Burlington weekly free press. [volume] (Burlington, Vt.) 1866-1928, 1869-01-29

FAMILY SKELETON.


There il an old brick mansion on E,panade
street. New Orleans. that stands little way
back from the hauquette, and from ir- quaint
construction arrests the attention Of the pass
cr-by. It was built near a century ago.
and has strange history Yet fresh in the
memory Of many. Once the hah.tauon VI
wealth rand refinement, it has passed 10 far
different uses. lt is nov a tenement house.
and the wind and the storm make solemn
music in the ruinlus rooms when the cle-
ments are at strife.
Ii is connected with ana event somewhat
remarkable in my experience. It wa, then
the residence 0f "a Spanish family ol great
wealth and distinguished social position. Mr..
] and myself were strangers o. them per
-lnallv. although we were familiar with their
reputation in the community. One night
We We're surprised By visit from Antoine
Pallotta. the then head of the family, which
consisted of a nephew and daughter Bu-
NOR had it that the wife was Vet living. but
ifso. it was in such retirement that even her
name was never mentioned tohtrangers. Fora
year previous it had been observed O. strict
seclusi0n was maintained by the family. some
gossips had it that strange noises were fire.
quentv heard IN the house and Wailug- as
of one in distress
ON introducing himself % us, Mr.. Pi.Iota
stated that he might possibly need our sar-
vices in q matter, terminate how it would
which must De kept secret until after his
death The injunction We Werr. of course,
willing t. observe, and 50 stated.
lie then disclosed 20 Us the iac, tlat he
had recently missed from bic safe some Jewels
of great value, and that the circumstance of
their disappearance left no doubt in his mind
that they were taken by either bis nephew
or daughter. The profound agitation with
which this disclosure was made left nl doubt
in our minds of the grief itclst him TO make
it.
q" would not. ." he said, d" put ti- matter
in your hands. but that am bound hv solemn
obligation of honor 9, transmit them t1 the
representative of my house when die Il
NAV be that my child has them or my
nephew. urged bv debts which Young men
sometimes contract. has taken them 10 pledge.
u enable him To raise money In cithercyeut
they viii have 10 be- recovered, since ! cannot
eyade the VOW am under. You preceive
now why am compelled To require Of You
pledge of secrecy
With this the interview terminated. and
We set ont ourselves To- work upon the case
To prose ute our inquiries more etiecIuailv.
:. ,,o,..-.,,-- ~. M. T., ,i.,r tb. hons,
.rl:. I;I -. - t..,, . J;.ta,,r ~t,te
-, i.,a,.-;i7,I ,.~.a.+,,-g ti..,, N,ri. p,Il-
o-ta had ,,eror saer Sbe seemed indeed
n cb;id or,bo tro,ics ,adi,1t ms g, zen. of the
Orient, star eyed as the Egyptian queen.
T,r,, blo,.l- boir soft and siItv fell to her
,r,isr ,rliIs her slender evouisirelv-rr,r,r-
toned f,,l-e would have been Il sciluter' +
iIe,I Gracei,l and ,yitcbip, i'm her voun,
,,irlbo,d and $, innocent that II seemed
inr.,ssihle to as.ociate with creature ~
l,yalv nm idea of crime The nerbev VA. n
tall. fne-lookiuc man, with the dark tint of
the Sraniarls in his compleyion and the fire
of his rasslonate race in his ewes. But they
were bold. honest ewes. towhich guilt seemed
a STRANGER
knew AT once that tbeold mans theory
was WRONG. However su.picious the circum-
stances these vounc peoule were ruiltlcss.
still kent nv own counsel. and accepted
the bospitalitie. had come auuarently To
eniov.
Ny room was on the second floor, elegantly
and sumptuously appointed. After retiring,
sat before the FIRE, enjoying a Havana and
rejecting on the case. 1t must have been
near midnight when my reyerie was disturb
ed by a scream so piercing that my blood
curdled at the fearful sound. 1t was succeed
ed by sound Of maniac laughter. Thesingu-
lar cadence echoed along the yaulted passage
with weird utterance that seemed to the
fancy ghostly and chilling. as the wind in a
charnel-house.
| could not account for it. Struck spell
bound. could only listen for its reretition
but it came no more. | will confess a nameless
dread as hastily undressed and sought for
qetfulness in sleep. But nv nerves we're ex-
cited and slumber had utterly forsaken me.
At last drouped to sleen-a troubled. un-
certain kind Of repose that wearied instead
of resting mind and body. | awoke from
this with a start. An lev hand was on my
forehead. the weird cadence of that horrible
laugh was in my ears. sprung upright il
bed, and before me in the dimly lighted room
was creature, so distorted in appearance
20 misshapen and deformed, that my first
impression was that was in the presence o
the supernatural.