American citizen. [volume] (Canton, Miss.) 1864-1890, 1867-08-03
THE THREE HUNcHBAcKs.

allleS,' ana nell MIN OH WilH Tie
good work ?
THE THREE HUNCHBACKs.
The following amusing and seem
ingly incredible narrative was extract
ed from late French publication.
1t is neatly told and will be read with
interest:
Three brothers, all humpbacked,
and all accurately alike iii appear
ance, lived Bassacom. One of them
killed man in a chsnc medley, and
not taken on the moment, the prose
cutors could only swear that one of
the brothers had done the deed. Rath-
er than put an innocent man to death,
the Judge let the guilty one escape,
but to avoid further Inconvenience
of the kind, he banished all from
the province. One settled in Paris,
became rich, and married; the others
after nearly starving in England,
returned and paid visit to their for
tunate brother. The master of the
house was abroad when they knocked
and the poor wife was troubled more
than little by the visit.
My husband is very jealous" she
said to them while she was giving
them something to eat. "You must
go to the furthest quarter of the town
and never come here again ; but L II
make your brother look to your
wants"
While she was speaking she heard
her husbands knock, and cried out,
follow me. if you value your lives. y
She ordered the servant not to open
the door till she should return and then
conveyed the brothers down stairs
and locked them in the cellar. Her
husband scolded for being kept out
so long, but good dinner restored
him to good humor, and at night he
weut out to pay a visit.
The wife then went down to the
cellar and there found the two
brothers dead, one lying here and
the other there. What was to
be done? She went for strong Au.
vergernaut, brought him down stairs,
showed one cOrpes, which she had
previously ia ken out Of the cellar,
and promised him louis d. or on his
return after having thrown it in the
river Seine. He made no scruple
abont the matter, but popped the body
into the sack, took it to the bridge,
and shook it into the river.
Returning for his reward, the wife
disputed his claim, as the body was
still lying outside of the cellar door.
Here the stupid man saw what he
firmly believed to be the corpse he
had thrown from the bridge, and
rcsigning himself to destiny lie got
it into the sack, and went through
the ceremony for the second time.
Coming back, he was terrified and
enraged by finding the twice drown
ed corpse knocking at the door.
care these your tricks master"
said he. "Ah, Monsieur Ghost
Clever as YOU are, I'll settle you the
third trial.
So saying, he forced the poor hus-
band into the sack, carried him to
the same spot, and effected the third
This time he returned
in triumph, for the wife, ignorant of
her husbands fate, and having no
more cOrpses to remove paid him
twice what she had covenanted, and
gave him a glass of wine in the bar
gain.
"Your good health, madam, - said
he, "you are better than your prom
Uses, but | earned it. l found the
humpbacked rogue, or his ghost,
at the door after | had
thrown him i'll the second time
"Oh, wretch you have drowned
my husband !" cried the woman.
While she was screaming, and he
standing in amazement, the gen
d'armes entered, secured both, and
sent them to prison. Next day they
were brought before the magistrate
of the quarter and examined. The
poor wife concealed nothing, the Au-
was called on for an explana-
ton, and while both were awaiting
of death, the three brothers,
full of life, but with very pale faces,
were ushered into the room. Some
fishermen stationed near the bridge
had saved the three. The unmar-
ried men had only been drunk in the
cellar, and the submersion, and the
pulling and hauling and
ejectment of wine and water, had re-
covered them from their drunken
Iethargy before the natural time.
On their first appearance before the
they could give no expla-
nation of their visit to the river, and
the husband had no idea of the cause
of his being seized but his wife's
made all clear.
The king, hearing of the strange
adventure, settled pension on the
men, but they were not
10 dwell within fifty miles of Paris,
and the married man was not jealous
for year and a day after his seizure
md escape from the river.
EMIGRATION TO BRAZIL---We
have repeatedly warned onr people