Wood County reporter. [volume] (Grand Rapids [i.e. Wisconsin Rapids], Wis.) 1857-1923, 1863-09-17
THE DEAD ALIVE.

7
There lived once i'll Switzerland a rich
bachelor, about forty years of age, called
Peter Gortz, who had the reputation of being
very pious but rather austere and thrifty
man He kept but one servant, an orphan,
whom, as child, he took to wait on him. and
afterward taught her to write and read,
boasting of her fidelity and indulging her as
if she were his daughter. He was her only
friend At sixteen Caroline de Burg was as
comely girl as ewes need see, with the gait
Of a peacock and skin like new milk; but
from her silent, almost naughty disposition,
the young men called her prude, the young
women-tOOl; though mothers, even of less
lOwly station, would point her out to their
own giddy geese, and cry; Take pattern by
poor Lima !"
Suddenly she appeared to grow timorous
and melancholy; and one day was seen by Il
neighbor to hurry from her masters house
in fearful agitation. Peter Gortz pursued
but missed her; the neighbor sought with
better fortune, and overheard her muttering
to herself "The virgin forbid | should be so
ash-yet-anything rather than that
can bear 1t no longer !" This man instantly
seized and questioned her on the meaning of
these words, but, as she only trcmbled,
blushed and wcpt, he forCibly led her back
return, and, on what she had said being re-
peated to him, merely laughed out II was
too strict this morning, perhaps silly wcncb
don't quarrel with thy second father" Lima
was about 10 retort, when Peter babe the
other leave them. What was this persons
amaze, when, next morning, his wealthy
neighbor ran to him, all alright with the
tdings that his house had been robbed of
gold and plate, to large amount, though
no locks were broken, and his servant either
murdered and concealed, or carried off alive,
which seemed most likely, as everything
that had belonged to her was missing, and
no signs of contention had disturbed her
master i'll the night The menaces she had
used tempted their nearer at once to suspect
her, though the looser did not She must,
it was supposed, have taken the road to her
native village. Officers Of justice pursued
that route, and OYertaking a wagon, whose
driver looked alarmed ut their appearance
insisted on searching it. There, indeed, they
found female answering the description
given them hidden, with her trunk, amid the
straw. She denied her name, but a shcathcd
knife was found about her, on which it was
craven. :" w ell" she cried, as if bcwildercd,
mo law can force my return to HIM" Not
needing her. they lifted out her box '>'Tis
it ?" she screamed to the driver. This ap-
peal caused them to arrest him also. Falling
on his knees, he swore by all the saints, that
he only knew this girl having hired him,
i'll the next town, to come privately to Ger
tain house, for herself and baggage ; that he
had gone, stolen in, moved the box from her
chamber to his wagon, where, by another
bride, she had induced him to conceal her
The lid was forced, and, at the bottom of her
wardrobe, sewn into some articles of apparel,
were discovered sum of money, and several
articles of silver, bearing the initials of Peter
Gortz. In positively distraction Caroline
shrieked, & l refused to be his wife and told
him | would leave him. Oh he threatened
to punish me-" ''YOu had threatened, too"
said one of her captors, " and now, of course,
would tain criminate your accuscr." NAY
then, | am lost indeed !" she cried, and was
conveyed to the prison of the town she had
just left, amid the excavations of its assem-
bled inhabitants, who had never before heard
of such way as hers for requiring an offer
of marriage from a superior.
She was tried Immediately on her appre-
hension. Who could bear witness in her IA
vor? Who knew her character so well as
Peter Gortz himself? He gave his evidence
with extreme reluctance everything tended
to prove her guilt. She was condemned to
die, without delay; yet the priest who at
tended her could gain no ayOwal of the theft;
finding her so impenitCnt, he tried all the
power of terror on her soul, with but the re
suit of unnerving her for the awful fate she
was to meet. l cannot grace my story with
word i'll praise of her heroism. She begged
for time, she duplicated the Virgin to inter
pose and save her young days; she grovelled
at the feet of her guards her shrieks and
groanS rung from the very scattold, she struo-
gled with the eXecutioner, till even he was
half oyerpowered by her pleading beauty
At length her strength and reason failed.
she became insensible. The fatal cord was
adjusted and the poor wretch left to hang
for the usually appointed period.
Her body, according to the sentence OF
the law, was given for dissection. 1t tell tc
the lot of a rising anatomist, named Ebreson
who had it conveyed to the wonted scene OF
his scientific yigils, large arch cellar. be
meath his house, chosen for its GOODNESS; it:
air was noisome, and its walls discolored: il
was lighted from the ceiling by an antique
lamp, whose rays fell on the instruments o.
his labors, and the still more terrifclookine
preparations on which he had toiled The
operator was accustomed to attire himself, fol
these experiments, in a dark dress, which
tightly fitted his gigantic figure, and left hi:
lean arms bare. His fiery eyes and cadayer
Gus and strong features, set off by the blacl
locks which streamed over his shoulders, mus
have rendered him a frightful picture. Be
fore him, on his table, lay the body of Caro-
line, partially covered with cloth, often be
fore used for similar purposes, and, here ant
there, stained from the dead. Ebreson, who
had hitherto been constrained to study from
such revolving remnants as his elders might
leave of their church-yard spoils, was graft
fed in attaining an entire figure, so recently
deprived of life. He had not attended Caro-
lines trial; though he had listened, with 8
sad, shuddering interest to the account of hel
early crimes and punishment. He commenc
ed his examination. The limbs were scarce
yet rigid; and when he barred the face, he
observed that the manner of her death had
neither blackened nor distorted it; for the
first time was he aware of her identity with
one he had seen walk the world in maiden
pride; oft had he felt inclined to ask the
young things name. He knew it now-and
half forgetting his art, sighed forth, chad she
been as good as she is fair, this is not breast
which could lacerate."