Raftsman's journal. [volume] (Clearfield, Pa.) 1854-1948, 1859-08-10

an cblique direction until he came in sight of
his victim, who was now wrlthing in the ago
nies OF death, and groaning for mercy. A few
minutes more and he was still-the dread work
was done.
Dragging the body from the road, and con-
cealing it, the murderer next carried the pack
far back into the forest, tore it open, and
found it did indeed contain old clothes. He
was nearly frantic. He had murdered HARM
less old man, and got nothing for it. He threw
the garments from him with the wild action of
remorse and despair.
Suddenly he heard clink as of money.
Then he began to examine the old garments,
and found, to his almost mad joy, that they
contained immense treasures in gold and jew
els, diamonds, sapphires, pearls and rubies,
to the value as he thought, of ten thousand
francs, but in reality more than hundred
thousand.
Far in the depths of that dark wood, the
murderer hid the most precious stones, to be
brought forth in after time. There were two
thousand five hundred francs in money and
with this amount he started for home, no lon
ger poor man, but alas even further than
ever from being happy one.
He travelled in his ragged clothes as far as
Nismes, fearful of spending one of his lilac
quired coins sooner but at Nismes he ven
tured to purchase a new and genteel suit. and
in this shortly after appeared before Lucille,
showed her father the sum required, which he
represented as having been honestly obtained
in his profession, and claimed her hand.
In due time Henri Du Barre married Lucille
Montaignc, and happy were all at the wedding
but the guilty groom, who was never to know
happiness again. He kept his secret however,
and profted by it, making occasional jour
ney to the dismal spot of his crime, under
pretence of travelling on business. He took
away and disposed of the jewels one by one,
and gradually grew opulent, and was regarded
by all who knew him as an honest man of
mark.
But the remembrance of his crime had a
strange facination for him, and much of his
time was spent in broodIng over it in secret.
Being an artist, he at length naturally con-
ceived the idea of painting the scene of the
murder; and he finally drew it in miniature
on ivory, picturing himself in the act of drag
ging the dead body of the Jew into the forest,
whose features, from memory only, he define
ated with wonderful fidelity. And as if this
were not enough to satisfy his morbid infatua-
tion, he wrote underneath : ssIsaac. Jew,
murdered by Henri Du Barre, Artist, Septem-
Der the tenth, in dark wood, about twenty
leagues south from Lyons
1t was strange, insane idea, that of preser-
wing memory of the horrible deed in this
matter; but this miniature of the scene he
had set in a neat little frame, and carried 1t in
belt around his waist.
But the strangest part OF this horrible affair
is yet to be told. On his last visit to the for
est, for the last jewel that yet remained of the
proceeds of his awful crime, he was shot dead
by bighwayman, who on searching his per-
son, found the miniature, and recognized in
the features of the murdered Jew-his own
father.
This produced so strange an impression up
on the second murderer, that he carried it to
the authorities and made full confession of
his own crime. A full and thorough lnvesti-
CATION took place and among the papers of
Du Barre, was found one containing the state
ment of the whole transaction, as we have
here recorded it.
The second murderer. the son of the Jew,
was subsequently executed, and SO ended the
chain of dark and bloody events.
Truly, the ways of Providence are wonder
full and mysterious.