Daily Ohio statesman. [volume] (Columbus, Ohio) 1855-1870, 1861-02-26
A Curious Affair.

Some eighty or hundred years ago. the body
Of o man was found in the Tiber at Rome, IL
was recognized as that of porter, well known
about the city, but stranger thing was that
second body (also that Of q MANI was found at
the same time tied up in sack, which was
strongly stitched on the collar of the coat of
the porter. This was not 80 easily recognized,
but the strangeness of the circumstances set ali
the authorities Immediately to work in the
greatest earnest, and excited much interest in
the city. Before long, suspicion arose, which
attached itself to woman of doubtful charac-
ter, who lived in the outskirts and whose hus-
band had all at once disappeared. All, how
ever, that was known was this, that che had
lived unhappily with him. Nothing could be
discovered or brought home to her beyond the
tanned that he had left her, and that she was
much injured person.
And thus, as there was no proof, after a
while the talk Of the affair was dying out,
when at once it was famed into fame again ;
the suspected house was revisited, and the wo-
man actually brought to confess the truth-that
she had murdered her husband and caused, like.
wise, the death of the porter. Upon this, with
out further ado, she was apprehended, and had
to undergo her trial. The obtaining this con-
fesson, and the discovery of what had baffled
the wisest heads in Rome, caused q very great
sensation, but nobody seemed to know how it
had been brought about. Upon her trial, she
said she had murdered her husband out of jeal-
ousy, and with no help from any human crea-
ture The great difficulty che found was in
disposing of the body. Atlast she hit upon this
contrivance. She crammedit into sack, and
sent for porter with whom she was acquaint-
ed. 1t was then the dusk of evening.
| On hia arriual. a ranr aa antod hat aha hod
been cleaning her house, and had collected a
great mass of rubbish, which she did not well
know what to do with, or how to get rid of; che
thought it good plan to stuff it all into sack,
and have 1t thrown into the river. Il was heavy,
she said, but she would pay him well for his
job, and give him some refreshments before he
started with his load. The matter thus ar
ranged, they supped and caroused together and
abe SO piled him with drink that he was well
nigh overcome. She then brought out the sack,
and while pretending to adjus it to his shoul-
der, stitched 1t strongly to the collar of his coat
telling him all he had to do when he got to the
middle of the bridge was to lean it toward the
edge, and chuck the sack as he could over the
parapet, 80 as to get it clear out OF the way in
to the current, and she would give him his mon.
ey when he came back, which, of course, he
never did ga-. ..-
Suo SOuiu uVt bSliJ puc bhiu, uuW ~ uhu Deeu
found out, but she supposed God and the Vir-
gin Mother had brought 1t to light; that was
the whole truth, she added, and all she had to
tell. When the trial had arr,v ed at this point,
young lawyer stepped forth and asked her
''if che had ever told anybody what she had
done, or had any accomplice who could have
dyulged it2" "No," said che, ''nobody had
helped her, and they might we'll suppose she
would not be such fool az to tell IL to any liv--
ing crea ture." "What, nobody7" the young
lawyer asked. "No," said che, "only my con
fessor." ,- t.. .
Here was the solution Of the whole business,
and the lawyer soon discovered that tho con-
lessor bad brother In the galleys, and, call
ing to mind an old custom, that If q galley
slave can be the means Of bringing worse
criminal than himself to justice, he received
bis freedom, he arrived at the conclusion that
the galley-slave had furnished the clue, which
turned out to be the fact. The woman escaped
punishment, as the discovery had been made
through breach of the confessional. The faith
er confessor absconded as soon as possible. Tne
young lawyer rapidly rose to emintnce.