New Orleans daily crescent. [volume] ([New Orleans, La.]) 1851-1866, 1866-09-24

ture which had just come to light in that district.
Several Hiudoo girls had suddenly and mysteri-
ousfy disappeared under the waters when perform
ing their ablutious in the sacred stream, drawn
under and deEoured by alligators. Such was the
general belief, until the body of one Of them
CHANGED to be picked up lower down the river,
totally unmutilated, and deprived of certain valu
able ornaments, which the young dev0tee was
known to have had on when she went in. For a
| good while Justice was completely at fault, but
| these ornaments having been traced to the pos
session Of two men, over whose doings the strict
est watch was preserved, the result was that they
| were apprehended i'll covered boat moored in
the center of the stream almost in the act of de-
/ spelling one of their victims. TWAS supposed
/ that skiliul diver, watching the opportunity of
one being separated from the rest rose through
/ the waters liked strong ligature on one of the
| lower limbs, and thendived off, whilst a c0nfeder-
| ate in the boat by means of a rope and hold or
purchase of some kind at the bottom OF the river,
drew the struggling swimmer irresistibly down,
| when death soon put an end toall etfhrts Of
| escape.
I t'Whilst these particulars were being narrated,
became more and more agitated, until could
no longer keen my seat. Why, major said one,
| you seem disturbed can there be anything in
the doings Of these wretches ofsuficient pungency
/ to quicken 5t
sssStop,' said I, for saw he was about to- quiz
my equanimity, don't treat this matter lightly.
/ confess am not little agtated or little CON
fused at present, butt have heard all you say,
/ '"S What have you seen?'
i q 9 / have seen the face of man whom never
thought, and certainly never desired, to meet
again
tt'Gholab.l
atss Why, that is the name of one of the villains
accused, asI have Just informed you.
"Great heavensN exclaimed; but no, no, it
| is impossible; he could not approach a running
stream, much less--and here, here, of all places
his dread of water his pitiabe shrinking away
from its vicinity .JTl
i Something very like burst of laughter
i from all assembled in the room here greeted
/ me.
4 "sMy good major, dread of water! Pitiable
shrinking away from its vicinity Why, this fell
low Gholab is one of the most daring, skillful and
1 enduring divers Of the East
/ "In fever of agitation | demanded to be
| shown the remains Of the latest victim. | was
/ taken to where they lay. The attendants were
about TO disrobe the upper part of the body, but
4 l pointed to the feet; and bade them uncover it
there. They lifted the mat with which it was con
ceaed, and there, round the slender ankle, was
| the circular band-ke mark, the exact counterpart
| of that which had heheld long before, when the
happy home of one Of my dearest friends was
/ turned into house of bitterest mourning.
| 6 Unknown to the accused, | was present at tue
| trial. Gholall--the other was hardly a sane he
/ ing--in turn accused the algators, many of which
monsters infested the stream, and yociferously
protested his own innocence, even when the
| bangle-like letter, chain, and rope, which had
been the instruments Of murder, and which, as
| we'll as the ornaments of the poor victim, had
/ been traced to his possession, were laid on the
| table before him. When these things were pro-
dueed, came from my station somewhat in the
rear of the accused, advanced towards the table,
1 keeping my face averted from them, and then tax.
ing up the chain and fetter, turned slowly round
and confronted them with the evidences of guilt
in my hand.
Fora few seconds the gaze Of Gholab, though
piercing and intense to the last degree, was evil
IDENTIFY more of wonder than alarm but, suddenly
recognition shot into his brain, and may l never
again behold such terror and despair in the depths
OF human soul TOR in bis glowing eye-balls it
seemed all unyeiledl, as were then opened up like
a vision into Hades before me. He stood rigid,
immoyable, and when the trial went on spoke
never word again, thonghs so fercely animated
before. Still the trial went on; and the judge
was about to pronounce sentence of death, when,
Gholab threwlup his arms and with wild cry
fell back. The unspoken sentence of a Judge more
potent had not only gone forth, but had been ex-
ecuted too: the man was dead.n
"And you think the circular abrasions round
the ankle of young Westerton WERE '7
1.-THE marks of the algator's teeth
Sand what became of the other-the cousin 2''
HHe did not live even to inherit The old
| esquire dragged on broken life for some time,
eyincing little interest in anything, and rarely
showing himself beyond his grounds One day,
however, he seemed suddenly to have formed
strange resolution, which was neither more or less
than to drain the lake; he summoned a large body
Of labors, and set them to work to perform the
almost impracticable task. His nephew,swho had
notbeen near the spot since the catastrophe which
restored him to his old position Of heir to the IVES
terton estates, as soon as he heard Of the odmans
doings, urged ether by unprecedented damage to
the property, or by apprehensons Of far more
formidable character-namelS, least something
might be revealed-hastened down at once, first
to sebis influence with his uncle, and, that fail
ing, to stop the work on his own authority.
As to the old man, he could not be prevailed
on to consent to do So steadily refusing at last to
utter even single word on the subject of his
nepheW's complaints, but quietly persegering with
his design. To fear and rage the latter hurried to
the workmen, and ordered them to desist. The
foreman, however, having heard how matters
Stood refused to stop without the direct orders of
the squire himself; refusal which so enraged
Westerton that he seized the man by the throat
and personal alteration and struggle ensued
which ended inthe former being thrown back into
the water. Of course he was quickly extricased,
butthrough the neglect of proper precautions, a
severe cold and fever ensued, which, passing
through the stages of delirium in which he ut,
tered words now best forgotten, finally led to his
death. Who shall say whether retrihntive Justice
did not show itself in this? At all events, who
ever they were who participated in the death of
my friend, they are gone where the shortcomings
Of human justice are unknown and let us add
where the limits of human mercy are far ex-
ceeded.n