly horror that
the day but served to make moro
hideous and unnatural, my mistress
murdered in her bed! No answer
when 1 knocked; again no answes.--
The curtains at the bedside were close
drawn, but through the open shutters,
a fiery flood Of light fell red upon the
carpet and the curtains, lay, and on
the corner Of the snow-white coun-
tcrpanc, red also. It was blood -
| thought there had been O rain of
blood; upon tho handles Of the draw
crs, upon the toilct-covcr, on the dres-
sing-case, upon the towels. in tho ba-
sin, everywhere whore the murder
er's hands had been after their deadly
work; and in the bed; / dared not
look IN the bed; but in that great
swing glass, whore l had dccl1ed my
self but q few hovrs ago, | saw ii all,
and every mirror in the room was
picturing the same sight there lay
tho corps, the murdered woman with
nor gaping throat
They thought at first that ! was
murdered too, lying so stiff and cold
in that death-chamber. L answered
nothing TO their questions, neither in
the house nor in the prison. ! knew
nothing, nor could l have told thcm
had known, until Joseph came. It
seemed Co me then quito natural that
he should be with me; nothing praise
worthy, nothing [This dear little
engaged young persons eyes began
70 get rcddcr about the rims at his
rcminiscencc, and her story to assume
an incoherent as well as cholxy char
acter ] did not understand how
much owed him; how, not having
heard from me for sometime, and
reading in the paper that an English
lady's maid had boon taken up in
Paris for q murder in the Rue st.
Honore, but that she refused to speak,
and even had perhaps in reality lost
her senses, ho started off at once, Civ
ing up his employ and borrowing and
begging what he could, and knowing
no word Of Fronce but the name Of
that ono street, no hurried to me; so
that my mind came back again, and
| could tell them what knew. All
he did, he said, was less than he ought
20 have Zone, because he had behaved
IN 20 mo Of old, (Which, am sure,
dear Joseph never had, nor thought
Of doing.)
Hc stood by mo in court; in the
prisoners place along with me he
stood and shared my shame. told
about the jewels, and of my trying
them on; how everything was safe,
and tho doors locked, and the cham
Der window too high to be climed up
to, though q man might have let him
self down from il into the yard. And
then / learned for the first time that
all that afternoon and night the mur-
dcrer had lain hidden under my mis-
tress's bed; that he must have been
there all that time-think of it IT,
that was trying on the dresses and
the ornaments; that there was mur-
der waiting in that chamber all the
while; it made me shudder even then,
amid that crowded court, with Joseph
by me. They thought it very strange
they said that since there was so
much timc before him between my
MISTRESS departure and return, that
be had not murdered me instead.-
Iio had carried off all the Jewels I;
those IN the drawers as well as those
which my poor mistress had worn
chat very evening; but from the mo-
ment he had dropped into the court
yard the police could find no trace of
him. A mere suspicion fell upon tho
brother Of tho gate porter; but it was
50 vague that he was put upon trial.
A great sum was oiierred in reward
for the apprehension Of the murderer,
making up, with what was offered by
thelate mistress's family, nearly e400.
She died without q will, poor lady,
and they were not disposed to give
me anything beyond the wages due
to me. After my accquital, collec-
ton for mine and Josephs benefit was
made by some good people; but the
money only sulliced to bring us back
to England. Joseph had to work out
@ heavy debt, incurred upon my nc
count, and l went into service again
ut once, resolving to do my best to
help him. AT the end Of two years,
poor fellow, except that he had dis.
charged his obligation, he was but
little better Off than of the beginning,
and despairing OF ever getting n liv-
ING for us both in the old country, he
sailed twelve months ago for Sydney
Whichever Of us first got rich, it was
arranged, should cross the seas after
the other; and until very lately, il
seemed that we might each stop where
we were, engaged young persons, til
we died.
was nursery maid in my new
place, and was taking the youngest
child across Hyde Park one afternoon
when was followed by an imperti
nent man; l had my "ugly" on, fol
the sun was hot, so that my facs
might have been like Venus, for al
he knew to the contrary; and other
wise, fiatter myself l was not disa
greeable looking. At all events,
attracted the wretch, who kept clos,
behind me. He was an abominabl,
person with a foreign appearance
Which I had reason enough for dis
liking, and eyes that looked differen
ways, but neither of them nice ways
so that was glad enough to get il
sight of the policemen about the mar
bic arch. He saw that there was NJ
time to be lost, if he meant to get
good look at me at all, SO he passe,
} me on a sudden very quickly, turne'
round, and looked up into my face
| gave him u very tolerable stare, toe
, because / knew it would disappoin