St. Paul weekly Minnesotian. (St. Paul) 1860-1861, 1860-11-09
WHOLE NUMBER Ats.

secured. Elizabeth was OF q cruel and Sc
we're disposition, and her hand-n,aidens led
no Joyous life. Slight faults are said to
have been punished By most merciless tor
lures.
One day, as the lady OF Csejta was ad
miring at the mirror those charms which
that faithful monitor told her were fast wa
ming, she gave way TO her ungovernable
TENDER, excited perhaps, by the mirror
unwelcOme hint, and struck her unofiendng
maid with such force in the face as to draw
blood. As she washed from her hahdS
the stain, she fancied the part where the
blood touched grew winter, softer, and, as
! it were, younger. imbued with the cruel
| ty Of the age, she believed she had dicov-
cred what SO many philosophers had spent
years in seeking for. She supposed that
in a virgins blood she had found the eli11r
rita, the fountain Of neyer-failing youth
and beauty. Remorseless by nature, and
now urged on by rrepressible vanity, the
| thought no sooner flashed across her brain
than her resolution was taken; the life of
her luckleSs hand maiden was not to be
compared with the precious boon her death
promised TO secure Elizabeth, however,
was wary as well as cruel At the foot of
the rock on which Cseita stood was a small
cottage, inhabited by two old women; and
| between the cellar Of this cottage and the
castle was subterranean passage, known
| only to one or two persons, and never used
but in times of danger. With the aid of
these old crones and her steward, Elizabeth
led the poor girl through the secret passage
to the cottage, and after numbering her,
bathed IN her blood. Not satisfied with
lie first ESSAY, lat different intervals, by the
aid of these acconplices and the secret
passages, no les than three hundred mai
dens were sacrificed or the alter of vanity
anL superstition.
Several years had been occupied in this
pitiless slaughter and no suspicion Of the
truth was excited, though the greatest
aHlazement pervaded the country at the dis
appearance of so many persons. At last,
however, Elizabeth called into play against
her, two passions even stronger than vani.
ty and cunning. Love and revenge be-
came interested in the discovery of the
mystery. Among the victims Of Csejta
was beautiful virgin, who was beloved by,
and betrOthed to a young man Of the neigh |
borhood. In despair at the loss of his
mistress he followed her traces with such
perseverance that in spite of the hitherto |
successful caution of the murderess he |
penetrated the secrets Of the castle, and |
burning for revenge. few to Presburg, |
boldly accused Elizabeth Bathori of muir |
der, before the palitine in open court, and |
demanded Judgment against her. So grave |
an accusation brought against person of |
such high rank, demanded the most serious |
attention, and the palitine undertook to in
vestigate the case in person. Proceeding |
Immediately to Csejta, before the murderess |
Or her accomplices had any idea of the &C.
Of a young girl whom they had been de-
stroying as the palatine approached, and
had not time TO dispose of it before he ap-
pretended them. The rank of Elizabeth |
mitigated her punishment to imprisonment
for life, but her assistants were burned at
the stake
Legal documents still exist to attest the
truth of this circumstance. Paget, dis
tinguished traveller, who visited Csejta
about 20 years ago, says "With this tale
fresh in our minds, We assembled the long
hill, gained the castle and wandered over its l
ruins. The shades Of evening were Just
spreading over the valley, the gray walls
stood up against the red sky, the solemn
stilluess of evening reigned over the scene
and as two ravens, which had made their
nests on the castles highest tower, came
towards it winging their heavy flight, and
wheeling once round, each cawing hoaISe
welcome to the other, alighted on their ia
vorite turrct, [ could have fancied them
the spirits of the two crones, condemned
to haunt the scene Of their former crimes,
while their internal mistress vas cursed by
some more wretched DOOM"