The Louisiana Democrat. [volume] (Alexandria, La.) 1845-1918, 1871-12-13
THE MILLER'S DAUGHTER
BY II. NJ.

Many years ago, the community Of
i a hamlet in the, south Of France was
startled by a crime, rare, indeed, il
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 q
heavy stake, which lay near the body,
covered with blood aud all his pock.
cts had been rifled of their contents,
including considerable sum of money.
which he was known to have received
the previous evening for some sheen
sold by him in the neighboring market
town. -
When the awe and excitement crea-
ted by this event had subsidized a little.
every& exertion was made by the au-
thorities to ferret out the perpetrator
OF the crime. A reward was offered
for the discovery of the murderer, pro-
clamatiop of which bounty was made
for several successive Sundays at the
church door. At last some disclosures
were made, impliciting young man
teen years.
The person who brought the charge
against young Laroche was man of
the name of Landiy-a stranger in the
district, but who had lately been APP
pointed by the lord of the manor as
one of the keepers of his game pre-
serves. Landry testified that lie had
seen Laroche cutting Il stake from a
hedge on the AFTERNOON previous to the
murder, and that he had reported him
for it, and, taking the stake from him,
had stuck it in the bank of the hedge
at 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,
after taking it from Laroche, he had
nicked it in a peculiar way with his
knife. Ross
Now it so happened that the murder
ed farmer had many and influential
| friends, willie Laroche had but few
Therefore, Laroche was convicted of
the murder, and sentenced to be hang
ed on certain day, at certain place;
until which time he was placed for
safe keeping in the gaol of the district
the third floor of a large stone build
ing, the lower part of which was a
mill. H. 81" rs ef
The prison consisted of single
apartment, lighted by one small win
dow at height of sixteen feet from the
floor. The side of the building from
which the window looked ran sheer
down to the water of dark and deep
river, which crept lazily by the mill,
but quickened its pace little down,
until it gradually became a rushing
torrent, leaping wildly on to its fall
over perpendicular ledge of rocks.
Bodies carried over that fall were said
never to be recovered; and it was a
fixed notion among the country people
that there was suctional force in the
whirlpool below, by which everything
falling into it was carried down into
the unexplorcd abysses of the earth.
1t was the day before that fixed for
the execution of young Laroche; and
the priest of the parish, Father Allard
by name, had been left alone with the
prisoner, in order to prepare him, by
the consolation of religion, for his APP
preaching doom. To his words of
comfort Laroche listened with humil-
ity, and in silence, until the good ia
ther began to dilate upon his chances
of forgiveness in the next world for the
terrible crime committed by him.
Then the prisoner electrified him by
declaring his perfect innocence of that
crime-a position which he meant to
maintain, he said, with his latest
breath.
To be brief, the youth of the prison
er, his earnest reservations of inno-
cence, and wavering doubt of his
guilt which had all along troubled
Father Allard's mind, so wrought upon
that worthy man, that he at last con-
sented to commit himself to a plan fol
giving the prisoner chance to escape.
if not from death, at least from the ig-
!nominy Of dying by tie hands of the