The Cecil Whig., 1869-06-26
[From the Detroit Free Press, June :.
A Strange Case.

On Tuesday evening last, Bernard Rolfe,
a German farmer, residing about nine miles
from this city, on the Pontiac road had
ward avenue. He had a German laborer in
his employ named Henry Artless and him
Mr.. Rolfe left at home, busy with the team,
and procured passage in with neighbor.
when Rolfe left his house. and, as it was
understood that the neighbor would not re-
turn before the next day, the family, con-
sisting of wife and three small boys, knew
that they would be alone with the hired
man for the night. Artles was compare
tive stranger to them ALL having been at
work for two weeks only. lie was quiet
and peaceable appearing man, and spent
his leisure hours by himself, never indul-
ging i'll conversation when not directly ap-
pealed to. Still, neither Rolfe nor wife
found no fault, nor even had occasion to
suspect that the laborer was other than
what he appeared.
On his arrival in the city Mr.. Rolfe par
TALLY concluded his business with the mer-
chants, and engaged lodgings at hotel
on Larned street. About nine o'clock in
the evening, while seated in the Office smo-
king, Mr.. Rolfe states that he began to
tremble and felt nervous shocks, which so
increased that in a short time he could
scarcely hold his pipe between his teeth
He walked several times acros the room,
went into the open air, but the feeling did
not in the least pass away. His thoughts
kept recurring to the laborer at home and
he called to mind the features of Artles,
and the hitherto unsuspicious fact that he
had several times caught him peering about
the sleeping groom, where a bureau was
standing that contained the hartl-earned
dollars that were to so toward putting all
addition to the house as soon as a few
more could be added to them. At ten
o'clock Rolfe decided to go home. He
was laughed at by his neighbour who told
him that the feeling was the first symptoms
of chill fever; Rolfe would go home next
day and find everything had passed Off
but at last started for home on foot, prom
Using to return i'll the morning on horse
back i'll time to secure the balance of his
things before the neighbor should be want
about midnight, awakened his wife, and to
her expressions of astonishment could say
nothing only that he felt that he ought to
return. 1nquiring as to Artles, the wife
replied that he had reformed the farm
'chores' as usual, remained about the
house for while, and then informed her
that the night being warm, he would sleep
i'll the barn. Rolfe passed through to the
kitchen, where he found window up tha4
looked directly ON the barn-yard. His wife
was certain that she had shut all the win
dows on retiring. AS they stood for
moment looking out they saw the barn door
swing open, and Artles lead out one of the
horses. AS they watched he led the horse
through the gate, and going to the front
they saw that he had tied the animal by the
door-yard gate. Rolfe Immediately opened
| the door, and walked down to the gate
He was within ten feet of Artles when the
latter espied him, and giving utterance to
an oath of angry astonishment Immediate
ly fled down the road. Rolfe pursued him for
some forty or fifty rods, and then gave up
the chase. On returning to the horse-block
the gleam of steel caught his eye, and he
picked from it an ugly-looking naked sheath
knife. The open window, the pretence of
sleeping in the barn, the horse and knife,
all went to prove to Mr.. Rolfe that Artles
was william, and intended to have robbed
the house, even if he had not made deadly
use of the murderous knife. The facts are
given exactly as narrated by Mr.. Rolfe him
SELF and the reader is free to judge Of the
truth or absurdity of the presentiment.-
On Friday Artles had not returned to the
neighborhood, neither had the slightest
clue to his whereabouts been discovered.