The Columbia herald. [volume] (Columbia, Tenn.) 1850-1873, 1870-04-22

! passage scanned interminable. Tile
damp of the wall against which my
biSoa. Ssad III ZEE 5ssf sSsi sss' s
piles Of rubbish lying grouped agains,
the side; and sometimes my grouping
WAS bewildered by my coming across
reeesses into which my hands guided
me. - s'sszi. - lss'
Atslength 1 saw a star, tremulous,
Bl6rious, in the distance. It was day
gl9ht; the aperture of the tunnel; and
l pushed forward with inyigorated spir-
its. / neared it slowly; for this star
seemed to maintain an inexorable dis
tance, and would not enlarge. How
shall 1 describe my joy as gained the
twilight of its reflection / advanced
and felt the pare air Of heaven upon
my dry cheeks and burning lips-I saw
TIC blue sky, and the dim vista of pale
green banks! -,
As I got into the light, a cry escaped
my lips. My trousers were splashed
with, blood. There was one ensan-
guined line, as if a fountain of blood
had played;upon me.
] seated myself to recover my strength.
/ couldisee that presented dismal
and terrible spectacle. My coat was
torn, my hands were black-so, too, /
judged was my ifade-rhy collar hat
been torn from me, and the skin at the
ends OF my fingers had been laceratcd.
After reposing myself, I climbed the
hank, and perceived at the distance of
about u mile q small station. A rail-
way official, who was standing looking
at two children playing i'm a back gar.
den, uttered loud cry of aiarnf as he
as correctly as I could, and then sunk
upon the ground In q fainting condi-
ton.
OF what happened after this l have
no remembrance. When / came to
my senses I discovered that had been
taken to the house of the station-master
and carefully tended by his wife. From
him learned the conclusion of this sim
gulafi incident in my life.f 1t seems
that after my story had been told, two
men were dispatched into the tunnel in
search of my assailant. They discOv-
ered linn lying dead with both his legs
cut clean off a little above the knees.
They bore the corpse to an adjacent
dead house, and an inquiry into his
death brought out particulars that are
easily anticipated. The man who go
very closely resembled me at v,
had seduced the betrothed of a laborer,
one Theodore Nertot. This Theodore,
reckless now oflife, and resOlutely bent
on vengeance, swOre to kill her sedu-
Ger. Mistaking me- for his enemy, he
attempted to shoot me. This failing he
hung about the hotel, armed with a
stiletto, determined to stab me when
ever / sheuId appear in the street.
Hearing, however, that l was about
leaving for Paris, he perceived better
and safer means of prosecuting his de-
sign, by stahbing me in the tunnel
through which he knew We would pass,
and then escaping in the darkness.
Reflection had obviously taught him
that revenge would be none the less
sweet because it did not entail his de-
struction by the law. ieff sst,t
Such is the simple but tragical story.
My prototype, who had been the means
of twice imperiling my life, have nev-
erseen since. / confess to no wish to
see him. 1t is bad enough to have to!
bear the brunt of ones own follies; it
is altogether miserable to suffer for the
fOllies of others. Ever since the occur
renee of this small episode, have al
ways thought there is a much wiser
providence manifested in the dissimi-
Iarity between man and man than
our philosophers suffer us to dream of.