Mountain Democrat., 1857-11-07
A Thrilling Narrative.

The suhjoinel narrative, published
originally in Chambers JoVrWal, is said
to have been translated from a foreign
newspaper. 1t is necessary to remind the
reader that the Island Of MauritiuS, appcr-
tanning at this day to the English, was
originally colonizcd by the French, and
that the population yet consists in great
measure ofpcrsOns ofthat nation to whom,
by formal treaty 0fthc powers concerned,
their ancient laws and usagcs were pre-
served without any material alterations.
Abont twelve years ago the Sicur Clo-
domir Frcnois, u rich merchant of the
Island, was found dead and frightfnlly
diSfigured in his own habitation. Ills
body was discovered lying on the floor,
with the face and head mutilatcl by n
pistol, and all doubts as to the cause of
the catastrophe was dispcllcd by the dis
covcry of the fatal weapon by the side Of
the corpse, as also piece of paper in the
handwriting of the deceased. This pa
per contained the following words:
am ruined. 4 villain has robbed
me oftwenty-iivc thousand livrcs sterling;
diShonor must be my portion and can
not survive it. ! leave my wife the task
Of distributing among my creditors the
means which remain to us; and pray
G0d, my friends and my enemies may
pardon my sclf-dcstruction. Yet another
minute and | shall be in eternity.
CLODONIR FRESOIs."
Great CONSERVATION was caused by this
tragic event, which was the more unex-
nnrtnJ nc fho locc oll,,Ir1 70 IL, tl,O oloyo
note had never been made public. The
deceased had been held in great esteem
over the colony, rs q man of strict honor
and probity, and was Sunivcrsally lamcntcd.
Two months after the sad end, his widow
entered a convent, leaving to nephew of
the late merchant, physician, the charge
of completing the distribution of the CT
lcctS of Frcnois among his creditors.
n minute examination of the papers
of the dcfunct led to the discovery Of tho
period when the unfortunate merchant
had been robbed; and this period was
found to correspond with the latc of the
disappearance of man named John Moon,
being in the employment of Frcnois. OF
this man, on whom suspicion not unnatu-
rally fell, nothing could be learned on in
quiry; but shortly after the division of
the merchants property, Moon rc-appcSr-
cd in the colony. When taken up and
examined respecting the cause ofhis flight,
he stated he had been sent by his master
to France to recover certain sums due to
the merchant there, in which mission he
had been unsuccessful. lie further aver
red that if Clodomir Frcnois in his exist
ing correspondence had thrown any iniu-
rious suspicious upon him, the whole was
but n prctcXt to account for the dcfcicn-
cies of which the merchant himself was
the cause and author This declaration,
made by man who seemed to fear no
inquiry, and whose worldly circumstances
remained to appearance the same as they
had ever been, had the effect of silcncing
if it did not satisfy the examiners; and
the affair soon fell, in great measure,
out Of the public recollection.
Things remained for several months in
this condition, when one morning, Mr..
William Burnett, principal creditor of the
late Clodomir FrcnoiS, heard a knocking
at his gate at u very early hour. lie
called up one Of his servants, who went
down and opened the door, and imn,cdi.