The daily dispatch. [volume] (Richmond [Va.]) 1850-1884, 1866-11-16

!. o,nrvisr exchanged rapid glance, whicm
.aarr,,aa - sav "Will yoachaliengc MN =
d.. Sa, \, Of them did so. An officer
DIV. nS Major Vernon into his appointed
c .,,aaa and amid profound silence the In,
p:a a.wcnt was read. Major Vernon had
I'D In the town during the last two years.
Every one gave him the military title, yet
none could tell when, or where, or wnom
he had served. He seemed to have neitner
FAMILY nor friends: and when any OF ms
acouaintances ventured TO sound him ON
the subject, be always replied in manner
by no means calculated to encourage curl
ositv, "Do Ttrouble my head about your
affAirs r' no would say. Your shabby
old townsuits me we'll enough asa residence,
but II you don't think have . right to
live In 1t, Ishall be most happy to convince
yon Of the fact, at daybteak with gun,
sword, or pistol" Major Vernon was pre-
cisely the very man to keep his word; tho
few persons who had entered his lodgings
reported that his bedroom resembled an
armory, so fully was 1t furnished with all
sorts of murderous weapons, Notwith-
standing this, he seemed very respecta-
bic sort of o man, regular in his habits,
punctual in his payments, and fond OF
smoking excellent cigars, sent him, he used
to say, by friend in Havana. He was tall,
very thin, bald, and always dressed IN
black; his monstaches curled to point ;
and he invariably wore his hat cooked
over his right ear. In the evening he used
to frequent the public reading rooms Of the
town, but he never played at any game. OF
conyersed, with the company, remaining
absorbed in his newspaper until the clock
struck 10, when he lit his cigar, twisted his
moustaches,' and with still, silent
bow took his departure. 1t sometimes
happened that one of the company, holder
than the others, said, Good night, Ma
iorw Then the Major would stop, tix his
gray eye on the speaker, and reply, GOOD
night, Monsieur but in SO rude and angry
tone that the words sounded more like
malediction than q polite salutation. 1t
was remarked that whoever TINS ventured
to address the Major was, during the re-
maindcr of the evening, the victim OF
some strange ill-luck. He regularly. lost
at play, was sure to knock his elbow
through handsome lamp or vase, or IN
some way to get cntangled in a miSad-
venture. SO firmly were the good town.
folks persuaded that the Major possessed
an evil eve, that their common expression,
when any one met with misfortune, was
"Hc must have said good night to the
Major" - .. -.-.
This mysterious character dined every
day at the ordinary Crown Hotel, and al
though habitually silent, seemed usually
contented with the fare. One day, how
ever, after having eaten some bread soup,
he cast his eye along the table, trowned,
and calling the host, said :" How comes it
that tho dinner to-day is entirely meagre -
Monsieur, no doubt, forgets that this is
Good Friday"
---"Send me up two mutton chops"
"Impossible, Major; there is not an
ounce of meat to be had at any butchers
in the town."
"Let me have some fowl"
"That is not to be had, either"
"What set of fools !" exclaimed the
Major, striking his clenched hand on the
table with such force that the bottles reeled
and rocked just as if all the wine in their
bodies had got into their heads. Then he
called the waiter, and said, "Baptiste, 60
to my lodging, and bring me the inlaid car
bine which hangs over my pillow
The poor host trcmbled, and grew very
pale when Baptiste returned with double
barrclled gun, beautifully inlaid with Sill
yer. The Major coolly examined the locks,
put on fresh caps, cooked both barrels, and
walked out, followed at respectful dis
lance by the guests and inmates of the
hotel. Not far Off stood an ivy-mantled
church, whose angular projections were
haunted by many ravens. Two large ones
few out of turret just as the Major came
up, and took aim for double shot. Down
tumbled both the unclean birds at his feet.
"Sacre 6leut" said he, picking them up.
"Tam regularly sold-thcy're quite lean."
He returned to the hotel, and, according
to his express orders, one moiety OF MS
ill-omened booty was dressed in savoury
stew, and the other simply roasted. Or
both dishes he partook so heartily that not
a vestige of either remained, and he de-
clared that he had never eaten more relish
ing food. From that day the Major be-
came an object of uneasinesS to some, OF
terror to others, of curiosity to all. When
ever he appeared onthe public promenade,
every one avoided him +; at the theatre, his
box was generally occupied by himself
alone and each old woman that met him
on the street invariably stopped to cross
herself, Major Vernon was never known
to enter q church or accept an invitation !;
at first he used to receive good many OF
these, and the perfumed billets served
him to light his cigars.
Such, then, was the thirteenth juror
drawn in the case of Pierre Granger,
and it may easily be understood why
the audience were moved at hearing the
name of Major Vernon. The paper Of &C
cusation, Notwithstanding drawn up by the
attorney general with force and particu-
larity of description which Mortified the
ladies present, was read amid profound
silence, broken only by the snoring of the
prisoner, who had coolly settled himself to
sleep. The gendarmes tried to rouse him
from his slumber, but they merely sue
ceeded in making him now and then open
his dull, british eyes. When the clerk
had ceased to read, Pierre Granger was
with difficulty fully awakened, and the
president proceeded to question him. The
intcrrogatory fully revealed, in all its hor-
ror, the thoroughly stupid fiendishness OF
the wretch. He had killed his wife, he said,
because they couldn't agree; he set his
house on fire because it was cold night,
and he wanted to make good blaze to
warm himself; as to his children, they were
dirty, squalling little things-no loss to
him or any one else. 1t would be tedious
to pursue all the details Of this disgust
ing trial. M. Louraugain and NJ. Leper-
vicr both made marvellously eloquent
speeches, but the latter deserved peculiar