The Louisiana Democrat. [volume] (Alexandria, La.) 1845-1918, 1871-12-20
The Friends.
BYIr.

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Niany years ago; the community o
II! hamlet in the south of France wa.
startled by a crime, rare, indeed, in
their quiet, agricultural district. A
wealthy farmer was found dead, al
early morning, within one hundred
yards of his own house. He had been
killed by blows administered by. a
heavy stake, Which lay near the body,
covered with blood and all his peck
cts had been rif1ed Of their contents,
including considerable sum Of money,
whichhe was known to have received
the previous aevening for some sheen
sold by him'in the ncighboring market
town. ga @a,tstsaf1I 7ao ,amas so
w hen the awe and excitement crea-
ted By this event had subsidized a little,
every excr1ion was made by the au7
thprities to ferret ont the perpetrator
of the crime. A reward was offered
for the discovery of the murderer, pro-
clamation of which bounty was made
for several successive Sundays at the
church. door. At last some disclosures
were made. impliciting yonna man
named .Larocle--a Stripping OF elgn-s
teen years. I35latm ,assIe 81 ear
The person who brought the charge
against Young I-aroche was q man of
the name of Landry-a. stranger in the
district, but who had lately been ap-
pointed by the lord Of the manor as
one of the keepers of lis game pre-
serves. Landry testified that he had
seen Larocle cutting /, stake from a
hedgeon the afternoon previous to tie
murder, wn,l that he had reported him
for it, and, taking the stake from him,
had stuck 4itiin the bank of the hedge
at a. particular spot, The stake was
the same one that was found, lying near
the body of the murdered farmer
Landry could swear to it, because,
alter taking it from Laroche, he had
nicked it in a peculiar way with lis
knife. Z 80 ssa
| Now it so happened that the murder
ed farmer bad many and influential
friends, while Lafoche had but few
Therefore, Daroche was convicted ii
the murder, aud sentenced to he hang
ed ON q certain day, alta certain place
until which, time he was placed tor
safe, keelfiag in the gaol of the district
1.-The third tloor Of large; stone build
ing, the ea lover over lpaprt qf which was a
mill. /,
The prison. consisted of a single
aps tmeut, lighted by one small win
dow at a height Of sixteepfeet from the
floor. Tie side Of the, building from
which the window looked ran sheer
down to the water 81 dark and deep
river, which crept.laziiyy by the mill
but auiekened its pace little down;
until itoigradnally ahscame aiIdshina
torrent, aleaping' wihily'on to its fall
over perpendicular ledge ofsoFecks
Bodies carried over that fall were salt
never to he recovered; and it was 3
fixed notion among the-c0nntry people
that there wasta suetion,l force In tn
whi,ApoQl below, by which everything
1 failing, into it,was carried down int
the ,nnexplored al,ysses Of the eartb1.
4 1t WAS the day before that fixedifo1
/ the execution of ypupg,, Lareche;ilapt
i the priest ef9the parish, Father Allary
4 by name, had been left alone. with TIL
lprispner,in orderltel prepare linn, n!
| the consolation of religion, far his ap
1proachipg doom.olITo his, words q
comfort Laroche listened. with l,umil
I ity, and tirl. silence, until the good "a
Their bega. TO dilate npon his ehance
4 of forgiveness in Tho next world FORTH
terrible crime committed by him.
] Then thaaprisoner electrified hin h.
declaripgrhis perfect ipnocauee Of tlg.
crime7a position which he meant t
maiptaiu, he said,. with his lates
d breath f.ii,sasxs j ii i7o4i 4stp s.li b
i TO be brief, the youth of the prison
d er, his earnest reservations Of limo
cenec, and a awavering doaht of Iii
guilt which. had all along troubls'
Father AilaHFs.mind, SO wrought ipo1
4 that worthy man, 'tliht he at last con
| scented to commit himself to a, ,llan 70
4 giving the priso,ser chance tasescare
| it. not from death, at kast from the ig
lDominy Of dying by tie hands Of th