, 1864-02-20
The Dead Alive

Gortz, who had the reputation Of being q
very pious but rather austere and thrifty
man. He kept but one servant, an orphan,
whom, as a child, he took to wait on him,
and afterward taught her to write and read
Boosting of her fidelity and indulging her
as if she were his daughter. He was her
only friend. At sixteen, Caroline de Burgh
was as comely a girl as eyes 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 proud,
the young women-fool; 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
neighbor to hurry from her masters
house, in fearful agitation. Peter Gortz
pursued, but missed her; the neighbors
sought with better fortune, and overheard
her muttering to herself, "The Virgin for.
bid that should be so rash-yet-any-
thing rather than that! ] can bear it no
longer" This man instantly seized and
questioned her on the meaning of these
words, but as she only trembled, blushed
and wept, he forcibly led her back to her
master, who looked pleased at her return,
and, on what she had said being repeated
to him, merely laughed out, II was toe
strict this morning, perhaps; silly wench,
don't quarrel with thy second father"
Lima was about to retort, when Peter bsdc
the other leave them. What was this per.
sons amaze when, next morning, his veal.
thy neighbor ran to him, all alright with
the tidings 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 of
alive, which seemed most likely, as every.
thing that had belonged to her was missing,
and no signs Of contention had disturbed
her master in the night. The menaces she
had used tempted her hearer at once to
suspect her, though the loser did not. She
must, it was supposed, have taken the road
to her native village. Officers of justice
pursued that route, and Overtaking wagon,
whose driver looked alarmed ut their ap.
pearance, insisted on searching it. There
indeed they found female answering the
descriptions given them, hidden with her
trunk amid the straw. She denied her
name, but u sheathed kuife was found about
her, on which it was craven. SWELL" she
cried, as if bewildered, "no law can force
my return to him." Not needing her,
they lifted out her box. "'Tis heavy
enough" said one Significantly. "ls it =
she screamed to the driver This appeal
caused them to arrest him also. Falling
on his knees, he swore by all the saints that
he only knew this girl as having hired him,
in the next town, to come privately to a 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 bribc, she had induced him to con-
ccal her. The lid was forced, and at the
bottom Of her apparel were discovered sum
Of money, and other articles Of silver, bear
ing the initials Of Peter GOrtz. In posi-
tive distraction Caroline shrieked, al re-
fused to be his wife, and told him l would
leave him. Oh, he threatened to punish
me -
"You had threatened, too" said one Of
her captors, "and now, of course, would
iain criminate your accuser."
"Nay, then, l am lost indeedw she
cried, and was conveyed to the prison Of
the town she had just left, amid the execra-
tions of its assembled inhabitants, who had
never before heard Of sach way as hers
for requiting an offer Of marriage from a
superior.
She was tried Immediately on her appre-
hension. Who could bear witness in her
iavorY Who knew her character as we'll
as Peter Gortz himself? He gave his evil
dence with extreme reluctance everything
tended to prove her guilt. She was con-
demned to die without delay; yet the
priest who attended her could gain no
avowal Of the theft; finding her so impeni-
tent, he tried all the power of terror on
her soul, with but the result of unnerving
her for the awful fate she was to meet. l
cannot grace my story with word in praise
Of her heroism. She begged for time, she
supplicated the Virgin to interpose and save
her young days; she grOveled at the feet Of
her guards her shrieks and groans rung
from the scaffold, she struggled with the ex.
ecutioner, till even he was half ovcrpowered
by her pleading beauty. At last 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. II fell
to the lot Of rising anatomist, named
Ebreson, who had il conveyed to the wonted
scene Of his scientific yigils, o large arched
cellar, beneath his house, chosen for its
GOODNESS; its air was noisome, and its walls
discolored; it was lighted from the ceiling
by an antique lamp, whose rays fell on the
instruments Of his labors, and the still
more terrific looking preparations on which
he had toiled. The operator was accus-
toned to attire himself, for these expert
ments, in dark dress which tightly fitted
his gigantic form, and left his arms bare.
His Gery eyes, ca6ayerous and strong fea-
lures, set of by his black locks, which
streamed over his shoulders, must have
rendered him frightful picture. Before
him, on the table, lay the body Of Caroline,
partially covered with cloth, often before
used for similarpurposes, and here and there
stained from the dead. Ebreson, who had
hitherto been constrained to study from
such revolving remnants as his elders might