The Nashville daily union. [volume] (Nashville, Tenn.) 1862-1866, 1862-09-18
phe Key OF Death

In the collection of curiosilics pre-
served in the arsenal at Venice, there is
key of which The following singular
tradition is related
About the year 1000, one of those dan
gcrous men, in whom extraordinary tai
ent is only the fearful source of crime
and wickednoss beyond that Of ordiRary
mon, came 10 establish himself rs a mer-
chant or tradcrin Venice. The stranger.
whose name was 1ebaldo, became cnam-
CURED Of the daughter of an ancient house
already alllanced 10 another llc de-
handed her hand in marriage, and was
of course rejected. Enraged at this, he
studied how TO be revenged. Profoundly
skilled in the mechanical arts, he allowed
himself no rest until he had invented The
most formidable weapon which could be
imagined. This was key Of large size,
the handle Of which was so constructed
that il could be turned round with little
difficulty. When, turned, il discovered
a spring which, on pressure, launched
from the other end needle or lancet Of
such subtle iineness that il entered into
! the flesh, and buried itself there without
leaving external trace.
Tebaldo waited in disguise at the door
| Of the church in which the maiden whom
he loved was about 20 receive the nupiial
| bcncdictiOn The assassin sent the slon.
/ der steel. unperceiyed into the breast of
| the bridegroom. The wounded man had
no suspicion Of injury, but seized with
! sudden and sharp pain ia the midst of
the ceremony, he tainted, and was car
ried to his house amid the lamentations
of the bridal party. Vain was all the
skill Of the physician, who could not di-
vine the cause Of the strange illness, and
in a very few days he died. Tebaldo
again demanded the hand of the young
maiden from her parents, and received a
second refusal They, too, persisted
miserably in few days. The alarm
that these deaths, which appeared almost
miraculous, occasiOned, excited the nj
most vigilance Of the magistrates; and
when on close examination of the bod
les, the small instrument was found in
the gangrened flesh, terror was universal;
every one feared for his own life. The
maiden thus cruelty orphaned, had passed
the first month Of her mourning ia a
convent when Tebaldo, hoping 10 bend
her TO his viii, entreated TO speak with
her at the CRATE, Her reply was most
decisiyely in the negative.
Tebaldo, beyond himself With rage, al p
tempted 10 wound her through the CRATE
and succeeded; the obscurityof the place
prevented his movement from being OBJ
served. On her return 10 her room the
maiden felt a pain in her breast, and IN
covering il, she found il spotted with a
single drop OF blood. The pain increased
the surgeons who FASTENED TO her assist p
ance, taught by the past, wasted no time
in conjecture, but cutting deep into the
wounded part, extracted the needle be
fore any mortal mischief had commenced
and saved the life Of the lady. The
state inquisition used every means q
discover The hand which dealt those Co.,.
sidious and Irresistible blows. The visit
of Tebaldo 20 tho convent caused suspi-
cion 10 fall heavily upon him. His house
was carefully searched, the infamous in.
veniion discovered. and be persisted or
the gibbot.