Daily Ohio statesman. [volume] (Columbus, Ohio) 1855-1870, 1863-04-11
THE FALSE CLERK.
A THRILLING EVENT.

Island of Mauritius, appertaining at this tim
to the English, was originally colonized by th
French, and that the population yet consists, II
q great measure, Of persons of that nation, 4
whom, by formal treaty between the partie
concerned, their ancient laws and usages or,
preserved without any material alterations
About twelve years ago, the Sieur Clodomi
Frenois, O rich merchant of the Island, was dis
covered dead, and frightfully disfgured, in hi
own habitation. His body was found lying OF
The floor, with the head and face mutlated b.
a pistol, and all doubt as TO the cause Of thl
catastrophe was dispelled by the discovery o
the fatal weapon by the side of the corpse, aI
also of piece Of paper In the handwriting o
the deceased. The paper contained the follow
ing words:
III am ruined A villain has robbed me O
twenty-five thousand livres sterling; dishono
must be my portion and cannot survive II.
leave to my wife the duty Of distributipl
among my creditors the means which remain
to US; and pray God, my friends and my enc
mics, to pardon my self-destruction. Ye
another minute and shall be in eternity.
(Signed) "CLoDoMiR FRENois."
Great CONSERVATION was caused by tbi,
tragic event, which was the more unexpected
as the loss alluded to in the above note had
never been made public.
| The deceased had been held 10 great esteem
over the colony as o man of strict honor and
probity, and was universally lamented. Hit
attached widow, after endeavoring to faithful
ly fulfill his last wishes, found her grief too
overpowering to allow her to mingle longer
with the world, and took the resolution to con.
secrats her remaining days to the service Of
religion. Two months after the sad end of her
husband, she entered convent, leaving 10 the
nephew OF the late merchant, physician, the
charge Of completing the distribution of the
effects Of Frenois among his creditors.
A minute examination OF the papers of the
defunct led to the discovery of the period when
the unfortunate merchant had been robbed, and
this period was found to correspond with the
date of the disappearance Of a man named John
Moon, being In the employment of Frenoa -
OF this man, on whom suspicion not unnatu-
rally fell, nothing could be learned on inquiry:
but shortly after the division Of the late mey :
chants property, Moon reappeared In the colo.
ny; and when taken up and examined respoct-
Ing the cause ofhiB flight, he stated that he had
been sent by his master to France to recover
certain sums Of money due to the merchant,
there, in which mission he had been unsuocees-
fal. Ho further ayerred that II Clodomir Fre-
nois, in his correspondence, had thrown nny
Injurious suspicion upon him (Moon), the whole
was but a pretext to account for the deficiencies
! OF which the merchant was the authOr. ThiS
declaration, made by man who seemed to fear
no injury, and whose worldly circumstances re.
mained TO appearance the same as they had
ever been, had the effect of silencing, il 1t did
not satisfy the examinero, and the affair soon
fell, in great measure, out of the public 70
collection. .eG
Things remained lof short time in this
condition, when one morning Mr.. William Bur
nett, principal creditor OF the late Clodomir
| Frsnois, heard knocking at hia gate at very
early hour. He called up one OF his servants,
who went down and opened the door, and i'm
| mediately returned With the intelligence that O
stranger, who seemed desirous of keeping his
peraon concealed, wished to speak with Mr..
Burnett in private Mr.. Burnett rose threw
on his dressing gown, and descended to the par
lor, He cav there a stranger of tall person,
seated In an easy, familiar attitude upon a sofa,
with q number of the Morning Post in his
hand. The back of the visitor was turned to
Mr.. Burnett as he entered. Rather surprised
to see stranger conduct himself so like. an
old friend of the house, Mr.. Burnett said aloud;
"sr,. may beg to know your business With
met"
| The stranger turned round and advanced to
salute his host warmly and courte0usly. Mr..
Burnett. started back, and uttered loud ex
clamation Of surprise and alarm. Well be
might; for before his eyes stood his friend and
debtor, Clodomir Frenois, who he had beheld
nearly year before, o murdered corpse, aud
whom he himself had followed to the grave!
What passed at that interview, between Mr'
Burnett and his strange visitor, remained a
secret. Mr.. Burnett was observed TO issue sew
eral times, pale and agitsted, from his dwelling,
and to visit the magistrate charged with the
criminal process OF the colony. 10 the course
Of that day, while John Moon was RECALLING
himself with tea under the palm trees of his
garden along with Circassian female, whom
he had purchased some time previously, he was
arrested, aud taken to prison by the officers OF
Justice.
On the following day he was brought before
| the criminal court, accused with robbing the
late Cledomir Frenoia, the crime being with
breach of trust and violence. Moon smiled
az the charge with ell the confidence of a man
Who had nothing to fear. Tne judge having
demanded of him IL he confessed the crime,
the accused replied that the charge was alto
gether absurd; that clear testimony was neces-
sary to ix such delict upon him; that 90 far
from there being such evidence proiuclble,
neither the widow of the deceased, nor any one
person In his service, had ever heard the pre-.
tended robbery even once mentioned by Frenois
during his life.
"Do you affirm your innocencep repeated
the judge gravely, after hearing all the other
had 10 say. ,s.l.ee 10.
81 will avouch my innocence" replied Moon.
"even before the body Of my late master, il
that be necessary" 4is G.tI4a.ad t.l.