Wyoming democrat. [volume] (Tunkhannock, Wyoming Co., Pa.) 1867-1940, 1867-12-18
FRA DrAVoLo.


years ago. Those facts an thus condensed
from the Court records by Paris paper ::
At the beginning of the last century there
was to be seen in the town of Lille very
quiet house 1t was large building but it
contained only small family-a husband
and wife and one servant girl. The Curiosl-
ties Judiciaries add that the married couple
were advanced 10 years, and they lived
quietly on their income, saw very few Wis
itors, and admitted no one to the house
except the people who furnished them with
provisions or otherwise ministered 10 their
wants. One night this couple, man and
wife were robbed and murdered in their bed.
The servant girl had heard nothing OF all
this, and knew not what was going on. The
night was bot, the air dense and oppressive
lv sultry, so much so that she had taken re-
fugc in her room and sat, for the sake of
GOODNESS, divested of her garments, before
large mirror. While there, catching sight
of herself she suddenly cried, "How hateful
| one looks when naked" J"
Having said this she retired and slept till
morning, and rose as usual, without suspect
| ing what had happened.
She prepared breakfast as usual, for her
master and mistress, but they did not come
down. She was amazed and waited for a
long time.
They did not appear.
Tired of waiting, she sought their room.
| A horrible sight met her eyes. Blood was
smcared every where, and on the bed lay the
poor old couple, cruelty, horribly, vilely
butchered-mangled as Only beast OF fiend
could find in his heart to mutilate victims
after numbering them. .....
The girl raised an alarm and the multitude
came rushing in. Of course justice came
rushing after in the form o: the police, with
a judicial investigation. The criminal was
sought for and as none other could be found,
| suspicion fell on the unfortunate servant.
In those days they had horrible way Of
trying to get at the truth. They called it
questioning. The questions were put with
racks and thumb screws.
The Liliois servant maid was infamously
tortured, even to extreme agony. Yet not
| withstanding her weakness, and her sex she
endured the internal torture, without con-
Tossing anything. This was the more re-
markable, as she was entircl innocent and
was in consequence kept much longer under
| torment TO make heI confess As there
were no proofs of her having done anything
they finally let her 90, as soon as she was
healed. Unfortunately the torture had made
her wretched cripple She could only
hobbIe along on her broken limbs, and her
arms were withered.
And, being no longer able TO sew or work
she dragged her hel pIess form through the
streets and begged. She begged through
! the streets of Lille for sixteen years, This
is all historically true ue-nay more than his
| torically; for history often lies, while these
facts are drawn from the dry and accurate
records of court. The worst part of her
suffering WAS that many people believed her
| guilty, and scorued her accordingly.
1t appears from record that during these
long years, while she went about with her
wilhered arms ami bent back, her whole
frame still suffering from the torture, beg
ging copper sou to buy her bread, that she
was always resigned, mild, and exemplary
| in her conduct.
One day, after sixteen years OF misery she
stopped to beg before the door of a baker
She held ont through her rags her naked
and mutlated arm towards the baker, who
stood on his door sill As she did so he ex
claimed in mocking tone, while observing
| her want Of garments.
"Wel', Marie Anna, how hateful one
| looks when naked ha
Now it is remembered that in all the six
teen years which had passed Marie Anna
had not forgotten those words which she
had spoken when alone on the night ofthe
murder. 1t flashed npon her mind that the
real murderer might have heard them, and
| that he stood before her. 10 brief, we learn
that the journeyman baker, when arrested
confessed the ruth. He had regularly sup
piled the old couple, and knew the ways of
the house. He WAS hidden there on the
nigh: Of the mnrder, and had heard the
girl when she made the remark on her ma
| kedness,
And a. the criminal is often by the will
of Providence his own accuser, so this man
following one Of those eccentric and danger
Gus impulses which men often experience,
to say the most dangerous things, had
uttered to the girl the words of the fatal
night. He was convicted of the crime for
which Marie Anna had been tortured, and
suffered living dealh-and was bloken
alive on the wheel in Lille.
| III .rD 30 nyr,orrs T.,r HHavors aaL y